With early voting underway, false and misleading reports have emerged online.
15 minute read
A steady stream of false and misleading information is circulating online around the 2024 election. A Kentucky voting machine that registered a vote for Vice President Kamala Harris when the voter meant to select former President Donald Trump has been found to be user error, not fraud, according to officials in Laurel County, where the issue occurred. A video circulating widely on social media that shows a man who says he is a Haitian immigrant claiming he is planning to vote multiple times in Georgia is fake. U.S. intelligence officials confirmed on Friday that the video is the work of Russian influence creators.
Here’s a look at the facts.
CLAIM: A video showing a ballot marking machine in Laurel County, Kentucky, that marks Vice President Kamala Harris when the voter tries to select former President Donald Trump is proof of fraud.
THE FACTS: That’s false. This was an isolated incident caused by user error, according to Laurel County Clerk Tony Brown. He wrote on Facebook that officials were able to recreate the incident when pressing the areas in between boxes with candidate’s names. But voters are supposed to press the middle of the box to make their selection.
The machine was taken out of service until the Kentucky attorney general’s office investigated, according to Brown, and its use has since resumed. He added that there have been no other complaints about the machine —...
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