Arizona remains epicenter for post-election misinformation

Arizona remained the epicenter for post-Election Day misinformation Thursday as vote counting in that state continued.

Many of the misleading claims circulating two days after the election focused on printing problems that prevented vote counters from reading some ballots. The mishap spawned conspiracy theories about vote rigging that spread despite despite explanations from local officials and assurances that all votes would be counted.

The rumors spread in part because people had legitimate questions about problems at the polls, said University of Washington professor Kate Starbird, a leading misinformation expert and part of the Election Integrity Partnership, a nonpartisan research group.

“The problem is when their audiences pick that up with this assumed voter fraud implication,” Starbird said. “It gets picked up and reframed as voter fraud as it spreads.”

Hoaxes in other states added to the misinformation swirling on the internet after the election. In some cases, it was amplified by candidates and far-right groups trying to explain away losses.

One video aired on Fox News showed a Wisconsin poll worker initialing ballots before they were given to voters. It's normal procedure on Election Day.

But on Tuesday someone posted the clip to social media and claimed instead that it showed a Philadelphia election worker doctoring ballots.

The bogus claim quickly spread on fringe websites popular with Trump supporters and was amplified by prominent far-right figures like Michael Flynn, ex-President Donald Trump's former national security adviser.

“Masked man cheating in front of the cameras on the mainstream media,” read one post containing the clip, which directed users to repost it. “Spread to normies.”

Much of the misinformation in Pennsylvania since the election...