CCP State Media Exaggerates "Chaos" of U.S. Election, Netizens Mock: "Do Chinese People Have Ballots?"

The photo shows an early voting site of the "Boy Scouts Club" on 41st Street in Flushing, New York. (Li Linzhao/Dajiyuan)

[People News] The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) state media has launched a full-scale campaign to report on the "chaos" of the U.S. election, exaggerating America's standard pre-election security measures as "boarding up windows to prevent election riots." A Uighur American citizen criticized the CCP for directing public opinion to attack American democracy, while Chinese mainland netizens mocked the state media, saying, "Lackeys don't understand the joy of having a ballot." An American-Chinese scholar noted that U.S. democracy is still the best form of democracy available.

According to Radio Free Asia, Tuesday (Nov 5) was the official voting day in the United States. On social media, numerous Chinese netizens observed the election, with some lamenting, "When will the Chinese people be able to have their own ballots?" However, many Chinese people were influenced by the CCP's media coverage of the U.S. election.

CCP State Media Deliberately Highlights Negative Aspects of U.S. Election

The CCP’s state media has been searching for various angles to portray the U.S. election negatively, amplifying American media reports to create an impression of "political division," "violence surrounding democratic elections," "racial tensions," and "failure of American democracy."

On Tuesday, CCP mouthpieces such as CCTV and Global Times reported, "Washington, D.C. is strengthening security, closely guarding against violence, and many stores near the White House have boarded up their windows." They also reported that Washington, D.C., has deployed 3,000 police officers on high alert.

Various CCP state media outlets reprinted these reports with exaggerated titles, such as "Fences, Boarded Windows, and Snipers on Standby, Tension Runs High in U.S. Election," "As if Facing a Major Enemy: Businesses Board Up to Prevent Election Riots," and "The Entire City on Alert in the U.S. Capital."

Chinese netizens responded mockingly on Weibo, calling it "a unique American feature" and "a beautiful scene of America." Yet some clear-minded Chinese netizens commented, "This would never happen in China because it's not a democracy." Another netizen directly tagged the U.S. Embassy in China, stating, "Chinese media is slandering you again."

A reporter traced the origin of this CCP state media report. The Washington Post did indeed report on Monday (Nov 4) that, due to the storming of the Capitol in the previous U.S. election, Washington, D.C. officials worked to reassure and calm residents’ concerns. Fences were erected near the White House and other key locations, and businesses boarded up their windows. More than 3,000 police officers were on 12-hour shifts, but the goal was to protect public safety, with all security measures implemented in an open and transparent manner.

The report also stated that many local residents gathered at a landmark in the northwest to pray for the future of American democracy, without the alarmist atmosphere portrayed by the CCP state media. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser assured residents that the authorities were prepared for any possible election-related events.

After stirring up a wave of "fear surrounding the U.S. election," Global Times shifted focus to alleged public "chaos," reporting, "A bakery in Philadelphia is making political cookies to predict election outcomes, making a huge profit in the process."

On Monday, CCTV continued to stir up the "five former U.S. presidents' brawl" story on Weibo. Some paid internet commenters (known as the "50 Cent Army") joined in, claiming, "The chaos of the U.S. presidential election is astounding; it’s truly unprecedented, filled with conspiracies, fraud, and even attempts to physically eliminate opponents."

Commentary: CCP Willing to Manufacture Negative Public Opinion to Misinform People

On social media platform X, Uyghur-American Steven, who was once targeted by the CCP’s hired hacker company I-SOON, told Radio Free Asia that this election was his first time voting as a U.S. citizen. Steven explained that because the U.S. election has a profound impact on China's economy and politics, the CCP closely monitors the entire U.S. election process and results. However, as it is the information age, they also worry that this process could enlighten their own citizens about democracy, so they go to great lengths to create negative public opinion to keep people misinformed.

Steven said, "This election has a major impact on the CCP. This is why China (the CCP) has relentlessly attacked U.S. democracy over the years. The CCP defames U.S. elections, but they never tell the Chinese people what’s on the ballot, what’s being voted on, or how a president is chosen. They never explain the relationship between the Senate and the House or why the Electoral College is used to elect the president. They won’t describe it to their citizens because China supposedly has 'whole-process democracy.'"

Steven also pointed out that it’s normal for U.S. politicians to compete, but this has become a focus for attacks by the CCP and its external propaganda. He noted that not only does CCP state media guide public opinion, but so-called influencers on overseas social media always appear at key moments like the U.S. election to drive narratives such as "the decline of U.S. democracy" and "chaos in the U.S. election," which is another pathway of the CCP’s external propaganda.

Steven said, "The CCP uses social media platforms to spread rumors. Many overseas Chinese influencers operate almost in coordination, attacking American democracy at key moments like the U.S. election. This creates an illusion in the Chinese-speaking world that 'American democracy is completely ruined' or 'America has fallen to this extent,' launching frenzied attacks on U.S. democracy. This even leads some Chinese netizens who have jumped the firewall, including those already somewhat enlightened, to be misled."

Steven further mocked the CCP, stating that while it uses despicable methods to smear others, sometimes this backfires, inadvertently enlightening people about the value of freedom under a democratic system, especially as information is relatively open today.

Steven said, "The CCP's tactics are very underhanded, but sometimes their propaganda is so clumsy that it backfires. Instead of boosting their own image, it ends up achieving the opposite, like 'stealing the chicken but losing the rice.' Nowadays, it’s harder to fool the public."

Chinese Entrepreneur: "Lackeys Will Never Understand the Joy of Having a Ballot"

Mr. Sun, an entrepreneur from mainland China who preferred not to reveal his full name, told Radio Free Asia that he had already seen the negative coverage of the U.S. election on CCP media. He also noticed many netizens without civil rights themselves commenting on the U.S. election, which he found to be a sad reality: "Lackeys will never understand the joy of having a ballot."

Mr. Sun said, "The U.S. election is intense, unlike in China, where we know who the next leader will be well in advance. Many Chinese people are closely following the U.S. election, but they view it through the lens of their current situation and mindset, especially those following the CCP's state media, claiming that the U.S. election is too chaotic. It would indeed be orderly if it were entirely controlled by the CCP, but do Chinese people even have ballots?"

Commentary: CCP Dares Not Face Its Lack of a Democratic System

Yan Jiaqi, former director of the Institute of Political Science at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who went into exile overseas after the Tiananmen Square incident, told Radio Free Asia that as a U.S. citizen, he knows that whether it is Kamala Harris or Donald Trump who wins, they are elected through a democratic process. Though the current democratic process has imperfections, they can be addressed through legitimate procedures to improve it. However, the CCP attacks the American democratic system without facing its lack of a true democratic system.

Yan Jiaqi said, "Although this election has many disputes, and China is publishing many comments, the U.S. election is the most important representation of American democracy. The U.S. electoral system has some flaws that need change, which can be addressed through legitimate constitutional amendments. Democracy itself is a gradual evolution. For the CCP to reach the level of U.S. democracy, it still has a long way to go."

Regarding the U.S. election, the CCP and its manipulated media are still continuing their narrative. Wu Xinbo, professor at Fudan University’s Institute of International Studies in Shanghai, posted on his official website, describing this U.S. election as "the most intense, divisive, chaotic, costly, and risky," akin to a "civil war."

The U.S. Embassy’s official Weibo posted "The Power of a Ballot" on Tuesday, stating that on November 5, American voters will elect the President and Vice President, members of Congress, state government officials, mayors, local tax commissioners, and more. It emphasized that free and fair elections have always been the foundation of any thriving democratic system and encouraged all countries to allow their citizens’ voices to be heard, supporting democracy and their citizens’ prosperity—a message seemingly rebuffing the CCP’s state media slander.