Fighting misinformation by tracking election falsehoods

Rumors that question the integrity of our elections arguably represent the clearest threat to American democracy. After all, such falsehoods helped motivate thousands of people to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to “stop the steal” of the 2020 presidential election. These falsehoods are being used as the foundation for a new wave of baseless claims designed to draw the integrity of the 2024 election into doubt. Or, as one poster put it: “Never forget … They did it once, and they’re going to try to do it again.”

My colleagues and I at the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit, have spent more than a year collecting and cataloging false claims about the 2024 presidential election. Rumors about the integrity of our voting system come up over and over again. These falsehoods make up a quarter of all examples related to election integrity collected on our Misinformation Dashboard: Election 2024, a tool for exploring trends and analysis related to falsehoods regarding candidates and the voting process. 

Repeated rumors are dangerous because their persistent mentions make them seem more credible – something academics refer to as the “illusion of truth” effect. That makes it crucial to understand the common themes and narratives of viral misinformation, which the dashboard helps us all do. Learning how to recognize these patterns is often referred to as prebunking – an approach that research increasingly shows is effective for helping identify misinformation.  

 Meet the new lies, same as the old lies 

 In addition to resurrecting persistent falsehoods about the 2020 elections, viral propaganda this year has sought to sow doubt about the eligibility of individual candidates. While this is clearest in the bogus “birtherism” claims about Democratic nominee Kamala Harris — which falsely state that the vice president wasn’t born in the U.S. — former President Donald Trump’s candidacy also has been called into question by falsehoods distorting the impact of his felony convictions. And after news broke that Harris, not President Joe Biden, would lead the Democratic ticket, eligibility rumors again saw an uptick, with many people making the false assertion that this change would violate election rules. 

It’s also worth noting that more than 20% of all election integrity rumors in our database make false claims about noncitizens voting. Federal law prohibits noncitizens from casting votes in presidential elections, but online factions have been making a concerted effort to muddy the waters around this fact.  

 Here’s a tip for when you come across these kinds of claims: Know what you don’t know. Most people are not experts about how elections really work — let alone election laws. When a claim pops up about an unfamiliar subject, make sure that the information is coming from a credible, standards-based source.  

 Learn to spot misinformation. Then head to the polls.  

 Those who create and share misinformation are doing more than just pushing an individual falsehood. They are making a concerted and sustained effort to manipulate our political views by repeating these claims to distort consensus reality, or our shared understanding of the world around us. 

 Learning how to spot misinformation will go a long way to ensuring you’re informed when you cast your ballot. The best way to do that is to shift from debunking individual rumors to focus on the broader trends.  

 Based on all available evidence, for example, voter fraud is exceedingly rare in the United States. However, vast misinformation campaigns aimed at convincing the public otherwise have had a major impact on how American citizens view election integrity. According to a recent Public Affairs Council survey, only 37% of Americans believe that the election will be “honest and open.”  

 While the crowd that charged the Capitol believed they were trying to “stop the steal,” the real theft occurs when people are misled into thinking their votes don’t matter and stay home on Election Day. But everyone’s vote does matter. Don’t let misinformation dissuade you from using your civic voice this Election Day. Visit Vote.gov to review your voting rights and ensure you are registered.  

 Dan Evon is the lead writer for RumorGuard, a website by the nonpartisan nonprofit News Literacy Project that helps people learn to debunk viral misinformation.  

This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org.