Skip to main content

Trending

  • COVID-19
  • Trump impeachment
  • Trumpist Insurrection

Social Media Menu

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Utility Navigation

  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate

Media Matters for America

Main navigation

  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives

Media Matters for America

  • Nav
  • Search

Main navigation

  • News & Analysis
  • Research & Studies
  • Audio & Video
  • Archives

Trending

  • COVID-19
  • Trump impeachment
  • Trumpist Insurrection

Utility Navigation

  • Take Action
  • Search
  • Donate

Social Media Menu

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
TikTok election
Molly Butler / Media Matters

Election misinformation is going viral on TikTok

Media Matters has identified 11 examples of election misinformation spreading today on TikTok with over 200,000 combined views

Written by Olivia Little

Published 11/04/20 5:15 PM EST

Share

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print

Comment

  • Comments

UPDATE (11/5/20): Following publication of Media Matters’ report, TikTok removed all but one election misinformation video for violating its misleading content policy. On the remaining example, from user “thislilcoop,” shown below, the company reduced the “discoverability” and added a banner linking to authoritative election information.

TikTok is enabling the rapid spread of misinformation about yesterday’s election, despite the company's policy explicitly prohibiting it. Media Matters has identified 11 examples of election misinformation spreading today on TikTok, with over 200,000 combined views and counting. 

After there wasn’t a winner immediately declared in the presidential election on November 3, misinformation videos alleging mass voter fraud are now going viral on TikTok. More specific election conspiracy theories being shared on the platform range from unfounded “magic ballot” narratives claiming that newly counted mail-in ballots for Democratic nominee Joe Biden are fraudulent, to allegations about Arizona poll workers intentionally handing out markers to Trump voters so that their ballots would not be processed and go uncounted. 

These baseless allegations are emerging as Biden takes the lead in Michigan and Wisconsin amid an attempt by right-wing media to frame his ascendance as fraudulent. President Donald Trump is even encouraging this election misinformation, tweeting: “They are working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantage in Pennsylvania disappear -- ASAP. Likewise, Michigan and others!” 

The 11 videos identified below are just a small sample of the election misinformation circulating on TikTok today.

Mass voter fraud allegations

levanakroubcastricone -- 21,900 views 

thislilcoop -- 18,700 views  

 

jackmvrtin -- 4,327 views

thesycorax -- 3,361 views

Michigan voter fraud allegations

trishayarrington -- 11,700 views  

 

justplainright -- 47,500 views 

bstone412 -- 20,400 views

“So what’s going on in Michigan -- they just randomly found 140,000 votes that were all for Biden, all of them weren’t postmarked. I’m really confused. I understand the whole mail-in voting thing, but every vote is just magically for Biden and are just appearing out of nowhere? I really don’t understand this.” 

 

thesycorax -- 1,617 views

unfiltered..conservative -- 37,400 views

“This is the biggest fraud this country has ever seen -- 138,000 mail-in ballots magically vote for Joe Biden, nothing for Donald Trump.” 

Arizona voter fraud allegations

justplainright -- 33,500 views 

ammodogz -- 2,694 views (since removed)

 

The Latest

  1. Conservatives want everyone to know that they’re the real victims of the January 6 insurrection

    Article 01/17/21 8:30 AM EST

  2. Laura Ingraham criticizes National Guard presence following deadly insurrection as “an obscene move by Democrats to militarize Washington”

    Video & Audio 01/15/21 10:22 PM EST

  3. Newsmax host warns Democrats will “round up all the Republicans” into “COVID internment camps”

    Video & Audio 01/15/21 9:38 PM EST

  4. Right-wing media use loner activist’s arrest to revive conspiracy theories about “antifa” at the January 6 insurrection

    Article 01/15/21 8:46 PM EST

  5. Fox contributor on Biden presidency: “We also need to be ready to push back against the ungodly policies that are sure to come”

    Video & Audio 01/15/21 6:37 PM EST

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • …
  • Next page ››

In This Article

  • TikTok

  • Voter Fraud and Suppression

    Voter Suppression
Comments
0 Comments
Share Count
0 Shares

Related

  1. A TikTok video told Democrats to vote after Election Day, violating the platform’s rules

    Article 08/05/20 4:57 PM EDT

  2. Conspiracy theory claiming Biden wore a wire during the first debate is going viral on TikTok

    Article 09/30/20 2:37 PM EDT

  3. TikTok is hosting videos spreading a deceptively edited Biden clip, despite the platform's new anti-misinformation policy

    Article 03/10/20 2:13 PM EDT

Media Matters for America

Footer menu

  • About
  • Contact
  • Corrections
  • Submissions
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Social Media Menu

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

© 2021 Media Matters for America