After abandoning its election misinformation policy last year, YouTube allowed right-wing media figures to undermine confidence in the 2024 election results before votes were even cast, with streamers claiming that “the “The only way the left can win this election is if it’s stolen,” suggesting that “illegal ballots” could be “swiped” into Pennsylvania, and claiming that Democrats are trying to “rig and steal elections.” understood with an “illegal foreign push”.

In December 2020, after states certified their election results, YouTube began deletion settle for false claims that widespread fraud changed the outcome of the election, but the program overturned this policy in June 2023, saying it would “stop removing content that makes false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or problems occurred in the 2020 and other previous U.S. presidential elections.” (The decision was acclaimed by right-wing media.)

Over the past year, right-wing creators have exploited Cancellation of YouTube policyespecially in the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election. In July, for example, Media Matters reported that after becoming co-chair of the Republican National Committee in March, Lara Trump repeatedly engaged in election denial on her YouTube show.

Even right-wing podcaster Steven Crowder recognized the policy shift during an August stream on the platform, saying, “Here’s another way they’re trying to steal this election from you.” And we’re now allowed to say it on YouTube, which is great.