Vote tabulators are not connected to the Internet.
We could be seeing a propaganda campaign: "Don't look at X" (where public public opinion is most definitely being manipulated by Musk with disinformation) "but rather, look at Starlink" (which is easily debunked.)
Elon Musk and the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election: Assessing media influence, campaign dynamics, and public opinion
Abstract
In the context of social media’s profound transformation of public discourse and political communication, the influence of technological opinion leaders on voter behavior has attracted growing scholarly attention. This study takes Elon Musk as the focal case to examine whether, and to what extent, his social media activity and event participation during the 2020 and 2024 U.S. presidential elections significantly affected public attention toward Donald Trump and shifts in electoral sentiment. An empirical framework combining event study methodology and time-series regression is developed, incorporating Google Search Index data, polling results from key swing states, and election betting odds. The analysis captures the dynamic relationship between Musk’s behavior and public responses from two perspectives: public opinion dynamics and market-based expectations. The results reveal a significant correlation between Musk’s high-exposure behavior at critical moments and Trump’s support rate, particularly showing short-term boosts in swing-state polling. In contrast, the response from betting markets remains limited, suggesting a divergence in information processing between voters — who are more susceptible to attention-driven shocks — and investors, who tend to adopt structurally grounded assessments. Moreover, certain high-involvement events (e.g., public endorsements or financial contributions) triggered short-term negative reactions, indicating that public exhibits a divergent reaction toward entrepreneurs’ involvement in politics. This study deepens the understanding of the opinion-shaping role of tech entrepreneurs, highlights the asymmetric interaction between business figures and traditional politicians, and, from the perspectives of behavioral finance and electoral economics, offers both theoretical and practical insights into attention economics, opinion polarization, and platform governance.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050925024676
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