ATLANTA — A number of fabricated videos pretending to be news organizations and federal officials were circulating online during election season, with many of the videos spreading false information about the 2024 General Election.
In particular, two videos were circulating Tuesday, bearing the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s insignia. One of the videos told voters to “vote remotely” because of a high terror threat at polling locations. The other video contained an FBI press release alleging that five prisons in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona had rigged elections for their inmates and also colluded with a political party.
Here's what we know about the videos.
THE QUESTION
Are the FBI videos circulating online about voting real?
SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, the videos were not put out by the FBI and are, in fact, fake.
WHAT WE FOUND
The FBI is debunking what it calls fake videos.
It released a statement on Election Day stating that the two videos circulating online brandishing their logo were not real, and the claims that the videos made about rigged voting in five prisons across three swing states and calls for “remote voting” due to heightened terror threats are false, adding that it "does not accurately represent the current threat posture or polling location safety."
The videos have since been wiped from social media.
“Election integrity is among our highest priorities, and the FBI is working closely with state and local law enforcement partners to respond to election threats and protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote,” the FBI said in a news release.
The Secretary of State’s Office second-highest ranking official also debunked these claims on X earlier on Election Day.
“Please rely on your local or state elections offices for real information today. And for future reference, no such thing as ‘voting remotely,’” Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling said.
