Report: Social media influencers push US voting misinformation

Voters lining up for early voting on Oct 13, 2020, in Richardson, Texas. Legitimate US social media accounts are sharing false claims of voter fraud, misleading photos of ballots being dumped in the trash and stoking fears of violence at the polls on Election Day, according to new research from the Election Integrity Partnership, a group of some of the world’s top misinformation researchers. — AP

CHICAGO: Social media influencers, partisan news outlets and even US President Donald Trump’s son are driving the spread of online misinformation swirling around the US vote, casting doubt on this year’s election and prematurely raising suspicions about the accuracy of its results.

Legitimate US social media accounts are sharing false claims of voter fraud, misleading photos of ballots being dumped in the trash and stoking fears of violence at the polls on Election Day, according to new research from the Election Integrity Partnership, a group of some of the world’s top misinformation researchers.