Sometimes it seems like we have been talking about disinformation for forever.
New accounts of people spreading lies pop up almost weekly – from claims that polling sites are closed, to town hall disruptors who claim (still!) that the 2020 election was stolen or that vaccines don’t work. Far-right disinformation campaigns have become so common, and so multi-layered, that they rarely make headlines.
What’s particularly insidious is that many of these campaigns specifically target voters of color, or voters whose first language is not English – preying on communities who are leery of our government, or get their news from close friends or family who may mistakenly pass on false information. Disinformation can spread quickly, unchecked.
For example:
On WhatsApp, users around the country received messages (in various languages) that claimed polls would not open for the upcoming midterm elections because of an “unsettled” dispute over the previous presidential election.1
In the Latinx community, disinformation about abortion access has been so prevalent that recently, in a study conducted by the NALEO National Latino Voter Tracking Poll, more than half of Latinx registered voters believe abortion to be currently illegal.2
And in Pennsylvania, the GOP candidate challenging Democrat Summer Lee in PA-12 is taking advantage of his shared name with a former Democratic Congressman to sow confusion.
We know that these disinformation tactics make an impact on voter turnout and overall trust in the electoral system. That’s why we must do everything we can in these last 4 days before the midterm elections to reach every voter and make sure they’re properly informed on how to make their voices heard at the ballot.
Disinformation about Alexandria specifically happens enough that we’ve even built a section on our website to help counter fake narratives – OcasioCortez.com/Fact-Checks. Here are some recent fact checks:
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USA Today: Fact check: False claim Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was thrown out of Congress |
Some social media users are sharing a video [...] the video includes a clip of Ocasio-Cortez speaking at a 2019 congressional hearing, followed by clips of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaking. At no point does the video show Ocasio-Cortez being thrown out of Congress. |
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Reuters: Fact Check - No evidence Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a net worth of $29 million |
Ocasio-Cortez’s most recent financial disclosure, filed in 2021, shows she had between $3,003 and $45,000 in assets, including her 401k pension plan, and owed at least $15,000 in student debts. [...] “Forbes has not reported, nor can we confirm the net worth of Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez at this time,” Jocelyn Swift, director of corporate communications at Forbes told Reuters by email. |
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FactCheck.org: Ocasio-Cortez Was Arrested at Abortion-Rights Protest, Contrary to Social Media Posts |
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one of 17 members of Congress arrested at an abortion-rights protest on July 19. But social media posts falsely claim she was “pretending to be arrested.” Capitol Police records show the arrests did occur. |
These are just some of the lies the right have attempted to spread about Alexandria in order to undermine our movement, downplay our progressive wins, and remove Alexandria from Congress.
And many progressive candidates across the country face similar disinformation attempts to undermine their campaigns. We cannot and will not let these attempts at discrediting our movement go unanswered. That’s why we’re counting on your support right now.
Alexandria and our movement don’t have corporate PACs or lobbyist money bankrolling our organizing efforts to counter these false narratives. So we rely on supporters like you giving whatever you can whenever you can to emails like this one.
Thank you for your support always,
Team AOC
1 - USA Today
2 - Brookings
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Email us: [email protected]
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