Ace News Desk – Spotlight: US midterm misinformation travels ‘back to the future’ By B Carmel Jaeslin, Fact-Checking Specialist
Voting machine troubles, outrage over mail-in ballots and allegations of a stolen election… misinformation ahead of this year’s US midterms has a nostalgic feel.
Ahead of November 3, only half of candidates in key Senate races say they will accept results, regardless of the outcome. US President Donald Trump and his supporters have repeated falsely that the 2020 general election was stolen from him.
For Reuters Fact Check, Trump’s claim in 2020 that 80 million mail-in ballots were sent to voters who had not requested them was resurrected in posts online saying that the president had signed another executive order restricting mailed votes. While Trump attempted this back in March, the Supreme Court upheld a federal judge’s ruling that blocked the administration from enforcing it.
Trump also claimed that early mailing of Maricopa County ballots was illegal, though local officials say the ballots are valid. While a printer mistakenly mailed a batch of 3,126 early midterm ballots on October 1, the error affected only the timing of the mailing and voters affected still received the correct ballots, Maricopa County Recorder’s Office said.
Meanwhile, years-old footage of calibration issues on voting machines is going viral as supposed evidence of vote flipping in 2026. This echoes Trump’s continued insistence that the 2020 election was manipulated in Joe Biden’s favor.
Not all misinformation stems from past elections: posts misleading voters on Minnesota’s vouching laws and others inaccurately claiming that Texas disqualified over a million voters were some of the novel claims we tackled this election cycle.
At Sterling Publishing & Media Service Agency, we prioritise transparency and accountability in all our operations. We wish to clarify that we are not responsible for any external content, hyperlinks, or costs associated with our services. Nevertheless, we remain committed to delivering outstanding services and greatly value your continued support. Thank you for your trust in us.
