To those in America looking at election numbers they find unreasonable and asking whether anything c

To those in America looking at election numbers they find unreasonable and asking whether anything can still be done: YES, there are legal avenues. But they require evidence and immediate action.

Numbers that seem implausible deserve careful examination. They do not, by themselves, establish fraud.

Here are the possible scenarios:

• Counting errors: Recounts and legal challenges can correct the totals and potentially change the winner.

• Proven election crimes: Those responsible can face prosecution. Changing the declared winner, however, requires sufficient legal grounds and evidence.

• Fraud or irregularities that undermine a particular election: Depending on state law and the evidence, the authorized court or election board may order corrective action, including a new election.

• Disputed congressional seats: The House decides contested elections involving its own members, and the Senate does the same. A properly pursued challenge can continue even after a member has been sworn in.

• Foreign interference: Executive Order 13848 provides for intelligence assessments and sanctions. Evidence uncovered through that process could support separate legal challenges, but the order does not give Trump the authority to cancel the midterms or declare different winners.

There is precedent for serious action. After an investigation uncovered an unlawful absentee ballot scheme involving North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District during the 2018 election, the state election board ordered a new election.