Establishing community trust in election officials and reminding voters how the democratic process happens in their neck of the woods can help counties counter election deniers, conspiracy theorists and overall election intrusions, reports Chris Teale of Route Fifty.
“To fight election misinformation, think local.” That was the advice from state elections officials and legislators during a panel discussion at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Legislative Summit.”
Election advocates and officials can begin by consistently explaining who runs local elections. Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams told Teale, “It’s important to focus on the locality of this because when you see conspiracy theorists, they point to these grand designs of these overlords. … But those people don’t really run the election. It’s your neighbors. It’s people that you literally know. It’s important to get away from the top-level view of the system and focus on the ground level.”
Chatbots and other AI tools can spread inaccurate candidate and voting information, which states are working to correct; however, local engagement might be the best way to get voters the most current voting dates and information.
“It’s crucial for officials to ensure that they are ‘trusted voices‘ in the community disseminating information, said Arkansas State Rep. Carlton Wing,” Teale adds. “Showing that the election process is fair is better than telling people it is, Adams said.”
Recruiting and training poll workers is another way to protect elections from interference. “Jurisdictions of all sizes need to recruit poll workers, who have left in the face of a variety of obstacles. … One way to help prevent any politically motivated attacks on election procedures and build public trust could be to have politicians work the polls, in states where that practice is allowed.”
The Rural Blog is a publication of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues based at the University of Kentucky.
