11.16.2022

#ElectionMisinformation
#ConspiratorialThinking

#ElectionMisinformation
#ConspiratorialThinking
11.16.2022
Midterm misinformation continues to spread
Baseless claims about fraud and other improprieties during the 2022 midterm elections continue to spread online in the aftermath of voting. Let’s look at the facts.
Quick Look
- No
Every county in New York didn’t have the same vote counts in the governor’s race on election night.
- No
Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who won the governor’s race in Arizona, was not in a voting tabulation center on Nov. 9.
- No
Garbage collectors in California and New Mexico did not find thousands of midterm election ballots in the trash.
- No
A poll worker in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, did not commit fraud by filling out blank ballots.
- No
A video supposedly showing a poll worker in Philadelphia committing fraud by writing on ballots is not accurate or evidence of fraud.
- No
The re-election of a Pennsylvania state representative who died before the election is not evidence of fraud.
- No
Typos broadcast as part of a partisan network’s election coverage are not evidence of fraud.
- No
The U.S. Army Cyber Command did not find evidence of election fraud during the midterms.
- No
Electronic poll books — also known as “poll pads” — in Texas did not add hundreds of voters as polls closed.
The Takeaway
As states continue to certify the results of the 2022 midterm elections, baseless rumors and conspiratorial claims about election fraud continue to circulate on social media. But there is no evidence supporting them. These false claims follow established patterns of election disinformation: misinterpreted actions of poll workers, misconstrued technical glitches, typos, satirical claims mistaken as authentic and out-of-context photos and video.
Many of these false claims don’t merely challenge election results, they also alter public confidence in the election system. All available evidence, however, shows that the 2022 midterm elections, like the 2020 presidential election, were safe, secure and devoid of significant fraud.
The 5 Factors
We’ve determined that this viral rumor is misleading or false based on its failure to pass the following credibility factors. Please note that these factors do not represent degrees of falsehood. A post that fails a single factor is generally just as false as a post that fails all five.
Snapshot
Source
Evidence
Context
- Authenticity
- Reasoning
Is it authentic?
N/A
Is it based on solid reasoning?
N/A
The Techniques
Website
Tutorial: Lateral reading
Website
News Lit Quiz: Should you share it?
Website
News Lit Quiz: Avoid the trap of conspiratorial thinking
Featured Fact checks
Ciara O’Rourke, PolitiFact
Nate Trela, USA Today
Ciara O’Rourke, PolitiFact
Kaiyah Clarke, Lead Stories
Ciara O’Rourke, PolitiFact
Reuters Fact Check
Reuters Fact Check
Reuters Fact Check
Alexis Tereszcuk, Lead Stories