Fact-checking Election Day claims: False claim of voter intimidation in New Jersey
Video above: FBI investigating robocalls
Here's what happened as voters flocked to polls Tuesday for Election Day.
Facebook page falsely claimed that 'Trump supporters are blocking access to polling sites'
By Angelo Fichera, FactCheck.org
As Election Day carried on throughout the country, social media posts circulated a baseless claim that supporters of President Donald Trump were intimidating voters in Clifton, New Jersey.
But local police and county officials said the claim was false and that the photo purporting to show the incident had been taken two days earlier.
A Democratic called The Other 98%, which has 6 million followers, the claim early Nov. 3, stating: “Trump supporters are blocking access to polling sites at Clifton City Hall, New Jersey…this is a Class A Felony!! What would you do if this piece of crap was standing between you and your right to vote?”
The post included a photo of a man holding a pro-Trump flag near a drop-off ballot box outside of . It was shared nearly 3,000 times.
But the Passaic County clerk, whose office elections, said her office had received no such complaint.
“The Passaic County Clerk’s office has not received information about anyone blocking access to voting locations today,” Danielle Ireland-Imhof, Passaic County clerk, told us in an email. “This year’s election in New Jersey has been primarily vote-by-mail.”
Likewise, the Clifton Police Department addressed the matter in a , saying: “Our agency has been notified via various media outlets that there have been reports (today) of voter intimidation occurring at the ballot box located in front of Clifton City Hall. It should be noted that these reports are entirely false.”
In a phone interview with FactCheck.org, said a police report was filed about the incident two days earlier, on Nov. 1, when a man took a photo with a pro-Trump flag in front of the ballot box. It was deemed a “suspicious act.”
But Bracken said surveillance footage showed the act was brief and that police did not see evidence that the man was harassing or intimidating voters. Police referred the matter to the state attorney general anyway, since it pertains to voting issues, he said.
Lee Moore, a spokesman for the New Jersey attorney general’s office, said in an email that “[o]ur office is aware of a photograph being circulated on social media that is being described as Trump supporters blocking the ballot drop box. Our understanding based on prior reports is that the photograph is not from today.”
Moore also noted that “Clifton City Hall has a ballot drop box but is not a polling site.” He declined to comment beyond that, saying the office could not “confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.”
Video: Federal government watch center tracking disinformation
Bogus Instagram claims to be poll worker who threw out over 100 pro-Trump ballots
By Robert Farley, Factcheck.org
The Erie County Elections and Voting office in Pennsylvania was inundated with calls on Election Day about an purporting to be from a county poll worker who claims he threw out “over a hundred ballots” for Trump that morning.
The post from a person claiming to be states, “Been working at a poll station in Erie county, PA all morning. A lot of people have already voted today:) I’ve thrown out over a hundred ballots for trump already!! Pennsylvania gonna turn blue in 2020!!”
The bogus claim was amplified on and in the Instagram post.
But the post was later discredited by Erie County Board of Elections Chair Carl J. Anderson III, who issued calling it false.
“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,” Anderson stated. “The person making the statements does not work in any way with Erie County or have any part of Erie County’s election process. In fact, the individual is not a registered voter and is not believed to be a resident of Erie County, Pa.”
“Erie County Board of Elections takes the integrity of the election process very seriously, and we are proud that the people working on behalf of the voters in Erie County do so in a nonpartisan, fair and unified fashion for the betterment of our community,” Anderson continued. “I have spoken with [Erie County] Sheriff [John] Loomis to verify if this person is a resident. Because this is now part of an ongoing investigation to pursue potential criminal charges, no further statement will be made on this matter.”
Attorneys general: Calls providing false info, seeking to influence voting
Robocalls are giving false information about when people should vote in at least 18 states. The calls are bogus and not from election officials, the chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission said. People must abide by their locality's rules about polls, which close Tuesday.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said her office has received reports of multiple calls to Flint residents that falsely state there are long lines and incorrectly claim voting continues Wednesday.
Nessel said the calls are obviously false and "an effort to suppress the vote."
Nebraska Secretary of State Robert Evnen said his office has received to voters telling voters to “stay home and stay safe.”
Additionally, Democratic party leaders in Orange County, Florida, has been telling people to stay home on Election Day.
The eight-second call says: "Just a test call. Time to stay home. Stay safe and stay home."
"Whether you're a Republican, an NPA (No Party Affiliation), or a Democrat, your voice matters. Do not let these last-minute intimidation tactics scare you," Orange County Democratic Party Chair Wes Hodge said.
Other states where people have received automated texts or robocalls have included Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.
The FBI said it's "aware of reports of robocalls and have no further comment. As a reminder, the FBI encourages the American public to verify any election and voting information they may receive through their local election officials."
President Trump cites economic stat, providing incomplete picture
President Donald Trump is hailing economic gains without giving the full context in a post encouraging people to vote. on Twitter that the economy is growing at 33.1%, referencing a for the third quarter’s real gross domestic product. The president failed to note, however, that in the second quarter, the real GDP decreased by 31.4%.