Denver election officials began getting reports of voter intimidation at two drop boxes on Tuesday, just days after most voters began receiving their ballots. Within hours, the rumors of voting problems were spreading across social media.
The Denver Office of the Clerk and Recorder reviewed video of the drop box locations and found no evidence anything inappropriate happened, but that didn’t prevent possibly thousands of people from seeing the unsubstantiated reports on Nextdoor and Facebook.
The threat of misinformation and disinformation is real in 2020.
It’s a national phenomenon: Concerns about voter suppression and voter fraud are heightened as the nation speeds toward a particularly divisive election, and incorrect reports — no matter how well-intentioned — spread quickly on social media. But some reports are less innocent, with bad actors using social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to increase distrust and confusion, according to election officials and civic groups who are attempting to combat those efforts.
Denver officials checked security footage of the entire day at the two recreation centers where voter intimidation was reported, said spokesperson Alton Dillard. Colorado’s ballot drop boxes have security cameras, and staff in the clerk’s office can monitor that footage at any time.
“Because we’re three weeks from a major election, we’re taking it seriously,” Dillard said. “We are not just blowing it off.”
Denver Clerk and Record Paul López acknowledged this type of misinformation can spread quickly, so voters should make sure to check with their clerk’s office if they see anything concerning.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said the state also has not confirmed any cases of voter intimidation, just one report out of Larimer County over confusion between state and municipal ballot drop boxes,.
Russian meddling in the 2016 election via disinformation campaigns has caused widespread concern about a repeat in 2020. Disinformation is deliberately false information; misinformation is false but wasn’t created to mislead people.
Various groups and government agencies have made it their mission to combat the spread of bad information, but with few controls on social media, they face an uphill battle.
“I think we’re going to need to start thinking of this as one of the costs of our democracy,” said Kelly Hupfeld, associate dean of the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. “As long as we are going to have this commitment to free speech, and in particular political free speech, this is the burden of a voter.”
Elections officials across the country also routinely receive intelligence reports about foreign actors and cybercriminals. Last month, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Intelligence Agency warned of newly created websites, changes to existing websites and false information being spread “in an attempt to discredit the electoral process and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions.”
Griswold, a Democrat, said she worries about continued Russian interference, and she blames the federal government for not investing in cybersecurity as well as the president for undermining faith in democracy through the election. Disinformation is not only misleading, but foreign actors meddling in elections becomes a national security concern.
This year, Griswold added a new rapid response security team to her office that works with counties on addressing emerging threats, including disinformation.
Both misinformation and disinformation campaigns have been building in society, particularly over the last 10 years with the rise of social media, Hupfeld noted.
It started with political flyers in mailboxes that made claims against opposing candidates, Hupfeld said. But as social media grew in popularity, people realized its power to sway and “to really remove the foundation of a common truth from us.”
People are relying less on previously trusted sources such as local government and local newspapers, Hupfeld said, and instead on social media, where information may not be verified. Elections officials in Colorado have been urging voters to go directly to the secretary of state’s website or county websites for election information and report any elections concerns to them directly.
Experts shared these tips to avoid falling for disinformation or misinformation:
- Be skeptical and don’t immediately share content. If something elicits a strong emotional response, make sure to check it out and verify from other sources.
- If one news organization reports something and others have not verified it within hours, it may not be correct.
- If you see a political picture or meme, do a reverse image search to make sure it hasn’t been taken out of context.
- Recognize that political content on social media is often targeted — you didn’t just happen to come across it.
- Go directly to the source when possible, particularly after seeing something on social media, such as checking an elections website for results.
- If you see something concerning related to voting, contact your county clerk’s office directly.
- Find more tips at https://ift.tt/344coY8.
Social media companies such as Twitter and Facebook are now making some effort to vet content — though Hupfeld says it may be too little, too late for this election.
Whatever Colorado voters see on social media, they should rest assured that their elections are among the safest in the nation, Griswold stressed.
“People still have the power,” she said. “They just have to make a plan to vote, vote early and mail their ballot if available (in their state).”
If you have questions or concerns about voting in the 2020 election, text them to 303-871-1491. Help journalists and the public keep track of any issues during early voting or on Election Day. Voters can attach videos, photos, or descriptions of what they see and hear from now through Nov. 3 — or when ballot counting is finished. More than 60 news organizations across Colorado will be monitoring these texts as part of the Colorado News Collaborative.
Reporter Conrad Swanson contributed to this story.
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Did you hear about voter intimidation at a Denver drop box? It didn’t happen, election officials say. - The Denver Post
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