Contributors on the “You’re Being Lied To About Voter Fraud. Here’s the Truth” project gather for a photo at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ 46th annual Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards on June 25 in New York City.(Photo courtesy NATAS).
Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Neil Makhija added Emmy winner to his resume after winning two awards for a multimedia piece about elections.
Published as an opinion video on the New York Times website, “You’re Being Lied To About Voter Fraud. Here’s the Truth” took home “outstanding graphic design” for the news category and “outstanding art direction/set decoration/scenic design,” as a documentary.
“It was certainly gratifying because there were so many moments where the film itself almost didn’t happen,” Makhija said in a recent phone interview.
The short film narrated by Makhija and illustrated by Molly Crabapple was featured during the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ 46th annual Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards on June 25 in New York City. Additional participants included music by Max Fractal, produced by Jim Batt and executive produced by Makhija and Jordan Wood, according to the film’s credits.
“I think what was great about our recognition here is that it underscored how important the story that [we] have to tell for everyone across the country and election administration. The work we’re doing is very local and yet it’s extremely important to everyone, especially here in Pennsylvania,” he said.
Makhija emphasized how the short film’s inspiration originated from his interest in elections, as an election law professor at Penn and chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
How Elections are Run
Overseeing the 2024 election that featured a highly contentious presidential race in a key battleground county in the swing state of Pennsylvania, Makhija underscored the need to outline procedures, highlight security practices and showcase initiatives taking place to increase voter outreach.
“I wanted to tell the story of how our elections are run, and why they’re secure, and why they’re run with integrity, and the people who work behind the scenes are really doing this with a deep reverence for the democratic process,” Makhija said.
It began with a “cold email” sent in early 2024 as Makhija pitched the idea to Crabapple, Fractal and Batt and shared his background overseeing election proceedings. To his surprise, he received a response a couple of weeks later. Work began in February, and he finished the script in June, Makhija said. He estimated the watercolors done by Crabapple and filming took about three months. They wrapped in September. Makhija and his team had shopped the project to several outlets, and it was published on the New York Times’ Opinion page in late October 2024.
“I had a little bit of an aspiration and a dream here, trying to make something that was universal in the sense that no matter where in the country you were, this would be relevant. Because this is what brings us together — commitment to democracy and the idea that as Americans we all have a say in our own future. So I knew I wanted it to have an audience that was broad,” Makhija said.
Makhija also aimed to display the validity of the election process in an effort to combat “misinformation.” He stressed how “we’ve seen serious attacks on the democratic process, questioning the integrity of the process” ahead of the race between former Vice President Kalama Harris and President Donald Trump.
“The United States is closer than ever to achieving the dream it’s been chasing since 1776: an inclusive democracy that lives up to the promise of one person, one vote. But since 2020, election deniers have sought to undermine America’s collective voice with lies about the security of our elections,” read a video description on the New York Times’ YouTube page.
Misinformation was prevalent in the weeks and months after the 2020 presidential election race between former President Joe Biden and the votes were counted. The race was called on Nov. 7, 2020 as Biden won with 306 Electoral College votes.
An insurrection of the U.S. Capitol followed during certification as thousands of Trump supporters traveled to Washington, D.C. to protest the vote on Jan. 6, 2021. The day devolved into chaos as rioters stormed the capitol, resulting in the deaths of at least five people; more than 140 officers were hurt and more than 700 people were arrested, according to media reports. Former Vice President Mike Pence proclaimed Biden the victor at 3:40 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2021.
But misinformation persisted, manifesting itself during public comment periods of local government meetings, including the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners sessions. Makhija said he witnessed it early in his first term.
“I wanted to systematically address the falsehoods that were out there and just explain to people how elections are run and how they work, why there are also safeguards to make sure there’s not widespread fraud,” he said.
Local Election Reaction
Montgomery County was also the subject of two election-related lawsuits ahead of the 2024 election brought by the Republican National Committee and a Lower Providence Township resident. The lawsuit between the county’s election board and the Republican National Committee was withdrawn, and the second petition sought a preliminary injunction against the Montgomery County Voter Services Mobile Outreach van. A Montgomery County judge later ruled that the Montgomery County Board of Elections must post schedules concerning the van.
Voter engagement was a key priority for county election board leadership, unveiling several initiatives, including mobile outreach, town halls and providing election-related information in multiple languages. Those efforts were highlighted in the video as a way to demonstrate effective practices for others.
“I’m hopeful that by getting this recognition we can share that message so that local officials around the country know that they can take steps to protect the right to vote and administer elections that are free and fair and accessible to all,” Makhija said.
Montgomery County had an 82.93 percent voter turnout rate in the 2024 general election, according to the county’s election summary report. Harris won handily in Montgomery County, with 317,103 votes to Trump’s 198,311 votes, according to county election results. However, Trump took Pennsylvania and the nation, with 77,303,568 votes to Harris’ 75,019,230 votes, according to reported national results.
Looking ahead, the county election board has turned its attention toward the Nov. 4 general election. The off-year election showcases several races, including judges, school boards and municipal positions. There were 130,386 ballots cast in the May 20 primary, according to an election results summary report, which resulted in a 21.20 percent voter turnout rate.
“We saw a good turnout in this election. We always want to see more in the off years, but I’m excited because we continually refine and improve our process to make sure that there’s fewer hiccups and we’ve invested in a training team for the first time,” Makhija said.
“So making sure that we can expand our capacity internally to handle and troubleshoot individual problems is something that we’ve invested in voter services, and I’m excited to get electronic poll books next year. That’s something we’re going to roll out, which makes the process faster and more secure for in-person voting.”
