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Don't fall for these scare tactics that try to keep you from voting
The 2020 election is less than a week away, and voters are already reporting unusual activity both on and offline. Between robocalls, scams and foreign disinformation, there are plenty of reasons to stay vigilant as we make our way towards Election Day.
One of the biggest stories involved the government of Iran, which attempted to interfere in the U.S. election by masquerading as the Proud Boys group and sending targeted threats to voters. Tap or click here to see how Iran and Russia are meddling in the election.
But now, voters have to contend with even more blatant attempts at disinformation from bad actors. Not only are people reporting malicious robocalls with lies about candidates and polling places, but a robocall campaign was also discovered with fake information about mail-in ballots and voter information. Here’s the truth behind calls and texts coming your way.
Even more voter disinformation to worry about in the runup to Nov. 3
Voters across the nation have seen their phones blow up with contradictory information leading up to the 2020 election. There are plenty of calls and texts coming through with statements about candidates and parties, which is normal. But there are also stranger, darker messages circulating that seem to blur the line between fact and fiction.
Some of the calls and texts seem benign at first — with simple statements about how your polling location has changed or how a candidate is dropping out. But these messages are completely false. They’re part of active disinformation campaigns designed to confuse voters and decrease turnout in the election.
Here’s a perfect example: A call coming from “Project 1599.” This robocall begins with a statement from someone named Tamika Taylor with a warning about mail-in voting. She claims that mailing a ballot will land your information in a public database that police, creditors and the government can use to take your money and force vaccinations upon you.
None of this information is even remotely true. All voting by mail does is send a ballot to state election officials — who already know your identity and where you live. Voter rolls are not shared with police, banks or the CDC. The fact that vaccines are even mentioned in the same sentence seems random — but the goal is to prey on people’s fear and doubts.
This is just one of many disinformation robocalls circulating right now. The Project 1599 calls were the subject of a lawsuit in mid-October, and the judge presiding the case ordered a temporary restraining order against the people responsible. But that hasn’t stopped robocall operators from sharing outlandish claims about political violence, communist uprisings and vote harvesting.
And this doesn’t even begin to cover the sheer volume of political scam calls making the rounds this month. Tap or click here to see what you can do about political scam calls.
How can I protect myself from disinformation robocalls?
There are several scams and disinformation calls circulating, but all of them tend to bank on fear and confusion of how political campaigns work.
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