Two Democrats fuel drop box election conspiracy theory claims - Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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A ballot drop box sits outside the city government center, Thursday, Oct. 5, in Bridgeport, Conn. Ballot drop boxes have been a prime target for those pushing conspiracy theories that the 2020 presidential race was rigged and election results can’t be trusted. While the narrative is false, Democrats in Connecticut’s largest city are unwittingly fueling the claims as two candidates for mayor trade accusations that each side stuffed drop boxes with bogus ballots.
HARTFORD, Conn. >> A woman approaches a drop box in the dark with what appears to be handfuls of ballots. At a different drop box, someone else is seen making multiple trips to insert ballots. At yet another, the same car stops on at least three separate occasions, with different people stepping out and heading to the box.
It’s not a trailer for the latest conspiracy movie about rigged elections. Instead, the video footage has become central to a real-world controversy over potential fraud involving ballot drop boxes, a favorite target of right-wing conspiracy theorists since former President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.
The accusations of drop box fraud are not coming from those pushing fringe election claims or from skeptical Republicans who have long favored eliminating or severely restricting use of the boxes. They are being made by Democrats — two candidates vying for mayor in Connecticut’s largest...
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