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Freedom251 › Blog › cybersecurity

How to Report Election Misinformation Without Amplifying It

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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Do not repost a suspicious election claim just to criticize it. First check the underlying fact with the state or local election office responsible for the jurisdiction. If the post appears to break a platform rule, use that service’s reporting tool. Send suspected cyber incidents to CISA (and suspicious or criminal activity to IC3 where appropriate), and report potential election crimes to a local FBI field office. These routes serve different purposes; one report does not replace the others.

This guide is for people in the United States. Agency contacts, local procedures and platform policies can change, so confirm the current instructions on the relevant official page before you submit a report.

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The four reporting routes are not interchangeable

Start with what happened, then choose the organization that can act on it. The goal might be an authoritative answer about a local rule, removal or review of a post, a technical response to an incident, or a law-enforcement investigation.

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What you encountered First useful route What that route can address
A claim about voting dates, rules, polling places or local election operations State or local election office Official, jurisdiction-specific clarification and election administration information
A post that may violate a social platform’s rules The platform’s own report function Review under that service’s content policies
A suspected attack or other cyber incident affecting election infrastructure CISA; IC3 for suspicious or criminal activity such as ransomware Cybersecurity reporting and possible incident response
Suspected criminal activity, including knowingly false voting-time, place or manner information intended to deprive people of the right to vote Local FBI field office Law-enforcement review

The FBI and CISA have described these channels in separate advisories. They do not say that every inaccurate post is a crime, or that a platform report supplies an official answer about a local election rule.

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Why repeating a false claim can make the problem worse

False election narratives are sometimes designed to trigger conversation and sharing. In their October 18, 2024 advisory about foreign influence activity during the 2024 election cycle, the FBI and CISA warned that misleading content can be crafted to entice unwitting viewers to discuss and spread it. That warning supports a practical rule: do not quote-post, embed or screenshot a claim merely to condemn it.

“Amplification” is not limited to agreeing with a claim. Repetition can put the false wording in front of people who never saw the original, and a cropped image can remove the date, location or qualification needed to evaluate it. If a public correction is necessary, make the verified fact and its official source the prominent information, rather than using the inflammatory wording as a headline or graphic.

A safe workflow from first sighting to report

1. Pause before forwarding

Do not like, repost, quote-post or forward the material while you are deciding what it means. If someone asks you whether it is true, answer that you are checking the relevant election authority instead of passing along the claim “for awareness.” This pause is practical advice inferred from the FBI and CISA warning about amplification; it is not a universal platform rule.

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2. Find the original and isolate the checkable assertion

If it is safe and lawful to do so, locate the original post or message. A cropped screenshot may omit the jurisdiction, timestamp, caption or later correction. Separate a factual assertion from commentary. “The county changed the ballot deadline” can be checked. “They are stealing the election” is a conclusion that may contain several different claims.

Record the post’s URL, account name, date and time, and the exact wording for your own report if those details are readily available. Treat this as common-sense documentation, not as an evidence-preservation procedure mandated by the agencies. Do not attempt to access private accounts, bypass security or contact a person in a way that could put you at risk.

3. Identify the jurisdiction

Election rules are administered by particular states, counties, municipalities, territories or other local authorities. A statement that is correct in one place can be wrong in another. Identify the location, election date and type of election before you search for an answer. If those details are missing, that uncertainty is itself a reason not to share the claim.

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4. Check the responsible election office

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission and CISA identify state and local election officials as trusted, authoritative sources for election information. The FBI and CISA likewise direct people with questions about local election administration or security to those officials. Use the office responsible for the jurisdiction in the post, and compare the claim with the office’s current instructions.

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Look for the office’s official election page, notices and contact information. A local office may be able to confirm a polling-place address, registration process, ballot deadline, equipment status or other administrative fact. A different office may handle a different jurisdiction, so check the location rather than relying on a general statewide answer.

5. Choose the reporting destination

After checking the fact, send the report to the organization whose responsibility matches the problem. You can use more than one route when the circumstances justify it, but explain the distinct issue to each recipient.

How to report an ordinary election-information claim

Questions about dates, locations and voting rules

Contact the state or local election office when the core problem is whether information about voting is accurate. Include the jurisdiction, the election or deadline involved, the precise claim, where you saw it and the official information you found. Ask for clarification rather than demanding that the office investigate a person or account.

Do not assume that a viral post is describing a current election. A message may reuse an old date, refer to a different county or confuse a primary with a general election. The office’s current page or a direct response is more useful than a chain of reposts.

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Where to report a false polling-place claim

First ask the election office responsible for the polling place to confirm the correct location and hours. If the message is also posted on a platform and appears to violate its rules, submit a separate platform report with the post’s location and the official correction. If the false information appears knowingly designed to keep voters from voting, review the criminal-reporting section below; do not make a legal conclusion based only on the fact that the statement is wrong.

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When to use a platform’s report function

Use the service’s built-in report option when the concern is content hosted on that service—for example, a post that may violate its misinformation, impersonation, harassment or election-integrity rules. CISA’s 2023 Rumor Control Startup Guide search-result text says that most platforms have reporting functions and advises election officials to consider reporting suspicious election-infrastructure misinformation.

The available material does not establish a universal button name, review time, eligibility rule or outcome. Platform interfaces and policies differ and change. Follow the current instructions shown by the service, select the category that most closely matches the conduct, and provide the original post rather than creating a new post that repeats it.

A platform report is not an official ruling about whether a voting deadline or procedure is true. If people need the factual answer, contact the responsible election office as well.

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When a claim involves voter data or a possible cyber incident

A screenshot or “leaked database” is not proof by itself

In their September 12, 2024 advisory, the FBI and CISA stated that the mere availability of voter-registration information is not, by itself, evidence that a voter-registration database was compromised. Much voter information can be publicly available or legitimately acquired. That statement is expressly tied to what the agencies knew when that advisory was issued; it is not a blanket assessment of every later data claim.

Check with the election office about the data’s source and the system involved. Do not download, redistribute or publish personal voter information to demonstrate that it exists. Preserve only the minimum details needed for a report, and redact private information when a reporting channel permits attachments.

Report a suspected cyber incident

If the allegation concerns ransomware, unauthorized access, disruption or another cyber incident affecting election infrastructure, use the current CISA reporting instructions. The September 2024 FBI/CISA advisory names CISA for cyber incidents and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) for suspicious or criminal activity such as ransomware. Confirm the agencies’ current contact method before submitting anything, because instructions can change.

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Describe what you observed, when and where you observed it, the affected system if known, and any indicators such as a suspicious message or domain. Do not probe a system, attempt to verify an alleged breach by logging in, or interfere with recovery operations.

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When to contact the FBI about a possible election crime

The October 2024 FBI/CISA advisory says the public may report suspicious or criminal activity, including knowingly false information about the time, place or manner of an election that is intended to deprive people of the right to vote, to a local FBI field office. This is a reporting option, not a finding that a crime occurred.

A mistake, satire, disputed interpretation or ordinary political argument is not automatically criminal. Focus your report on observable facts: the exact statement, its distribution, the election and jurisdiction involved, evidence suggesting knowledge or intent if you have it, and the potential effect on voters. Do not threaten the person who posted it or conduct your own investigation.

How to verify synthetic or manipulated media

A video that looks unnatural, an unusual voice or an “AI-generated” label is not conclusive proof that the underlying election claim is false. The FBI and CISA recommend considering who produced the media and looking for platform disclosures or labels for AI-generated content. They separately recommend verifying the underlying claim through trusted official sources.

Ask two different questions: Is the file authentic or synthetically altered, and is the statement about election administration accurate? An authentic recording can still be misleadingly captioned; a manipulated clip can contain a claim that happens to be true. Use the election office for the factual question and the platform’s process for a policy concern.

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How to make a public correction without repeating the rumor

When a correction will materially help people vote, lead with the verified information. Name the jurisdiction and election, state the correct date, location or rule, and identify the election office that supplied it. Link to that office’s relevant page when you have a genuine, current link. Describe the false material briefly without reproducing an inflammatory slogan, personal data or a graphic that could be mistaken for official election information.

For example, a safer format is: “The county election office says voting at the listed location is open until the posted closing time. Check the office’s current location notice before traveling.” That gives readers an action and a source without making the false address the visual focus.

Attribute the verified fact. The EAC’s June 17, 2024 release quoted CISA Senior Advisor Cait Conley: “The ability for election officials to be transparent about the elections process and communicate quickly and effectively with the American people is crucial for building and maintaining their trust in the security and integrity of our elections process,” said CISA Senior Advisor Cait Conley.

The same release attributed this joint statement to EAC Chairman Ben Hovland, Vice Chair Donald Palmer, Commissioner Thomas Hicks and Commissioner Christy McCormick: “Election officials are the trusted sources of election information. This resource supports election officials to successfully deliver accurate communication to voters with the critical information they need before and after Election Day,” said EAC Chairman Ben Hovland, Vice Chair Donald Palmer, Commissioner Thomas Hicks, and Commissioner Christy McCormick jointly.

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What to include in a report

  • The jurisdiction, election and relevant date or deadline.
  • The exact factual claim and where it appeared.
  • The original post or message location, if safely available.
  • When you saw it and whether it is still circulating.
  • The official information you used to check it, such as a current notice from the responsible election office.
  • Any specific risk: voters being sent to the wrong location, exposure of personal data, system disruption or a possible threat.
  • Only the minimum personal information necessary; redact voter-identifying details when possible.

Keep the report factual and avoid labeling someone a criminal unless an investigating authority has made that determination. Do not attach a viral image to multiple public posts merely to show that you reported it.

Common mistakes and what to do instead

  • Quote-posting to debunk: Check privately first and publish the verified fact only if a public correction is useful.
  • Using a national answer for a local question: Identify the state, county or municipality and contact that office.
  • Sending every rumor to law enforcement: Reserve FBI or IC3 reports for suspected criminal or suspicious activity and provide observable details.
  • Treating a data screenshot as proof of a breach: Ask the election authority or cybersecurity channel about the source; public availability alone is not evidence of compromise.
  • Assuming an AI label settles the matter: Check the producer and platform disclosure, then verify the factual claim with the election office.
  • Expecting a platform report to answer a voting question: Report the content to the platform and seek the administrative answer from election officials.
  • Relying on old contact details: Confirm current agency, local-office and platform instructions before sending a report.

What the cited guidance does—and does not—establish

The EAC/CISA communication released June 17, 2024 supports the role of election officials as authoritative sources and contains the statements quoted above. It does not establish current platform procedures.

The FBI/CISA voter-data advisory dated September 12, 2024 gives the time-bounded explanation about publicly available or legitimately acquired voter information. The FBI/CISA advisory dated October 18, 2024 describes activity and reporting guidance for the 2024 election cycle. Those advisories should not be presented as a current 2026 threat assessment or as evidence that a particular incident is occurring now.

The CISA Rumor Control Startup Guide is useful here only for its general statement that platforms commonly provide reporting functions; detailed interface instructions and outcomes were not established. Local election offices and platforms can change their procedures, so current official instructions control.

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A compact decision checklist

  1. Stop and do not redistribute the suspicious claim.
  2. Identify the original wording, jurisdiction, election and date.
  3. Check the responsible state or local election office.
  4. Decide whether the issue is administration, platform conduct, a cyber incident or suspected criminal activity.
  5. Send the report to the matching route: election office, platform, CISA or IC3, or local FBI field office.
  6. If a public correction is needed, lead with the verified information and official source.
  7. Recheck current contact details and protect personal information before submitting.

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