Election interference

A couple days ago I was talking with a friend, and mentioned that I didn't understand why American attitudes towards the Ukraine War seem to divide along partisan lines. What is it about (for example) supporting abortion rights or Black Lives Matter that automatically translates into supporting military aid for Ukraine? I remember back during my adolescence that many Democrats argued for peace or even isolationism, while the Republicans were saber-rattlers; why should the parties have (seemingly) changed positions now?

My friend was a little incredulous at my incomprehension. She reminded me that Russian hackers had taken steps in 2016 to sway our election; as a result, she said, she and many other Democrats still blame Russian interference today for the election of Donald Trump. I admit I hadn't thought of that, maybe partly because I always thought the accusation sounded a little weak. Even given that Russian hackers posted inflammatory material on social media, still the voters themselves were the ones who cast ballots. Nobody has ever claimed that the Russians hacked voting machines so that a vote for Mrs. Clinton was recorded for Mr. Trump. As for the influence that social media might have had, I figure everyone knows that the Internet is full of crazy people, so you have to take anything you read with a grain of salt. Presumably the voters who read material posted by these Russian trolls know that too.

Just now I did a search and found a recent article from Vox which argues that while Russian agents did indeed post stuff on American social media, it probably didn't determine the outcome of the election.

But I also started thinking: is this really the first time our country has had any experience with election interference? Or is it just the first time the influence has gone this direction?