In Salem Oregon‚ the Elections Division of the Secretary of State closed its phone lines on 10/10/24. This action came after a flood of calls sparked by untrue statements about Donald Trumpʼs listing in the stateʼs voters guide
The guide does include Trump as a candidate‚ however it notes that he chose not to give a statement explaining his candidacy. Trump will be on the ballot in Oregon
A post on X from a right-wing account last week wrongly said Trump wasnt in the voters guide and asked‚ “Whats going on?“ The Oregon GOP made clear that Trumpʼs campaign had decided earlier in the year not to provide a statement
Despite this clarification the false claim suggesting election meddling kept spreading on social media. By Thursday‚ the Elections Division said its phone lines were swamped
Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said in a news release: “Oregonians who need help will now have to wait because some people acting in bad faith are misleading others online‚ Spreading rumors and false claims of election interference does nothing to help Oregonians“
The shutdown of phone lines means that voters who need assistance will face delays. This situation highlights the real-world effects of online misinformation on election processes