If this election has taught Americans anything, it’s to be skeptical. And while we’d normally be rejoicing over the conclusion of what has often seemed like a truly miserable enterprise, we know that is premature. The only thing certain after Tuesday, whether it’s the top of the ticket’s expected-to-be-nail-bitingly close contest between former President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. JD Vance on the GOP side or their Democratic opponents, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, or hard-fought local races and ballot issues, the results will be in dispute as swing states check and double-check results, a process that could take days if not weeks.

Across Maryland and elsewhere, reasonable precautions have been taken to protect the sacrosanct vote tabulation process. What authorities have less control over, however, is the proliferation of misinformation. Given what happened four years ago when Trump and his supporters sought to overturn legitimate election results with falsehoods and threats, it is reasonable to assume that similar machinations may now be at work. Top law enforcement officials have already had to disavow two fake videos falsely attributed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, one wrongly cautioning Americans to “vote remotely” because of a heightened terrorism threat and the other claiming that five prisons have been involved with rigged inmate voting. These attempts to “deceive the public with false content about FBI threat assessments and activities aim to undermine our democratic process and erode trust in the electoral system,” according to a Tuesday morning FBI statement.

And it doesn’t stop with the candidates or their campaign organizations or even with deep-pocketed cyber experts like pro-Trumper Elon Musk seen happily spreading a number of false claims about the election in recent days. Foreign governments including hackers working at the behest of Russia, China or Iran may be involved, too, as well as those who simply delight at using social media to cause mischief and spread hoaxes.

Here’s what the experts counsel: First, be patient. Official results are not immediately available in the hours after polls close. Second, be cautious about allegations claiming widespread irregularities. They proved untrue in 2020, they are likely to prove the same in 2024. Don’t buy everything you read on X from users just looking for clicks or to sow dissent. Ultimately, it’s generally best to trust local elections officials for the straight story. They are your most reliable source — as convincingly demonstrated four years ago.

Further, the Maryland State Board of Elections has a “Rumor Control” page on its website with the aim of disproving misinformation and disinformation surrounding the election. The page has a list of rumors and seeks to dispel them with facts. We recommend checking this out and reading through the list of false rumors and the fact-checking that corresponds to them.