Are you an election denier who’s just not satisfied with the number of conspiracies about Wi-Fi-connected voting machines or reports about floods of illegal immigrants stuffing ballots into drop boxes on TikTok or Instagram? Do you pine for a place to share and learn even more? Want to connect with like-minded election deniers?
Well, with just 60 days until the 2024 presidential election, and with efforts to undermine the outcome of the vote already well underway, there’s now an app just for you—and no, it’s not Elon Musk’s X.
I’m David Gilbert, a reporter on WIRED’s Politics desk covering disinformation and online extremism. I’m filling in for Makena this week. Let’s get into it.
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Facebook for Election Deniers
VoteAlert is a new app from the election conspiracy group True the Vote, a company with a rich history of combining tech with election conspiracies only to come up with nothing. In 2022, True the Vote claimed to have evidence showing that so-called ballot mules were being used to stuff drop boxes to sway the 2020 election in Joe Biden’s favor. Earlier this year they admitted in court they had no such evidence.
But that didn’t slow them down. The group has already rolled out one online tool this election season called IV3 to facilitate mass voter roll challenges, and with VoteAlert, the group now wants to give election workers and poll watchers the chance to get in on the action.
VoteAlert is designed to be a one-stop shop for all your election conspiracy needs, featuring a scrollable feed of the latest voting-related alerts, the ability to report your own claims, and even, apparently, a 24/7 hotline.
The app isn’t available in Apple’s or Google’s app stores, but is available as a web app, so people can still join. Catherine Engelbrecht, cofounder of True the Vote, did indicate in online meetings in recent weeks that the apps would be available on the major platforms, but it’s unclear right now when that will happen. True the Vote did not respond to a request for comment about VoteAlert.
Before you sign in, the app asks you to agree to a disclaimer that’s a little different from those of most apps: “It is up to you to use VoteAlert responsibly. Federal law prohibits actions that can be viewed as voter intimidation, including photo, video, or audio recording of voters while inside protected polling place boundaries.”
Users of the app are then presented with what looks like a typical social media feed of text, images, and videos. But instead of lime-green memes about Kamala, Instagram cooking videos, or “very demure” videos on TikTok, initial indications suggest the feed will be filled with livestreams of drop boxes in Wisconsin or reports of Wi-Fi-connected voting machines in Arizona.
While the app isn’t really up and running yet, we’ve got a glimpse into its possible future thanks to test posts from Engelbrecht’s team that cover the wide gamut of conspiracies the group has been pushing.
“It says I already voted by mail?” asks D from Loudoun County, Virginia, in a test post that popped up in my feed. “I just moved a few months ago and went to get my voter registration and address updated. They told me that I have already voted by mail—but I haven’t.”
Meanwhile, JR in Kent County, Delaware, claimed in another test post that someone was having a bake sale “trying to get people to vote for certain candidates.” (There is a very clear sign on the cookie table with the prices; a quick reverse image search shows the image dates back to at least 2017.)
Meg Denning, who works with True the Vote, has also posted, claiming: “All the machines went down and there was a wifi [sic] connection,” referring to a favorite conspiracy among election deniers that the internet itself has been used to conduct voter fraud on a mass scale.
Though these are just test posts, the section of the app that allows users to report their own claims shows just how focused True the Vote is on promoting election conspiracies.
The app also allows users to indicate their location, precinct number, and whether they are an election worker or poll watcher. It also helpfully offers you a predefined list of possible voting issues to report, including “ballot harvesting or trafficking” and “non-citizen voting,” which are concerns that groups like True the Vote have been baselessly promoting in recent months.
If you believe your situation is life or death, the app even has a built-in emergency 24/7 hotline you can call to report your outrage. “Thank you for calling True the Vote,” the chirpy automated female voice responds after a couple of rings. “We appreciate your commitment to liberty.”
No one picked up when I called.
The automated voice did tell me to send an email or leave a voicemail before signing off: “Ever onward.”
The Chatroom
VoteAlert is probably not the best app to use to get election news you can trust. So where—aside from WIRED Politics of course—do you get your political fix? For me, it’s a combination of newsletters (Reliable Sources, Playbook, Garbage Day, etc.) and services like Election Line (which I highly recommend). I also spend a lot of time on X, which is still the best place to see what election conspiracy trends are taking hold.
What about you? Do you still rely on mainstream media and social networks? Or are you on other platforms? Send your thoughts to [email protected] to let us know!
💬 Leave a comment below this article.
WIRED Reads
- AI Detection Is Failing Voters in the Global South: Vittoria Elliott reports on how the tools dedicated to identifying AI-generated content are once again failing to help those outside of English-speaking Western countries.
- The US Needs Deepfake Porn Laws. These States Are Leading the Way: Another great report from Vittoria Elliott on all the legislation making its way through state legislatures on deepfake porn. Check out the useful tracker in it too.
- Antony Blinken Dragged US Diplomacy Into the 21st Century. Even He’s Surprised by the Results: Antony Blinken has a lot on his plate as US Secretary of State, and Garrett Graff talked to him about everything he’s faced.
Want more? Subscribe now for unlimited access to WIRED.
What Else We’re Reading
🔗 The Accelerationists’ App: How Telegram Became the “Center of Gravity” for a New Breed of Domestic Terrorists: Accelerationists are white supremacists who want to speed up the collapse of Western society and the creation of a white ethnostate. Telegram has been their app of choice to radicalize and organize. (ProPublica)
🔗 Convicted Fraudsters Launch AI Lobbying Firm Using Fake Names: Convicted fraudsters Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman are back, moving on from fake robocall campaigns to AI lobbying. (Politico)
🔗 Rayner the Raver: Deputy PM Spotted Behind Decks at Ibiza Club: Who said Brat summer was well and truly over? (The Guardian)
The Download
This week’s WIRED Politics Lab podcast sees senior editor Leah Feiger joined by Tori Elliott and Will Knight, who covers AI for WIRED. They discuss whether or not the initial panic about the impact that generative AI tools would have on the election was overblown, or whether the technology is having a major impact on this year’s unprecedented global elections. You can listen to that episode here.
And if you have time after listening, I recommend checking out Season 3 of the New Yorker podcast In the Dark, which is deeply disturbing and compelling in equal measure.
That’s it for today—thanks again for subscribing, and Makena will be back next week. You can get in touch with me via email, Instagram, X, and Signal at DavidGilbert.01.
