March 7, 2022 — 3.22pm
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The Australian Electoral Commission is stepping up its fact-checking campaign against election-related myths and conspiracy theories circulating on social media, launching an online disinformation register to debunk the claims.
The falsehood that unvaccinated Australians will be banned from voting has been circulating on Twitter since at least November, with the spate of COVID-19 misinformation adding another layer to the challenge faced by the AEC.
It is now included in a disinformation database on the AEC website, along with claims that electronic Dominion voting machines will be used to count votes and rig the election, and that polling officials erase votes made in pencil.
AEC commissioner Tom Rogers said the organisation was “not messing around” and would actively counter the spread of misinformation or disinformation about the electoral system.
“The Australian vote belongs to all Australians and there is freedom of political communication. However, if you spread incorrect information about the processes we run – deliberately or otherwise – we will correct you,” he said.
“False information about the free, fair and secure election process that has operated in Australia for many years can do significant damage to public trust.”
The register, launched on Monday, is a searchable database of mistruths identified by the AEC, the date they were detected and the social media...
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