Though the midterm elections have concluded, false claims of voter fraud continue to spread on social media. Some users are sharing photos they claim show ballots recently found in the trash across the country.
A screenshot of a tweet shared on Instagram features two photos of ballots and assorted mail lying on the ground.
Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks
"ELECTION22: From L.A. County, California to Chavez County, New Mexico, garbage collectors report finding thousands of midterm ballots in trash at hundreds of locations," reads the tweet.
The Nov. 9 Instagram post adds the caption, "Nothing to see here."
The original tweet garnered more than 6,000 likes in a week. Similar iterations were shared on Facebook and Instagram.
But these pictures aren't what the poster claims. The pictures were captured during two separate incidents in 2020, taking place in New Jersey, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The perpetrators responsible have been arrested and charged. The photos have nothing to do with the 2022 midterms, and one didn't even involve stolen ballots.
USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post for comment but was unable to contact the Twitter user.
The first picture was published in a 2021 NBC26 article, which reported that three trays of mail had been found on the side of...
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in "good health" and suffered only minor injuries during the February 28 strikes, senior Iranian officials said on Friday, dismissing mounting speculation...