美国参议院民主党领导人上月在华盛顿举行了一次选举威胁推演，模拟了包括AI深度伪造视频、威胁选举工作人员、武装人员出现在投票点等多种干扰选举的情景[1]。参与演习的民主党人包括参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默、亚历克斯·帕迪拉、亚当·希夫、马克·沃纳、埃莱萨·斯洛特金和拉斐尔·沃尔诺克[1]。这次演习旨在识别防御漏洞、测试应对方案，以应对可能的选举干扰[1]。
推演包含多个极端场景[1]。其中第一个模拟场景假设AI深度伪造视频显示"选举舞弊证据"在投票前几周通过社交媒体传播[1]。其他情景还包括：撤销不提交选民名单进行联邦监管的州的预算资金、针对报道深度伪造的新闻机构的FCC行动、武装民兵在投票点的活动、午夜纵火焚烧提前投票地点、国土安全部特工和国民警卫队在投票站的单方面部署[1]。
特朗普持续挑战选举制度的合法性[1]。他在电视讲话中声称中国非法获取了2.2亿美国人的选民信息[1]，并要求国会通过《拯救美国法案》，禁止全国邮寄投票并对选民登记实施新的身份证要求[1]。特朗普持续散布2020年选举被窃的虚假言论，这引发了进步派选民的担忧[1]。
Senate Democratic leaders conducted a simulation exercise in Washington last month to prepare for potential threats to electoral integrity, according to reporting by the Guardian World.[1] The drill, which involved Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with Senators Alex Padilla, Adam Schiff, Mark Warner, Elesa Slotkin, and Raphael Warnock, was designed to identify defensive vulnerabilities and test response protocols ahead of the midterm elections.[1] Participants worked through multiple disruptive scenarios, including the circulation of artificial intelligence-generated deepfake videos claiming to show election fraud in the weeks before voting, armed militia activity at polling locations, and arson attacks on early voting sites.[1]
The exercise also examined more direct federal interventions in electoral processes, including the defunding of states that refuse to submit voter rolls for federal oversight, Federal Communications Commission action against news organizations reporting on deepfakes, and unilateral deployment of Department of Homeland Security agents and National Guard troops at voting stations.[1] The simulation reflects growing concerns among Democrats as former President Trump has continued to promote false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, while simultaneously calling for congressional passage of the "Save America Act," which would ban nationwide mail-in voting and impose new voter identification requirements.[1] Trump has also publicly claimed that China illegally obtained voting information on 2.2 million Americans.[1]