EDMONTON -- Pennsylvania, a battleground state key for both U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, has emerged as a hot spot for misinformation on election day.
Allegations of voter intimidation, viral hoaxes claiming Trump ballots are being thrown out, and claims that election officials are blocking the observation of absentee-ballot processing are among some of the topics circulating online as Americans continue to cast their ballots.
Polling stations in the city of Philadelphia have been a particular focus of attention.
A series of tweets sent by media outlet Newsmax columnist Benjamin Mannes gained a lot of traction after he alleged that signs in support of Democratic nominee Joe Biden found outside several polling stations around the city were a violation of election rules because of their proximity to polling locations. His original tweet has been shared more than 10,000 times.
However, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office has called Mannes’ tweets “deliberately deceptive."
"Members of our Election Task Force have investigated this allegation. This polling place is located in an interior room and the sign in question is further than 10 feet from it. This tweet is deliberately deceptive," the DA's office tweeted.
A Twitter account identifying itself as the Philadelphia Republican Party, @PhillyGOP, has also been making allegations of voter fraud, claiming uncertified poll watchers were entering voting rooms and “interfering” with votes.
These claims remain unfounded; however, Twitter has labelled the posts as "disputed" and potentially misleading.
BALLOTS FOR TRUMP THROWN OUT?
Officials in Erie County, Pa., have also debunked a viral Instagram post alleging that a poll worker tossed more than 100 ballots cast for President Donald Trump.
The rumour originated with an Instagram user claiming to be a poll worker who reportedly wrote, "I’ve thrown out over a hundred ballots for Trump already!" in an Instagram story. The Instagram story was then screenshotted and shared on Twitter by Mike Coudrey, a self-described activist and entrepreneur.
However, the viral post has been widely debunked as a hoax by fact-checking initiatives, including PolitiFacts.
Erie County election officials have confirmed that the person who made the original claims is not a poll worker, nor a registered voter.
"Erie County has checked into the unfortunate claim being shared across social media by someone saying they are working as part of the Erie County Board of Elections and throwing out ballots," Erie County Board of Elections Chair Carl J. Anderson III said in a statement.
"The person making the statements does not work in any way with Erie County or have any part of Erie County’s election process," Anderson wrote, "In fact, the individual is not a registered voter and is not believed to be a resident of Erie County."
ALLEGATIONS REGARDING ABSENTEE-BALLOT PROCESSING
Another rumour circulating on social media claims that election officials in Allegheny, Pa., were blocking the observation of absentee-vote processing.
One tweet, shared more than 1,500 times, claimed that an official at one site “boasted the system is designed to block ballot observation.” The tweet also claimed that “observers” had expressed concerns of the integrity of the votes.
This claim was quickly dismissed by officials in Allegheny County, who wrote on Twitter, “No one is being blocked from anything and no one has reported anything or raised any concerns at the site.”
According to fact-checking website Snopes, the unverified rumour “prompted baseless speculation that officials could nefariously alter the vote since they were no longer being observed counting absentee ballots.”
