In Flint, Michigan, voters are being told to hit the polls tomorrow. While none of the calls specifically mentioned the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to avoid voting, the CDC has said people can vote in person, even if they tested positive for COVID-19
Have you gotten a call telling you to stay home? The FBI is now investigating a series of robocalls encouraging voters to “stay home and stay safe” as the election looms to a close.
According to telecom experts, up to 10 million automated spam calls have been delivered to voters in the last several days that says, “Hello, this is just a test call. Time to stay home. Stay safe and stay home.”
The city of Flint, Michigan saw additional misinformation campaigns, with robocalls inaccurately telling people to vote tomorrow in order to avoid long lines today, government officials said Tuesday.
“We received reports that an unknown party is purposefully spreading misinformation via robocalls in Flint in an attempt to confuse voters,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “Lines across the state are minimal and moving quickly … local government will work quickly to stamp out misinformation trying to prevent Michiganders from voting.”
Meanwhile in New York, Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that she is personally investigating “robocalls allegedly spreading disinformation,” and added that “attempts to hinder voters from casting ballots by spreading misinformation is illegal and will not be tolerated.
While none of the calls specifically mentioned the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to avoid voting, the CDC has said people can vote in person, even if they have received isolation orders after testing positive for COVID-19.
“Voters have the right to vote, regardless of whether they are sick or in quarantine,” the CDC said Sunday. They also published additional guidelines as to how everyone can stay safe at the polls.
For more information on staying safe at the polls, review the CDC's guide here.
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