'Counting Window' Seen as High-Risk Period for Trump to Cast Doubt on Midterm Results

Election experts have warned that the period immediately following the closing of polls in November's midterm elections — often called the "counting window" — could be a particularly vulnerable moment for attempts to disrupt or cast doubt on the results, according to the Guardian.

The warning follows a string of court setbacks to Trump administration efforts to restrict voting access, with the report noting that officials may be inclined to use claims of "foreign interference" to challenge the vote's legitimacy once counting begins.

Caitlin Durkovich, a former deputy homeland security adviser, told the Guardian: "I think because the administration has lost so many of their attempts to disrupt the normal process in court, that they are going to use the claim of foreign interference at the end of voting days to either seize equipment or to seize ballots, whether they're legally justified to do so or not."

With control of the U.S. Congress at stake in the midterms, the report said the post-election counting period is being closely watched by former federal officials concerned about potential disruptions to the normal certification process.