Looking at Election Day Misinformation

Associated Press

People wait to cast their ballot on the first day of early voting at an advance polling location Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Overland Park, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

WASHINGTON (AP) — One key concern about Election Day 2020 in the United States: misinformation, disinformation, and how they could affect the way Americans vote. Here’s a look at what’s been seen so far Tuesday, direct from Karen Mahabir, fact check and misinformation editor for The Associated Press.

ON WHAT HER TEAM HAS SEEN SO FAR:

“We’ve seen a lot of small things. There’s been a lot of what we expected — regular problems at polling stations that are blown up into something more than they are, which we totally thought would happen. We’ve seen a lot of attention on Pennsylvania,” a swing state that many believe will be pivotal in the decision.

ON WHAT SHE EXPECTS IN COMING HOURS AS POLLS CLOSE:

“What we’re going to see is what we see a lot on a day-to-day basis — old material, old posts, old videos being passed off as new.”

“I think a lot of this stuff is magnified today. So we need to check ourselves and make sure our judgment is spot-on and that we’re not amplifying anything.”

ON WHAT HAPPENS IF WORD OF A WINNER IS DELAYED:

“My concern is that if we don’t’ have a winner, that leaves a space for people to step in with supposed answers. So I’m concerned with what Wednesday might look like if the race isn’t called.”