Skip to Main Content

Voter Guide: How to Spot Disinformation

A guide to voting in Pennsylvania. Unsure about the voter registration process? Looking for information on voter fraud and election security? Want to find out how to get involved and volunteer? Look no more! It's all here.

The Myth of Voter Fraud

While this LibGuide is intended to be a nonpartisan one, our current president has raised a lot of alarm about mail-in voting efforts and voter fraud. We understand that for those who have not voted by mail before, you may have concerns, but rest assured that claims on this subject are unfounded, and have been debunked time and time again. To set the record straight on some common talking points right up front:

  • There is no such thing as an unsolicited ballot
  • Noncitizens have rarely voted successfully in US elections--at a rate of 0.0001% of a 2016 election study
  • Voter-impersonation has proven to be statistically less likely than being struck by lightning
  • Studies of past elections indicate that voter-fraud occurs about 0.00004% to 0.0009% of the time
  • The 2020 election results will likely take days to weeks after election night to tabulate, due to the unprecedented surge of mail-in voting expected this year
  • Foreign influence and interference in the election is a real threat--likely in social media campaigns and political influence--but not for mail-in voting
  • Voter suppression and disinformation tactics are unfortunately very real

Please see this article from AP Fact Check for information on some of these claims and more, as well as this article and this article from the Brennan Center for Justice for details on the subject, and we encourage you to explore many other articles on this subject supported by comprehensive research available on their website. Please also see our Disinformation page for more information.

Election Disinformation

It's no surprise that this upcoming election is an opportunity rife with disinformation, from actors both at home and abroad, aiming to influence the American voter for political gain. It's important that we all familiarize ourselves with media literacy, and be vigilant in rooting out the truth from targeted advertisements, articles, social media posts, and video content.

A quick tip from information professionals is to CRAAP test every bit of news you see. It stands for:

  • Currency
  • Relevance
  • Authority
  • Accuracy
  • Purpose

Remember to question and root out all of these key aspects every news article, campaign claim, and social media post in your search for truth.

PEN American on Election Disinformation

PEN America, a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and celebrate free expression in the United States and worldwide through the advancement of literature and human rights", has a free comprehensive election disinformation lecture, which we've included below. We encourage you to view it.

Conspiracy Theories

This simple but excellent chart illustrates how conspiracy theories can evolve from events that really happened into dangerous and fictitious territory. 

Other Drexel Resources