Illinois State Board of Elections monitoring social media for misinformation

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Illinois State Board of Elections monitors social media for misinformation well before Election Day. There are multiple ways the state can counter false information to ensure voters have a safe and secure election process.

Early voting expanded for suburban Cook County and the city of Chicago last week, but that also led to an increase in misinformation. State leaders saw a post on X, formerly Twitter, noting a suburban polling place was destroying ballots and tricking voters.

"There's no truth whatsoever to it," said Illinois State Board of Elections spokesperson Matt Dietrich. "What had happened in this early voting site in Schaumburg was they had a problem with one of the tabulators. These things happen in every election. Those tabulators are very sensitive pieces of equipment."

If your polling place has an equipment error, election judges will take your ballot and cast the vote at a later time with judges from both political parties watching.

The Illinois State Board of Elections has a full time employee that works in the State Police Terrorism and Intelligence Center in Springfield. Dietrich told WAND News this employee monitors social media looking for key words pertaining to elections across the state.

"When they see these things, they alert us, we alert our digital media director, and we can counteract those posts with our own posts," Dietrich said.

If a post rises to the level of deliberate disinformation, the state has contacts with Meta and Google who can help remove the post. Dietrich said the board has not needed Facebook to remove post about elections over the past four years.

Although, the state is always prepared for those situations. ISBE posts reliable information frequently on all social media platforms as well.

"We have a lot of posts that will knock down certain rumors that voters may be hearing that are not true," Dietrich explained. "That's a good way for voters to protect themselves from disinformation."

If you or someone you know has questions about confusing election information you see on social media, search for answers at elections.illinois.gov. You can also call 217-782-4141 to talk with staff about any questions you may have about voting in Illinois.