Although the left continues to downplay the issues surrounding “election integrity” this November, mounting evidence points to what is likely to turn into an eventual series of disputes, lawsuits, and potential anarchy in a year that has already been marred by civil unrest nationally.

This election season has so far seen the discarding of a number of military ballots in the state of Pennsylvania, most of which were for President Trump. The fate of the Pennsylvania vote also looms large as some new procedures in the state during this unprecedented “coronavirus election” are sure to wind up in court due to a recent ruling that is gives PA voters an extra three days to return their mail ballots.

This matter may also play into the Supreme Court confirmation process of Amy Coney Barrett, as Republicans in Pennsylvania are already asking the SCOTUS to review the controversial ruling.

Apart from the issues in Pennsylvania, the vote counts in Texas and Florida may also see complications this election cycle as well. In the Lone Star State, a recently uncovered ballot harvesting operation being orchestrated by Biden operatives threatens to turn the GOP stronghold into a Democratic fiefdom. 

In Florida, the issue of whether to allow convicted felons to vote, as well as a recent issue related to the state’s voter registration site, which has compelled some in the state to demand that Gov. Ron DeSantis conduct an immediate investigation, has cast a dark cloud over the highly coveted battleground state. 

The totality of these issues, in addition to worries that already existed related to mail-in ballots, has many experts questioning whether it will even be possible to declare a winner of the presidential election on or around Election Day this year.

Many Americans had already been skeptical of the legitimacy of the coming election, as the news cycle has had no shortage of stories related to election hacking over the past four years.  

As a result of this growing election-related anxiety, Christopher Krebs, Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, appeared in a video this week where he claims that his “confidence in the security of your vote has never been higher.” These statements from Krebs come despite a September report from Microsoft that advised of foreign activity groups stepping “efforts targeting the 2020 election."

So, who is telling the truth here? Although Russia has denied having any involvement in hacking the 2016 election, the Microsoft report says that apart from Russia, China and Iran have already made attempts to hack individuals and entities that are involved in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

These attacks have been carried out by three of the more infamous and prolific state-sponsored hacking groups in the world. Russia’s APT28 or "Fancy Bear," a military hacking group, has reportedly already targeted consultants working with both Republicans and Democratic candidates, as well as think tanks, like the German Marshall Fund of America.

The Chinese government, who are generally recognized at the world leader in cyberespionage, have deployed the hacking group known as Zirconium. The group has targeted the Biden campaign through attempted breaches of email accounts belonging to campaign staff. According to the Microsoft report, in addition to attempting to breach the Biden campaign, "The group has also targeted at least one prominent individual formerly associated with the Trump Administration."

Last, and probably the least capable on this list of nuisances, is Iran. Microsoft’s report also named Iranian hacking group APT35 or "Phosphorous." While not as well-known as their Russian or Chinese counterparts, this  group was said to have unsuccessfully attempted to penetrate email accounts of Trump administration officials and operatives working for the Donald J. Trump for President Campaign between May and June of 2020.

The efforts from foreign entities obsessed with destroying the American way of life are sure to continue until November 3^rd. This is in addition to all the self-harm that the political Left is injecting into the process. As we continue to learn the scope of the intrusions, Americans must ponder -- will it be possible for our election to produce a legitimate victor given the multitude of complications in the year of the coronavirus pandemic?

Julio Rivera is a business and political strategist, the Editorial Director for Reactionary Times, and a political commentator and columnist. His writing, which is focused on cybersecurity and politics, has been published by websites including The Hill, Real Clear Politics, Townhall and American Thinker.

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