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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Claim of Michigan Postal Fraud Is Moot

Claim of Michigan Postal Fraud Is Moot

A video from a right-wing activist suggests that U.S. Postal Service employees backdated ballots in Michigan. The claim is unproven, but, even if true, no ballots in the state are accepted after Nov. 3, regardless of the postmark.

Viral Video Doesn’t Show Fraud by Election Workers in PA

Viral Video Doesn’t Show Fraud by Election Workers in PA

A video from a livestream of the vote-counting process in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, shows election workers transcribing votes from damaged ballots so they could be scanned and recorded, according to the county. Social media users are sharing the video with the false suggestion it shows workers committing voter fraud.

Biden Did, Indeed, Get More Votes Than Obama

Biden Did, Indeed, Get More Votes Than Obama

The votes are still being counted and the results are unofficial, but former Vice President Joe Biden already has surpassed former President Barack Obama’s record of 69.4 million votes in 2008. But conservative personalities on social media falsely dismiss that achievement as “a damn lie.”  

Viral Image Shows Outdated Claims About Detroit Voter Rolls

Viral Image Shows Outdated Claims About Detroit Voter Rolls

Facebook users are sharing a meme that alleges a host of inaccuracies in Detroit’s voter rolls in the context of the 2020 election. But the claims stem from a 2019 lawsuit that was withdrawn after the group that filed it said the city had taken action on the issues.

Pennsylvania TV Newscast Graphic Wasn’t Evidence of Voter Fraud

Pennsylvania TV Newscast Graphic Wasn’t Evidence of Voter Fraud

An inaccurate graphic on a local TV station briefly showed one Pennsylvania county with more mail-in votes than the number of ballots it had received. The graphic was quickly corrected, but Facebook users are now sharing screenshots of it to misleadingly suggest it is evidence of voter fraud.

Bogus QAnon Claim that Mail-In Ballots Are Illegitimate

Bogus QAnon Claim that Mail-In Ballots Are Illegitimate

A bogus QAnon-related claim that many of the mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election were illegitimate has spread widely on social media. But the claim is based on the faulty assumption that ballots are produced by the federal government.

All Congressional Races Aren’t Decided Yet

All Congressional Races Aren’t Decided Yet

Viral posts on Facebook falsely claim “we have the results of the senate & house, but not the President,” suggesting it is evidence of fraud. In fact, mail-in ballots for all federal races are still being counted in some states. 

Viral Video Shows Burning of Sample Ballots, Not Trump Votes

Viral Video Shows Burning of Sample Ballots, Not Trump Votes

A video spread widely on social media falsely purports to show a man burning 80 ballots cast for President Donald Trump. The ballots shown in the video are sample ballots from Virginia Beach, Virginia — as evidenced by the absence of the bar code found on actual ballots — city officials said.

Viral Posts Misreport Data on Registered Voters in Wisconsin

Viral Posts Misreport Data on Registered Voters in Wisconsin

Viral posts on Facebook falsely claim there were more votes cast in the 2020 election in Wisconsin than there were registered voters. According to state data, the number of registered voters exceeded the votes cast by nearly 388,000, as of Nov. 1.

Sharpie Ballots Count in Arizona

Sharpie Ballots Count in Arizona

The falsehood that votes for President Donald Trump weren’t counted in Arizona because the ballots were filled out with Sharpie pens spread widely on the day after the election. But the county where the claim originated actually recommends that voters use fine tip Sharpies to fill out their ballots.