Snopes Debunker - Weapons of Mass Voting Misinformation

 

How To ‘Weaponize’ Misleading Narratives About Voting: Lessons from Trump-Linked PILF Playbook ​ The president and his allies have indicated a willingness — even an intent — to challenge the validity of votes cast by mail.  A new Snopes investigation by Alex Kasprak sheds light on this communications strategy by examining the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) — a conservative legal group with myriad ties to both the Trump Administration and right-wing media.  Drawing on hundreds of discovery documents from a recent lawsuit against that legal group, we discovered how a four-step method by PILF is used to create a narrative "fog of war" around voting misinformation. Read more about the “PILF playbook” and its powerful connections in our full report.  ​Read More Fact Checks Did CDC Report ‘Majority’ of People Who Contracted COVID-19 Wore Masks? U.S. President Donald Trump amplified misunderstanding when he claimed on live television that “85% of the people that wear masks catch [COVID-19].” ❌ Mostly False Did Trump Fail To Denounce QAnon Conspiracy Theories? During a televised town hall ahead of Election Day, Trump tried to sidestep his past, tentative embrace of the conspiracy theorist movement. ✅ True Did Biden Teach Constitutional Law for 21 Years? Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden graduated from Syracuse University's law school in 1968. ✅ Mostly True No, Dustin “Screech” Diamond Was Not Killed in a Prison Riot A routine review of content labeled satire. 🎭 Labeled Satire Is Biden Proposing ‘Biggest’ Tax Increase in US History? The Trump campaign repeatedly made the claim to try to convince average Americans they would pay more in taxes under Biden. ❌ False View Latest Fact Checks Help Us Dive Deep Your support makes it possible for our Dive Team to investigate the roughest corners of the internet and root out bad actors. Make a contribution today and help ensure Snopes endures — and grows. $10 $50 $100 $250 View more options News ‘He Spent Their Blood Like Currency’: Trump Promotes Falconer’s Bizarre Anti-Biden Conspiracy Theory The president, trailing Biden in the polls, repeatedly promoted baseless, inflammatory claims that Biden had orchestrated the slayings of "Seal Team Six" members involved in the Osama bin Laden operation. Read More How Did Hunter Biden’s Laptop Allegedly Go from a Repair Shop in Delaware to the New York Post? News reports identified the hard drive's source as a computer repair shop owner in Delaware. Read More Trump Changes Course, Approves California Relief for 6 Fires President Donald Trump's administration abruptly reversed course and approved California's application for disaster relief funds to clean up damage from six recent deadly and destructive blazes that have scorched the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. Read More In Head-To-Head Town Halls, Biden Beats Trump in Audience It’s not the tally that really matters, but Joe Biden scored something of an upset over President Donald Trump. Read More Record Avalanche of Early Votes Transforms the 2020 Election Nearly 21 million Americans have already cast ballots in the 2020 election, a record-shattering avalanche of early votes driven both by Democratic enthusiasm and a pandemic that has transformed the way the nation votes. Read More

View Latest News The Election is Already Underway Early voting is already possible, and an unprecedented number of Americans have already voted in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Voting by mail is still the safest way. Our guide has the information you need. Read the Guide  Staff Pick​ Was ‘Stalking’ Mountain Lion Actually Protecting Her Cubs? "This is not fun," the Utah hiker said breathlessly as he was followed by a cougar for six harrowing minutes.Read More