Crowdsourced voter fraud allegations flooded social media ahead of the US election

Rumors, false accusations and outright lies about voting and fraud are flooding online spaces in unprecedented numbers before the US election.

Hundreds of cases involving alleged voting irregularities are being collected and spread by individuals as well as independent and Republican Party-affiliated groups. A small number of posts also came from Democrats.

The flurry of claims circulating online poses a challenge for election officials, who are having to debunk rumors and reassure voters, while also preparing to administer election day on Tuesday.

In almost every case, the posts supported the Trump campaign’s false claim that the former president won the 2020 election and suggested that he was likely tricked into winning again on November 5.

When asked whether he would accept the 2024 election results, Donald Trump said during a presidential debate in September that he would if it was a “fair, legal and good election.” Pretty”.

According to a CNN/SSRS poll released Monday, a majority of Americans — 70% — expect him to reject the results if he loses.

Just this week, Trump himself claimed there was widespread fraud in a key swing state.

Trump posted on his social media platform Truth: “Pennsylvania is cheating and being exposed on a scale never seen before. “REPORT FRAUD TO AGENCY. Law enforcement must act NOW!”

The charges follow officials in three Pennsylvania counties who said they were working with local law enforcement to investigate several voter registration applications for possible fraud.

While Trump and his allies digested the announcements, the state’s top election official, Republican Al Schmidt, urged caution and warned voters to be mindful of “half-truths.” ” and false information is spreading on social networks.

“This is a sign that the protections built into our voter registration process are working,” he said.

The BBC has seen hundreds of allegations of election fraud online, on social media, on message boards and in chat groups. Some of these posts have been viewed millions of times each.

The posts implied that non-citizens could easily vote, made false claims about voting machines, and sowed distrust in the vote-counting process.

A video allegedly shows newly arrived Haitians voting in Georgia.

The BBC found clear signs, including a fake address and stock photos, that suggested the video was fake. On Friday, US security officials said it was carried out by “influential Russian actors”.

Another person on X claiming to be Canadian posted a photo of the ballot and said: “I think I’ll drive across the border and vote.”

It was also a fake and part of a coordinated effort on the fringe message board 4chan. The ballot shown is from Florida, a state that requires identification to vote in person and is about a 20-hour drive from the Canadian border.

Meanwhile in Northhampton County, Pennsylvania, a video posted on X showed a man dropping a ballot box at a courthouse, alleging suspicious activity. It turned out he was a postal worker delivering mail-in ballots, but the video has been viewed more than 5 million times.

Experts fear the explosion of misinformation just before election day could undermine people’s confidence in the results – or lead to threats and violence ahead of the election and beyond.

It has happened before.

In the hours after the 2020 presidential election, while votes were still being counted, then-President Trump used social media to allege fraud and falsely claim he was the winner. actually in the election. “Stop the theft” has become the slogan of his support movement to overturn the result.

On social media, chat rooms and in street protests, conspiracy theorists have alleged widespread voter fraud, culminating in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on May 6. 1 year 2021.

Meanwhile, in battleground states like Georgia, election officials – the public servants tasked with overseeing the election – face death threats.

While false claims about voting increased after the 2020 vote, groups that monitor this type of activity said this year it began before election day.

Wendy Via, founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE), said some far-right and right-wing activists “are bracing themselves for the election to be stolen in a way that has never happened in 2020.”

“We cannot overstate the role of conspiracy theories in all of this,” she said.

These doubts have reached Trump supporters on the ground. At a rally this week in Wisconsin, another key state, some people said they believed only illegal activity would prevent the Republican candidate from winning.

“I feel very confident in Trump, as long as there is no fraud,” said Brad Miller of Green Bay. “Our only hope is that it’s not big enough to change the outcome.”

After the 2020 election, dozens of lawsuits alleging election fraud were filed by Trump’s team in multiple states, but none were successful.

Experts say that cases of vote fraud and administrative errors always occur in US presidential elections taking place across 50 states and in 2020, more than 150 million voters participated.

But real incidents are now being cataloged and shared online at unprecedented levels and used alongside fake posts as evidence of widespread fraud.

In southern California, dozens of ballots were found in storm drains. Despite the unclear circumstances surrounding the event, online partisans immediately suspected deliberate fraud.

“They WILL cheat,” said one of the thousands of comments posted.

As incidents have unfolded in recent days — including those in Pennsylvania and a Chinese student accused of voting illegally in Michigan — authorities have repeatedly pointed to investigations by they serve as examples of the sustainability of election protections.

But those who believe in conspiracy theories about widespread fraud see these incidents as evidence of a coordinated Democratic plan to “rigg” the election.

“Look at this new voter fraud,” said a typical comment responding to the news from Pennsylvania. “The Democrats tried their best to steal another election.”

The overall impact could have a disastrous impact on trust in democracy, experts say.

“These incidents are easy prey for those seeking to undermine confidence in the election results,” said Luis Lozada, executive director of Democracy Works, a nonprofit group that distributes election information. Nominated”.

The flurry of election fraud allegations circulating on social media has been supported by a network of groups crowdsourcing allegations.

Groups like Texas-based True The Vote, founded in 2009, have long been at the forefront of questioning election security.

On an app developed by True the Vote called VoteAlert, advocates post examples of alleged election irregularities.

They have collected many complaints, from minor security oversights to accusations of intentional vote tampering. The organization also has people monitoring live-streaming cameras aimed at ballot boxes in some states. Many local officials have repeatedly outlined the steps they have taken to ensure the safety of the boxes.

“Our hope is not to see exactly what these ballot boxes are,” Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of True the Vote, said during one of her recent online meetings for supporters. .

But she also hinted that groups affiliated with the Democratic Party were aiming to commit large-scale election fraud.

“If they want to try to pull what we saw in 2020, it’s very difficult for them to get away with it because we have eyes literally everywhere,” she added.

The BBC has contacted True the Vote for comment.

Several other groups are asking supporters to report unusual allegations.

Elon Musk’s American Political Action Committee has established a community – like a message board – on X, filled with rumors and accusations about voting. With 50,000 members, a number of posts increase every minute, almost around the clock.

Other efforts include the Election Integrity Network, a group founded by a former Trump lawyer who is challenging voter registration and recruiting poll watchers — observers Partisan attendance at polling places.

The volume of messages on these platforms – along with the vagueness of some of the claims, often with anonymous sources – makes it nearly impossible to verify each allegation.

Trump’s groups and campaign say these efforts are only aimed at ensuring voting integrity. The BBC has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.

The effect of this is unpredictable.

The Department of Homeland Security, in a memo reported by US media outlets including the BBC’s CBS partner, said on Monday election conspiracy theories could spark actions by domestic extremists.

And observers predict the wave of misinformation will continue long after election day. Polls suggest the election will be one of the closest in modern US history. It could take days to count all the votes and determine a winner.

Luis Lozada of Democracy Works said the election is being conducted in an “ecosystem of mistrust.”

But despite the doubts that have been sown, he said, “accurate information is being put out there.”

“Election officials work very hard to ensure that the elections are conducted properly like in 2020,” Mr. Lozada said. “That won’t stop people from taking the anecdotes and trying to punch holes.”

With BBC Verify reporting