On 14 December 2020, Trump-supporting slates in seven states Biden won signed certificates saying they were the states’ electors. The National Archives has published them as unofficial documents; they were not the states’ certified votes. [1]

Supporters say the slates were a legal backup in case courts reversed the results, citing Hawaii in 1960. Critics say several certificates did not say they were contingent, and that the plan was to have Vice President Pence count them. Both descriptions appear in the record, and the difference matters for criminal intent.

State prosecutions followed. A Michigan judge dismissed the case against 15 electors in September 2025 for lack of evidence that they intended to defraud. Georgia’s case ended entirely in November 2025. Arizona’s was dismissed in August 2026, and Nevada’s that same month. In Wisconsin, three defendants pleaded not guilty in June 2026 and that case is pending. [2][3][4][5][6]

Dismissals are not all alike. Some turned on intent, some on how the case was brought, some on a disqualified prosecutor. None of them found that Trump won those states.