What you need to know to avoid this.

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With each major U.S. election cycle, disinformation returns to the forefront, sowing confusion and undermining trust in democratic processes. This trend is far from surprising: Global Risk Report According to the World Economic Forum, disinformation will become one of the greatest threats to humanity in the next two years.

Rumors and lies circulating on social media, often spread by politicians and influential figures, have become a problem of unprecedented proportions, with nearly six new false claims about the election emerging every week since late August, according to the Election Disinformation Tracker. NewsSecurity.

Many of these stories are not new. Disinformation sources often repeat and adapt unsubstantiated claims about fraud, vote-by-mail integrity, and other unsubstantiated narratives. To avoid misinformation, the most important thing is what it is about.

Common Misconceptions: Voting Machines

Rumors persist in Texas that electronic voting machines are switching votes between Democratic and Republican candidates. In 2022 it has been confirmed that this is LIE. While some touchscreens can be tricky to use and could lead to random selections, officials and security experts explain that this does not mean voting results are being deliberately altered.

The voting machines, installed 20 years ago, have been the subject of speculation about their accuracy and potential for manipulation. Carolyn Graves, Midland County’s elections administrator, compared using the machines to typing a message on a small keyboard.

“If you don’t hit it with your fingertip, you might hit one of the letters around it,” Graves said. “It’s essentially the same thing. If you don’t press with your fingertip or tilt it in one direction, you can hit it in the other (option).”

For this reason, both authorities and experts advise voters to carefully review their ballots to confirm their choice before casting. If there is an error on a printed ballot, voters have the right to request up to two additional ballots to make corrections. Incorrect ballots will be canceled and not counted.

Common falsehoods: Migrant voting

Another recurring rumor in the 2024 presidential campaign suggests that undocumented immigrants are registering to vote using only a Social Security Number (SSN). This claim has been spread by politicians, influential figures such as entrepreneur Elon Musk, and in Texas Fox News The host mentioned this theory on air. Although debunked, it prompted Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate.

Account X, which spread this misinformation, claimed that in Texas the number of people registered to vote without a photo ID was 1,250,710. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced this. press release April 3that “it is completely false to say that 1.2 million voters registered to vote without a photo ID in Texas this year. The truth is that since the beginning of 2024, our voter roll has increased by 57,711 voters. This is less than the number of people registered during the same period in 2022 (about 65,000) and in 2020 (about 104,000).”

Moreover, Texas law is clear: only U.S. citizens 18 years of age or older can register to vote. Citizens convicted of a felony and still serving a sentence, including parole, are not eligible to register to vote.

states registration process involves filling out a paper form and submitting it to the county registrar of voters where they live. Texans can also register through the Texas Department of Public Safety when renewing their driver’s license or state ID card. They can also register with a trained volunteer Deputy Registrar of Voters assigned by the county.

The voter registration form requires voters to check the eligibility criteria listed on the form and sign an affidavit acknowledging that lying may result in penalties for perjury.

What to do about misinformation and how to prevent it

Anyone with a cell phone can do their part to combat misinformation, and you don’t need any special fact-checking skills. The first and most important step: if you are not sure that the informational content is true, do not share it!

Experts like Laura Sommer, founder of the Spanish Fact-Checking Initiative in the United States. FactChequeadorecommend being especially careful in the days immediately before and after elections, as misinformation tends to increase during these times. Therefore, it is important to consider the following aspects:

* Check sources: Before sharing information, consult reliable sources such as reputable media outlets and official organizations. Be sure to credit the content’s author and verify their credentials to ensure reliability.

* Be careful with sensational content: Viral stories often use exaggerated claims to evoke strong emotions. Check these stories with reputable and trustworthy news outlets.

* Use fact checking tools. Free fact-checking tools can help you quickly assess the credibility of claims, especially on social media. Platforms like PolitifactFactCheck.org, FactChequeado and others provide comprehensive analysis on a variety of topics.

What to expect from the results

No single national agency is responsible for collecting and publishing election results. Elections are conducted at the local level according to standards set by each state. In Texas, this responsibility rests with the Department. Secretary of State.

On November 5 at 7:00 p.m., the first preliminary results, including early voting results, will be available immediately after the polls close. However, official results will not be released until November 18, when all late ballots, as well as military and foreign votes, have been received and counted.

You can monitor the vote count in real time on the Secretary of State’s website. website. In this Article on the podiumwe will explain the vote counting process in more detail.

Another reliable source of accurate results is the counting carried out Associated Press (AP). The AP has been counting results in national, state and local elections since 1848, reflecting its breadth of experience and reach in election coverage. The news agency works closely with local election officials to get results directly from the counties and precincts where votes are being counted. The information collected is sent to AP’s reporting center, a process involving approximately 4,000 people.

The election results are being carefully reviewed. AP’s reporting focuses on one key question: Can trailing candidates catch up to the frontrunner? A race is declared only if the answer is a clear “no.”

Minimal possibilities for election fraud

Although there are documented cases of voter fraud in Texas and throughout the United States, they are extremely rare. The Heritage Foundation recorded 103 cases in Texas between 2005 and 2022, but more than 107 million votes were cast in the state during that period. This suggests that fraudulent votes accounted for about 0.000096% of votes cast in 2020.

Regarding immigrant voting, Brennan Center for Justice concluded that of the 23.5 million votes cast in 42 jurisdictions during the 2016 election, only 30 cases of possible non-citizen voting were reported for further investigation or prosecution.