2024 U.S. ELECTIONS RAPID RESEARCH BLOG
This is part of an ongoing series of rapid research blog posts and rapid research analysis about the 2024 U.S. elections from the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public. It was crossposted on the CIP’s election rumor research Substack newsletter.
Each week the CIP’s election rumor research team collates emerging rumors from across social media platforms related to election processes and procedures. This collection highlights novel or viral rumors our researchers have identified using a combination of qualitative, quantitative, digital ethnographic, and visual, methodologies. Some of these rumors have been featured in longer analysis pieces on our Substack newsletter (linked below).
If you would like more information on a particular rumor, or wish to speak to the CIP research team about our ongoing rapid research findings, you can contact us using this Google Form.
This Week On Our Substack
We put out longer analysis pieces as well as shorter rapid research blog posts on our Substack. Our latest posts include a research report, “Breaking News in the Hands of a Few: Newsbrokering on X During the Trump Assassination Attempts” and a rapid research post, “Error in Arizona’s Voter Registration System Fuels Rumors of Non-Citizen Voting”
Emergent Rumors
Delays in Voters Receiving Mail Ballots in Arizona
- Posts shared on X discussed delays in receiving mail ballots in Pima County, AZ. The Pima County Recorder’s Office put out a statement highlighting a slight delay of a few days in the delivery of ballots for voters on the Early Voting List.
- The Recorder’s statement explained that the delay happened due to an address issue which the Office identified and rectified. No further delays are anticipated, and the final batch of ballot packets was delivered on Monday 10/14.
- Conservative personality Charlie Kirk shared an X post recounting the delay, calling for answers from several counties in AZ that “use Runbeck”—an election services company that has been the focus of false rumors in the past. The statement from the Recorder’s Office praised Runbeck for working with their Elections Department to rectify the address issue.
- Responses to Kirk’s post questioned election integrity in Arizona, with some more conspiratorial posters claiming Runbeck is an untrustworthy organization.
Use of Driver’s Licenses as Voter ID in Texas Drives Rumors Around Non-Citizen Voting
- This week we have seen an uptick in rumoring around non-citizen voting in Texas tied to posts about poll workers accepting temporary or limited Driver’s Licenses as a valid form of ID.
- Posts on X shared stories including this article from The Federalist that alleges that guidance from the Texas Secretary of State directs election works to accept non-citizen driver’s licenses.
- The actual guidance shared by Secretary of State Jane Nelson highlights that temporary licenses may be held by individuals who have since gained citizenship. As such, the guidance repeats that election officials should inform individuals presenting limited or temporary licenses that this form of ID is not recommended to use and ask for alternative identification if the voter has it. However, if the voter appears to be listed as a registered voter and does not have an alternative ID, officials are given recommended language that reiterates that non-citizen voting is a felony but are then instructed to allow the individual to vote.
- Posts on X spread confusion about the guidance, using figures of approximately 2.8 non-citizens who hold driver’s licenses in the state to suggest that large numbers of non-citizens will vote.
- Other accounts shared an edited video of Denton County Elections Administrator Frank Phillips discussing guidance from the Secretary of State around limited driver’s licenses, alleging that it was evidence that poll workers are being directed to accept “non citizen driver’s licenses.”
- Our recent Substack post examines non-citizen voting claims that have emerged in Arizona.
Luzerne County, PA “Bans” Ballot Drop Boxes
- Users on X discussed allegations that election officials in Luzerne County, PA have banned all mail-in ballot boxes because of concerns around safety. One post, dated October 9, accompanied the claim with a clip from a news story concerning an individual who tried to post four ballots into a drop box.
- This is contrary to decisions recently made by Election Officials in the state. On October 7, PA Election Officials announced that drop boxes will be deployed for the election, reversing an early decision to remove them.
- Luzerne County, PA is a purple county in an important swing-state. It has become a central ground for election rumoring. Recently X user Scott Presler posted about supposed “backlogs” of voter registration and mail-in ballot applications, casting doubt that citizens who wish to vote will be able to register in time and vote in the manner of their choosing. The county’s latest update (9/23) says that they have 4,101 pending registration applications but nothing in the publication indicated that this is an issue at this stage.
- Presler claimed that a “reliable source” told him this number is actually 15,000+ unprocessed voter registration and mail-in ballot applications. He later spoke at a Luzerne County Board of Elections meeting and was told by officials that there is no significant backlog.
Georgia Election Rule Change Requires Poll Workers Hand Count Ballots
- Officials in Muscogee County, GA have sued the Georgia State Election Board over a new rule requiring poll workers hand-count the total number of ballots cast. On October 15 a county judge in the state blocked the new rule from applying to the upcoming 2024 election.
- Conversation on X alleged that the blocking of the new rule is evidence that Democrats are attempting to cheat in Georgia and that the judge behind the decision is crooked.