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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Bogus Report Claims Philly Mob Boss Stuffed Ballot Boxes

Bogus Report Claims Philly Mob Boss Stuffed Ballot Boxes

A dubious website claims without evidence that Philadelphia mob boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino stuffed ballot boxes for Joe Biden and the Democrats — and would testify about the scheme in exchange for a presidential pardon. Merlino’s attorney denies the claim, which originated on a website operated by a self-described “pro-Trump” political consultant.

U.S. Army Didn’t Seize Election Servers in Germany

U.S. Army Didn’t Seize Election Servers in Germany

A congressman and conservative news outlets are spreading the baseless claim that the U.S. Army seized an election software company’s server in Frankfurt, Germany, that could supposedly prove there was fraud in the 2020 election. There was no such seizure — and the company doesn’t even have a server in Frankfurt.

Fabricated Claim of Biden Campaign Official’s Arrest

Fabricated Claim of Biden Campaign Official’s Arrest

A viral tale on social media falsely claims that a campaign official for President-elect Joe Biden was arrested in an illegal ballot-harvesting scheme in Texas. He has not been charged or arrested. The false claim stems from unverified allegations in an unsuccessful lawsuit brought by a group of Republicans.

Bogus Theory Claims Supercomputer Switched Votes in Election

Bogus Theory Claims Supercomputer Switched Votes in Election

A baseless conspiracy theory claims that a secret supercomputer was used to switch millions of votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Experts — and the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — have said the theory is a hoax and that safeguards, including paper trails, would deter such an effort.

Ballot ‘Curing’ in Pennsylvania

Ballot ‘Curing’ in Pennsylvania

Counties in Pennsylvania employed inconsistent policies when it came to “curing” ballots — notifying voters of an error in their mail-in ballot so they could fix it. But contrary to claims by the Trump campaign, that inconsistency didn’t fall strictly along party lines.

Trump Tweets Conspiracy Theory About Deleted Votes

Trump Tweets Conspiracy Theory About Deleted Votes

In a tweet, President Donald Trump on Nov. 12 pushed the baseless theory that voting systems deleted millions of votes for him and switched thousands of votes cast for him to his Democratic rival, President-elect Joe Biden.

Pennsylvania Postal Worker Waffles on Election Fraud Claim

Pennsylvania Postal Worker Waffles on Election Fraud Claim

A postal worker in Erie, Pennsylvania, claimed that his superiors were backdating postmarks on ballots, then told federal investigators that he didn’t actually know that — and then went back to his original position. Despite the flimsiness of the claim, President Donald Trump and his supporters have used it in their effort to blame widespread election fraud for his electoral defeat.

Faulty Claim About ‘Biden-Only’ Ballots in Georgia

Faulty Claim About ‘Biden-Only’ Ballots in Georgia

Campaign officials for President Donald Trump and supporters have promoted the faulty claim that Joe Biden received nearly 100,000 votes in Georgia through ballots that only included selections for president, suggesting it’s “suspicious.” But the claim ignores that some voters do not vote a straight-party ballot.

Misleading Claim of Dead Registered Voters in Pennsylvania

Misleading Claim of Dead Registered Voters in Pennsylvania

A misleading claim that more than 21,000 registered voters in Pennsylvania are dead is circulating online. The figure comes from a conservative group that failed to convince a federal judge in October that its list was accurate.

Thin Allegations of ‘Dead People’ Voting

Thin Allegations of ‘Dead People’ Voting

Several of President Donald Trump’s supporters have claimed or suggested — without providing evidence — that a substantial number of votes were fraudulently cast by “dead people” in Pennsylvania.