Remove, Label, Ignore
On Sept. 3, EIP analysts came across a Facebook post from mid-August containing misleading claims about mail-in ballots. Showing viewers two ballots that have arrived at her address, the video’s author indicates that the ballots’ barcodes contain information identifying the party affiliations of the voters they have been sent to and claims that this will allow malicious USPS workers to identify mail-in ballots likely to be for “the other party” and throw them out.
Potential Misinformation in a Well-Intentioned Tweet: Domestic Violence Victims and Public Voter Registration Records
On Sept. 15, EIP analysts came across a tweet containing partially misleading claims about abuse victims and publicly accessible voter records. A likely authentic Twitter account posted that if you are hiding from an abuser you can’t vote, because voter registration information is publicly available. A prominent activist retweeted and replied, affirming the misleading tweet.
Follow-for-Follow Amplification Networks: Misinformation on California Voting Process
Earlier this week, EIP analysts were tracking a low-engagement, cross-platform misinformation narrative regarding vote by mail processes in California. The analyst team took special interest in this case study as the tweets were part of a large network of “follow for follow” pro-Trump meme accounts. In this case, a Twitter account claimed that California voters will be turned away at the polls unless voters manually change their voting method preferences online due to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May vote-by-mail executive order.
A Floating Headline, a Misleading Claim: A Google Search Ad Targets Florida Election Officials
Despite multiple fact-checking attempts, misinformation about absentee ballot request forms circulated on at least seven social media platforms from mid-August to mid-September. As of September 18, the content has been tweeted out by influential individuals without platform removal or modification.
Confusion about absentee ballot request forms circulates across platforms
Despite multiple fact-checking attempts, misinformation about absentee ballot request forms circulated on at least seven social media platforms from mid-August to mid-September. As of September 18, the content has been tweeted out by influential individuals without platform removal or modification.
Misleading Ads Highlight Loopholes in Google’s Policies
A misleading ad about voting by mail reveals loopholes in Google’s ad policy and its Transparency Report service. The EIP recommends that Google enforce its prohibition on clickbait ads and the use of misleading headlines in political ads and reconsider its exemption of news organizations from its transparency requirements — an exemption used by partisan organizations to avoid accountability for political advertising.