Video Reporting Pennsylvania Lady Put 4 Mail-in Ballots in Drop Field Is From 2022, Not 2024

A rumor circulating on X in September 2024 stirred up baseless fears of large voter fraud forward of the 2024 U.S. elections. On this case, the story concerned the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

For instance, on Sept. 19, the person @MAGAResource posted a video with the caption, “Pennsylvania election officers are already catching cheaters dropping off a number of early ballots at dropbox.” The start of the clip displayed a superimposed screenshot of an internet site headline studying, “Luzerne County drops use of drop packing containers forward of election.” Luzerne County is situated in Pennsylvania.

The 44-second clip confirmed a neighborhood information report a few lady who tried to drop off 4 mail-in ballots at a drop field location geared up with video surveillance, additionally in Luzerne County. The state of Pennsylvania requires a special form to drop off a poll for somebody who has a incapacity. The girl didn’t present any such kinds, tried to deposit the ballots anyway after which left. The video ended by reporting that an election official recognized the 4 ballots and eliminated them to a safe location.

We have now rated the rumor that the video confirmed “Pennsylvania election officers are already catching cheaters dropping off a number of early ballots at dropbox” as miscaptioned — a ranking that confirms the unique video’s real and undoctored nature whereas calling out @MAGAResource’s false caption. The favored @TrumpDailyPosts X account reposted (archived) the identical put up.

The grain of reality underlying this rumor is that WBRE-TV — an NBC affiliate station situated within the Luzerne County metropolis of Wilkes-Barre — originally posted an extended model of the identical video report on Could 12, 2022, simply days forward of the state’s 2022 primary election.

The headline superimposed over the start of the manipulated model of the video matched that of a Sept. 18, 2024, article printed by WNEP-TV — an ABC affiliate based mostly in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The WNEP story reported Luzerne County Supervisor Romilda Crocamo mentioned poll drop packing containers wouldn’t be out there for the 2024 elections, citing “staffing shortages,” “safety considerations” and “monetary danger.” 

Crocamo additionally mentioned she believed video surveillance wouldn’t stand as a “foolproof technique of making certain compliance with voting legal guidelines.”

In different phrases, an internet person — probably @BehizyTweets (archived) or another person — superimposed the September 2024 headline over the 2022 video. The @MAGAResource person later deleted their put up after receiving a group observe informing customers of the video’s unique air date in 2022.

Extra Shares of the Identical Video

Different customers shared the identical manipulated video, however not less than reported some correct info within the textual content of their posts, which had been nonetheless, ultimately, deceptive.

For instance, on Sept. 19, X person Kyle Becker created a post (archived) for his practically 600,000 followers, sharing the doctored video with the superimposed 2024 headline. Becker, who recognized himself in his bio as an unbiased journalist, failed to say that the video was two years previous, and he didn’t embody any hyperlinks, sources or different information to assist higher inform folks studying his put up. As an alternative, he started his put up with the phrases “JUST IN,” doubtlessly giving his followers the misunderstanding that the video was shot not too long ago. The textual content of his put up centered on the information about Luzerne County asserting it will not deploy drop packing containers for the 2024 elections. The put up acquired greater than 18.5 million views.

The political weblog Not the Bee — self-described as a humor-based information, opinion and leisure web site from the creators of the satirical web site The Babylon Bee — printed a quick article based mostly on Becker’s put up. The story’s headline learn, “Pennsylvania county bans drop packing containers after lady caught with a number of ballots.” This headline was technically right — in that 2024 occurred after 2022 — nevertheless, the article failed to tell readers that the WBRE-TV video report dated from Could 2022.

Below Not the Bee’s Facebook and X posts promoted its article, commenters might have wrongly believed WBRE-TV not too long ago broadcast the video report. These customers additionally probably failed to complete the 44-second video to be taught on the finish that an election official reportedly recognized and eliminated the girl’s 4 ballots to a safe location.

The Related Press’ Evaluation of US Voter Fraud

Relating to baseless fears of large voter fraud, on Dec. 14, 2021, The Associated Press printed its overview of purported voter fraud in six battleground states from the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The overview discovered fewer than 475 instances throughout these states:

An Related Press overview of each potential case of voter fraud within the six battleground states disputed by former President Donald Trump has discovered fewer than 475 — a quantity that may have made no distinction within the 2020 presidential election.

Democrat Joe Biden gained Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and their 79 Electoral Faculty votes by a mixed 311,257 votes out of 25.5 million ballots solid for president. The disputed ballots symbolize simply 0.15% of his victory margin in these states.

The instances couldn’t throw the result into query even when all these votes had been for Biden, which they weren’t, and even when these ballots had been truly counted, which generally they weren’t.

The story added that “virtually each case was based mostly on a person performing alone to solid extra ballots.”

Additional, the Pennsylvania authorities’s website clearly states, “Mail poll fraud has been confirmed to be exceptionally uncommon. Claims of systemic voter fraud are devoid of any supporting proof and have persistently been rejected by judges, authorities companies and election specialists throughout the political spectrum.”

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