Karen Nowodzelski - Alation Voter project

Alation Voter project - Alation webpage

Wisconsin Risks of Fake News and Disinformation in Election Cycles

by Karen Nowodzelski

Project overview

Wisconsin is a key state in the presidential election and because of this, voters can be swayed with aggressive social engineering tactics. In the 2020 and 2024 Presidential election Wisconsin was a key swing state that helped Trump win his presidency in both elections. In recent elections Wisconsinites have been misled to believe that voting is rigged and that their votes do not matter.

Milwaukee and Madison are large urban area that tend to lean Democratic, and they are vulnerable to misinformation ads.

Fake News and Disinformation

Disinformation: Disinformation is incorrect information that is deliberately spread to mislead the public. On the other hand, there is misinformation which is incorrect information that is unintentionally spread.

Pretexting is a social engineering tactic where the criminal creates a plausible fabricated scenario to get the victim to divulge sensitive information.

Baiting is a form of social engineering that involves tempting offers to lure their victims in.

Fake news is journalism that is meant to spread disinformation and makes real journalism seem fake and unauthentic. In 2020 an example of fake news in Wisconsin was that there were more votes than voters. The truth was that the voter registration numbers were outdated and not accurately displaying current numbers.

A Key tactic in Wisconsin and Presidential elections is discrediting the opponent with outlandish false claims.

In the 2020 election President Trump claimed that there was Russian interference. This is a common threat that is involved in many different disinformation campaigns that there is foreign interference. These claims were false but truthful in a sense when there were Russian accounts spreading disinformation to Americans about the election which resulted in Americans spreading misinformation.

The main goal for disinformation during the election is meant to divide Americans and disrupt their cognitive thinking and behavior. The rise in AI generated content can persuade even the most informed viewer. With technology AI can make phone calls impersonating candidates, create compelling videos of them saying outlandish things and even something as simple as slowing down a video. Recently there was a viral video of Nancy Pelosi slowed down to appear that she was intoxicated.

Noncitizen voters are voting in this year's and past elections. Under Wisconsin law anyone who votes in any local state or federal election must be a US Citizen. Despite this law there are still disinformation claims that undocumented people are voting in major elections to overturn them in favor of Democratic candidates.

Many forms of tactics are used against Americans to manipulate and persuade voters to believing anything.

How to tell if its fake news

Fact checking

It can be overwhelming to fact check everything that comes across your feed. If a claim or viedo seems to wild to be true, it most likely is false information. Waiting before reacting is essential to stop the spread of fake news. It is important to take the time to search of reliable resources to see if the claim is true. During election time there are dedicated sites to posting all claims and debunking them or supporting with facts.

How to fact check
Reliable sources
report suspicious content - Reporting false content on social media can help hinder it from growing on social media platforms.

Advertising

Online videos
mailer ads
texting

One of the key planning elements to any election is advertising key hot issues to voters. This comes in many media forms from paper fliers, hired workers going door to door, hired workers texting and calling potential voters and online/tv ads. It costs millions to run a campaign and a significant amount of that is bombarding voters with their image and campaign slogans.

Who is at risk?

Young, first-time voters who are not experienced or knowledgeable in Wisconsin laws are susceptible to fake news and disinformation. Our senior citizens who are unable to get out to vote or are swayed by their echo chambers and people they know. Wisconsin is comprised of many rural areas where the citizens are not knowledgeable on diversity or have a strong education. In urban cities like Milwaukee there is a significant amount of poverty and lack of education because of lack of schools and funding.

Rural voters can often times be stuck in echo chambers and not be exposed to different perspectives or Canidates. Many voters in this area vote for who their family has and continue the same type of belief regardless of new and accurate information. Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin is a prime example of how going out and engaging with people in rural areas can be beneficial when those voters typically vote republican.

In the 2024 Presidential election a mass text message went out warning college students in Wisconsin not to vote because it was against the law. This induced fear in the students, many who have moved from out of their home state or are on their own for the first time. This fear led students to become hesitant to vote thinking that they were breaking the law and would face prison time. These claims were false, and the Universities sent out information regarding this disinformation.

Rights - Freedom of speech

Where is the line drawn from disinformation, freedom of speech and the public's safety?

Recent data shows that 60% of Americans are concerned about the state of democracy and voting in this country. While this country prides itself of the right of freedom of speech, 72% of Americans are concerned about the misinformation and disinformation that is being spread. Despite all of this, Elections in the US are secure and legitimate with no signs of any flaws in the system. On the contrary there is no mistrust in local elections, only at the national level. Wisconsin had one instance at the local level and Govenor Scott Walker won after a recount of ballots produced the same result.

While older generations in the U.S. still rely on television for their news source, 46% of adults under the age of 30 rely on social media for their source of information. This can be challenging when algorithms push disinformation videos to millions of viewers in a matter of seconds. Bots and fake accounts create and spread disinformation to divide Americans and place mistrust in sources.

Conclusion

At many times Americans are bombarded by information coming in from every direction that it cannot be up to the individual to fact check every single article or claim. It's also simply impossible to do this for everything that comes across their feed. There needs to be more responsibility and higher expectations of leaders, candidates and news sources to fact check and to not engage in disinformation.

A long-term solution for Americans is media literacy and social engineering education is needed starting at a younger age to combat this epidemic we are now facing. Technology and AI are a part of our daily lives and where the future is continuing to grow, and we need to focus on education that is inclusive to the world we live in today. Americans should also be educated on voting and their rights.

We need leaders in this country to stand up for the citizens and pass laws prohibiting this type of behavior. While it is unethical to overregulate Americans and their right to free speech it is also unethical to spread false information. In order to maintain democracy, we cannot overregulate and hinder anyone's voice. At the same time, we are seeing the fall of democracy with the rise of fake news we are encountering.

Ways to Vote

Making a plan

The first step in voting in an election can come before the big day. You can register to vote beforehand or the day of the election when you vote. In Wisconsin you can vote by mail with an absentee ballot, early in person and in person the day of.

Free Rides - During Major elections there are always companies offering free rides to polling places.
Find polling location - going online to find voting locations or stopping into your local community center for locations and times.
Getting there early - While you can go any time during the day it is best to get there earlier than later.

Time off for voting - Wisconsin law is that an employer must give you three hours off work to vote in any election held in state. Another law in Wisconsin is that if you are in line to vote by 8 pm they have to let you vote.

The My Vote in Wisconsin website is where you can do everything voting related from registering, getting information on your upcoming elections and requesting an absentee ballot. There is also confirmation of your vote and record of every election you voted in.

"What's on my ballot" gives information on what is going to be on your specific ballot from local, state and national options.

Works Cited

Arnaudo, Daniel, et al. “Combating Information Manipulation: A Playbook for Elections and Beyond.” International Republican Institute. September 28, 2021.

BBC Reality check team. "US election 2020: Five viral vote claims fact-checked." BBC. November 9, 2020.

Norden, Lawrence, et al. “Multiple Threats Converge to Heighten Disinformation Risks to 2024 Elections | Brennan Center for Justice.” Www.brennancenter.org, Feburary 20, 2024.

Medzerian, David. “Trust in Voting: How Misinformation Threatens Democracy.” USC Today, October 28, 2024.

Polantz, Katelyn. “Voting Rights Groups Say Wisconsin Students Got Texts That Could Scare Them Away from Voting, Call for Investigation.” CNN, October 16, 2024.

WikWikipedia contributors. Disinformation. Wikipedia. December 7, 2024

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