On a night when the focus was on safety and unity at the Republican convention, a number of GOP leaders also offered up some misleading and false claims we have seen before.
Second Night of the GOP Convention
Person: Kari Lake
Trump Spreads Election Misinformation in Key States
In speeches in Nevada and Arizona, former President Donald Trump continued to spread misinformation that undermines public confidence in state and federal elections.
Lake Ad Makes Misleading Claim About Gallego and Noncitizen Voting
Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego has consistently said that he opposes allowing anyone other than United States citizens to vote in Arizona and in federal elections. But in a campaign ad attacking him, Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake misleadingly claims that the congressman “supports … allowing illegals to vote.”
No Evidence for Kari Lake’s Claim that Maricopa County Ballots Lacked Chain of Custody Records
A judge on Dec. 24 dismissed Kari Lake’s claim that there was no chain of custody for 300,000 mail-in ballots in Maricopa County, Arizona, during the 2022 election, yet posts on social media continue to spread the baseless claim. Every mail-in ballot in the county had a unique barcode and chain of custody documents to ensure security, election officials said.
FactChecking GOP’s Censorship Claim in Arizona Over Deleted Tweets
Republicans claim Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs — who was recently elected to become the state’s next governor — used her government office to censor free speech on Twitter to benefit her election effort. But there’s less here than meets the eye.
Ballot Processing Continues in Closely Watched States Amid Unfounded Claims of Fraud
Close Senate races are underway in some states that have different laws regarding ballot deadlines and tabulation. But some high-profile Republicans — including former President Donald Trump — have suggested, without any evidence, that “they” are trying to “cheat.” Officials in those states say they are simply trying to count every legitimate vote.
Posts Falsely Claim to Show Hobbs in Arizona Election Tabulation Room
An image shared on social media shows a woman with glasses and brown hair in an Arizona ballot tabulation room. The posts falsely identify the woman as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs, who is the secretary of state, implying that Hobbs was illegally influencing the count. The woman pictured is an election observer, not Hobbs.
Viral Video Spouts Baseless Claim About Early Voting in Arizona
Millions of Arizona voters requested ballots to vote early in the 2022 election. Early voting results cannot be released until after the election, and ballot security measures prevent widespread voter fraud. Yet a viral video advises Republicans not to vote early, making the baseless claim that it could show Democrats how many votes they need “to fake” to win.