3 Poll Workers Arrested in Alabama for Voter Fraud –Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Alabama State Police have arrested three poll workers in Birmingham for allowing 3,000 invalid votes for Doug Jones in Alabama’s December 12, 2017, special election.
The Truth:
Alabama State Police haven’t made any arrests related to voter fraud in the December 2017 special election.
Widespread rumors of Alabama voter fraud followed Democrat Doug Jones’ surprise win over Republican Roy Moore in the special election. One such rumor came from a website called Reagan Was Right, which describes its content as “satire.” A story appearing under the headline, “Alabama State Police Arrest 3 Poll Workers In Birmingham,” was shared thousands of times within days. An excerpt reads:
Alabama State Police have arrested three women in Birmingham for allowing more than 3000 invalid votes for Doug Jones to processed through the polling station they had volunteered to operate. The State Attorney’s Division of Integrity in Elections is calling the acts of the women a “blatant disregard for the duties of civil servants, a violation of the public trust and a 2nd-degree felony.”
Although the website identifies its content as “satire,” other websites re-report its stories without the disclaimer. That misleads readers into believing that fictional stories like the one about Alabama State Police arresting 3 poll workers in Birmingham are true — which is not the case.
There hadn’t been any official reports of voter fraud or arrests in Alabama’s special election when this rumor went viral.