Michigan Secretary of State says neighbors should snitch on each other to combat 'election misinformation'

Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has requested that voters in the state help fight “election misinformation” by reporting on each other.

“The act of spreading misinformation about the election process, voter rights or even an issue on the ballot is a serious threat to election security. These efforts, be they foreign, domestic, partisan or simply malicious, are designed to create mistrust in our elections process and are damaging to a healthy democracy,” declares a public service announcement from the Michigan Bureau of Elections, discovered by Reclaim the Net.

“Counteracting harmful misinformation by knowing the truth is critical to not only ensuring our elections are a secure and accurate reflection of the will of the people, but to the survival of our democratic process. Because of the vast amount of information available, it is more important than ever to be a critical consumer of media and to decipher the many competing messages coming from a variety of sources,” the PSA continues.

It notes how “artificial intelligence technology to create realistic, deep fake images, audio, videos and fake comments poses an increasing threat” but assures voters that they can “get trusted verified nonpartisan information from the Michigan, Bureau of elections, your local clerk," and certain fact-checking websites.

Anyone suspecting their neighbor or other fellow citizens of producing “inaccurate or misleading information regarding voting or elections in Michigan, please report it – and include an image if possible – to Misinformation@Michigan.gov."

If people are uncertain about whether something is true or “misinformation,” Michigan voters are encouraged to visit one of many fact-checking sites, beginning with the state government’s own “SOSFactCheck” page. They can also consult one of the tendentious “fact-checking” sites like Snopes, FactCheck, and PolitiFact.

Michigan is one of several swing states in the 2024 election. According to RealClearPolling averages, Kamala Harris is currently leading Donald Trump by two points. This is a sharp decline in the lead Biden had as of August 7, 2020, where Biden held a seven-and-a-half-point lead over Trump.