US elections show evidence of voter fraud on social media – Firstpost

As the U.S. approaches Election Day, a plague of misinformation has gripped social media, and poll watchers worry about its widespread influence on voters.

As two presidential candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, make their final campaign appearances, a wave of rumors, misrepresentations and lies is simultaneously trying to undermine their campaigns.

Hundreds of social media posts by individuals, Republican supporters and Democratic groups are making it difficult for election officials, who have to take time away from their regular election duties to debunk the rumors.

What are the posts about?

Among the most popular social media posts that caught the attention of American voters:

• Posts that support the Trump campaign’s claim that he won the 2020 election and that it wouldn’t be a surprise if he lost this election by “cheating.” Earlier this week, the former president himself addressed cheating in key swing states, saying, “Pennsylvania is cheating and getting caught on a scale rarely seen before. REPORT THE FRAUD TO THE AUTHORITIES. Law enforcement must act NOW!” His reaction came in response to three Pennsylvania counties saying they would work with local law enforcement to detect fraudulent voter registration applications

• Confirmed some posts BBC imply that it is easy for non-citizens to vote, while others falsely claim that voting machines are ineffective. Many of these allegations are made on social networking sites and chat groups viewed by millions of people

• One particular video shows Haitians voting in Georgia. This was denied by US officials last week, who said the video was made by “Russian actors of influence”. Another post on X showed the vote of a Canadian citizen who said: “I thought I’d go over the border and vote.”

Cases of exaggeration

Experts note that isolated cases of ballot fraud and administrative errors are common in the US presidential election, which spans all 50 states and reached more than 150 million voters in 2020.

Authorities have even acknowledged isolated cases of ballot tampering, but say they are being over-shared on social media, making the problem bigger than it really is.

In Southern California, dozens of ballots were found in storm drains. Although the circumstances surrounding the incident were unclear, online parties were quick to speculate that it was an act of deliberate fraud.

Who is behind these posts?

There are several groups and individuals, regardless of their allegiance to Democrats or Republicans, who are responsible for skewing voter decisions.

Organizations like Texas’ True The Vote, founded in 2009, have been at the forefront of voicing concerns about election security. On their VoteAlert app, supporters share examples of alleged election violations.

“We’re hoping we’ll see absolutely nothing in those boxes,” said True the Vote founder Kathryn Engelbrecht.

Elon Musk’s American Political Action Committee has launched a message board-like community on X that is filled with rumors and allegations about the vote. With 50,000 members, new posts are posted almost continuously, with several appearing every minute.

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