The first — and the last — line of defense against election misinformation is you, the voter. Embracing a logical, informed, discerning view of claims about election fraud or a “deep state” is essential to protecting and preserving our democracy.
But beyond these self-evident truths lie more complex questions about the role of elected officials in combating rampant misinformation. We have seen the threat that election lies can foment — in the form of an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — but we remain conflicted about the best ways to combat those lies.
Such is the underlying issue of an effort by Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, the state’s top election official. Hoping to respond to misinformation in real time, Hobbs’ office has hired a British artificial intelligence company, Logically, to scour social media for harmful “narratives and threats” about Washington elections officials and voting.
This has raised concerns from the state Republican Party, which filed an ethics complaint. The complaint alleged that the initiative amounts to “political surveillance” that allows the state “to suppress and abridge free speech on a massive scale.” Jim Walsh, the state Republican Party chair, accused Hobbs of “snooping” on outspoken Republicans and unethically using taxpayer money for “harassment and attempted intimidation.”
Hobbs countered by telling The Seattle Times: “We need to know what is trending out there with the public, good or bad. And if it’s misinformation, if it’s a lie and it’s trending pretty high, we’ll reach out to the media, counties and other partners and push back on the false narrative.”
To be clear, the Republican complaint was dismissed by the Executive Ethics Board. “It was reviewed, and we did not open it for investigation based on — there was not enough to allege violations under the Ethics in Public Service Act,” said Kate Reynolds, the board’s executive director.
Facts and official rebukes have proven to be ineffective in curbing election misinformation. Donald Trump’s campaign filed some 60 lawsuits in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, lobbing various allegations about election fraud; none of them were successful, including dozens that came before Trump-appointed judges.
Trump continues to repeat evidence-free lies about voter fraud; so do many of his supporters. And social media has exponentially increased the ability of those lies to reach a wide audience. It is reasonable for election officials to protect democracy by pushing back against misinformation, but there is room for concern.
Take Wyoming, for example, where Trump won 70 percent of the vote in 2020. That was the most Trump-friendly state, and if officials there adopted a program to monitor social media posts it would generate questions about ingrained bias against Democratic supporters. Those concerns could not be assuaged by assurances from elected officials; the system would require bipartisan oversight that reassures a skeptical public.
Make no mistake, this is not a case of “both sides are bad.” Trump supporters are the ones who have spent years ignoring facts, and many of them literally tried to overthrow the government. But we also must seek avenues for easing their concerns and welcoming those supporters back to reality while healing some of our nation’s divisions.
Elected officials have a solemn duty to protect the truth and to provide a bulwark against the lies that permeate modern politics. But the most important line of defense is a public that welcomes truth rather than ignoring it.
