Ardis, Scrolling through social media, you may notice shocking claims about the upcoming election that have you thinking, “I’ve got to share this!” If those alarm bells go off, it could be a sign that what you’re actually seeing is misinformation designed to keep you and others from voting. To help you sift through your social media with a critical eye leading up to the Nov. 3 election, Consumer Reports’ has a new guide to help you spot misinformation about voting. Falsehoods About Where, When to Vote Posts that suggest that the election is any day other than Tuesday, Nov. 3, or that different political parties vote on different days, are false. Also false: many posts that tell people their polling place has moved, and those that suggest that Democrats and Republicans should cast their ballots in different locations. You can look up where and when you can vote on your state’s election office website: Vote.org has links to all state election sites, and provides a tool where you can make sure you’re registered. Falsehoods About How to Vote For nearly every American who resides in the U.S., there are only two ways to vote in a federal election: cast a ballot in person — early or on Election Day, Nov. 3 — or vote with a mail-in ballot. Social media posts that encourage people to call or text in their votes, or to cast a ballot online, are false. Falsehoods About Election Fraud The most common forms of misinformation this year are posts that allege widespread voter fraud or corruption without evidence, or by distorting or using out-of-context information. It’s important to double-check any voting information with state and local election offices, which have the final say on election matters. Finally, if you think you’ve come across voting misinformation on social media, we’d love to know about it. What you find will help us report on any new trends in voting falsehoods leading up to and after the election. Tell us about it here! You can also help spread the word about how to identify voting misinformation by forwarding this email to friends and family. Remember to vote, and vote safely! Liz Foley
Consumer Reports | 
