Twitter fights ‘disinformation’ about postal voting
Social media platform Twitter is tightening up its rules on information containing allegations about voting by post, news agency Reuters reported in the night from Wednesday to Thursday. Twitter is doing so because of the American presidential elections on 3 November. As a result of the corona-pandemic, many Americans are expected to cast their votes by post. President Donald Trump argues that this encourages fraud, for which, according to his critics, there is no evidence.
Twitter’s policy will include “emphasizing correct information about all available options to vote, including postal voting and early voting”. “In the run-up to the U.S. 2020 elections, we aim to empower every person entitled to vote to register and vote through partnerships, tools, and new policies,” said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan. She talks about Twitter’s public policy in the Americas, in an email to Reuters.
The first measures will be rolled out next month. Twitter says it is investigating how the “social integrity policy” for raising false information about postal voting and registration can be expanded. Incidentally, letter voting is not new in the United States. In 2016, almost a quarter of voters cast their vote by post.
Postal voting is expected to skyrocket this autumn as a result of the coronary pandemic. According to experts, the routine methods and decentralized regulations surrounding elections in the US make it very difficult to commit electoral fraud with postal voting.
At the end of last month, Facebook already placed a label with “voting information” with a message from President Trump. Trump’s post stated, in capital letters, that postal voting would lead to “CORRUPT VOTINGS”.
