Friday, November 15, 2024

US presidential election: Disinformation about polls coming from ‘foreign interference,’ says Georgia

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The US state of Georgia said on Thursday (Oct 31) that there was “targeted disinformation” circulating online about the November 5 presidential election in the country  that was likely a result of “foreign interference attempting to sow discord and chaos.”

In a statement, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office said, “Earlier today, our office became aware of a video purporting to show a Haitian immigrant with multiple Georgia IDs claiming to have voted multiple times.”

Georgia alleges Russian interference

Raffensperger’s office said that the above details were false and were an example of targeted disinformation that the US has seen in this and other elections.

“We are working to combat this and identify the origin of it with our state and federal partners. CISA is currently investigating,” the statement added.

The office further pointed out that the disinformation was likely a production of Russian troll farms.

The office urged X owner Elon Musk and the leadership of other social media platforms to take such details down. “As Americans, we can’t let our enemies use lies to divide us and undermine our faith in our institutions – or each other,” the office added. 

‘Election in Georgia is secure’

The remarks from Raffensperger’s office came a day after Georgia officials said that the election process in the swing state was secure, dismissing “crazy” online conspiracy theories.

Early voting happened in Georgia and officials say more than three million people have already gone to the polls, substantially outstripping turnout at a similar stage in previous elections, according to a report by the news agency Reuters.

Also watch | WION Explains: How swing states decide elections in the US

The state came under intense scrutiny after then-president Donald Trump lost the election in 2020, with the Republican candidate pressuring officials to find more votes for him and launching dozens of lawsuits.

Trump still won’t admit that he lost in 2020 and has refused to commit to accepting the results this year.

(With inputs from agencies)

Harshit Sabarwal

Harshit Sabarwal is a digital news writer and anchor at WION, focusing on covering Indian and international politics, war and conflict, and anything breaking news. H

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