Election officials push back on Trump's 'rigged' allegations

ATLANTA -- Election officials across the country are pushing back against Donald Trump's assertions the presidential election may be rigged, arguing too many safeguards exist against engineered results nationally or in individual states.

Claims of "rigged" contests are "part of free speech," Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, said in an interview. "But I would tell voters not to overreact to some of the more spirited language."

It's clear, though, some supporters have taken Trump's comments to heart. Trump told a town-hall crowd in Columbus, Ohio, last month: "I'm afraid the election is going to be rigged; I have to be honest," without elaborating.

In recent weeks, voters have linked the GOP nominee's remarks to attacks on two states' voter-registration databases and questions surrounding the security of electronic voting machines.

A clear divide remains between Democrats and Republicans on the prevalence of in-person voting fraud, sharpened by recent court rulings against voter-identification laws in several states, including North Carolina.

Appeals-court judges in the North Carolina suit said state officials didn't provide evidence of in-person fraud they claim strict identification requirements will prevent. Researchers also have found few cases of fraud in years of study.

Asked in Dalton, Georgia, about his views on voter fraud, Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, told a woman "skepticism is well-founded, but the response ought to be action."

He then segued into a defense of voter-identification laws.

The day before in Perry, Georgia, Pence recommended a person with similar concerns about election results get involved as a local precinct poll worker.

Pence didn't mention the "Trump Election Observer" registration system on the campaign's official site, in which they call for volunteers to stop "Crooked Hillary," as he calls his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, "from rigging this election."

"I understand the anxiety that people feel, and we've seen instances of voter fraud in this country over the last 10 to 20 years," Pence told the crowd.

Election systems used to cast and count ballots are different from other targets of cyberattacks this year, including the Democratic National Committee and voter-registration databases in Arizona and Illinois.

Officials around the country said they're prepared for any attempted attacks.

But they recognize any problems before Election Day give fuel to skeptics.