October 19, 2024

Oregon election officials were screening voicemails and emails yesterday after their system was overwhelmed and shut down because of calls from people responding to a false claim that the state’s voter pamphlet doesn’t include Republican nominee Donald Trump. (Yes, there are MAGAts in Oregon.) Via the Associated Press:

The pamphlet does list Trump as a candidate, and Trump will be on the ballot in Oregon. What the pamphlet doesn’t include is a statement about why people should vote for him. That’s because the president didn’t submit one, the Oregon GOP said in a statement.

The false claim has continued to spread on social media, however, and on Thursday, the Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division said it shut down the phone lines after being overwhelmed by out-of-town callers. They made adjustments Friday to deal with the ongoing deluge.

“Our phones are back up, but in this case, it would be more accurate to say that we will be screening voicemails,” spokesperson Laura Kerns told The Associated Press. “Oregonians who call with specific, answerable questions about the election will be prioritized for a return call.”

Can you help us out?

For nearly 20 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but now Facebook is drowning us in an ocean of right wing lies. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon