2024 U.S. Elections

Did an issue with Michigan's Qualified Voter File database ever involve 168,000 (or any) duplicate or fake ballots? No, that's not true: Michigan's Department of State told Lead Stories that the Qualified Voter File allows only one ballot per voter per election. A spokesperson said, "There were no fake or duplicate ballots." The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Does a photo of a ballot prove that a Canadian citizen was able to cast a vote for Donald Trump because there is no voter ID law in the United States? No, that's not true: The absentee ballot in the photo showing a vote for Trump was copied from a Florida voter's social media post. The post from a person…

Have rigged voting machines in Fulton County, Georgia, and North Carolina been seized or destroyed by "white hats," as an article by Real Raw News said? No, that's not true: State election boards in North Carolina and Georgia told Lead Stories that no machines have been seized or destroyed as of this writing, and there is no evidence of rigging.…

Does a photo on social media show people crowding the street outside Madison Square Garden in New York in 2024 for a Trump rally? No, that's not true: Images from the street scene first appeared in 2011, showing people in Dublin lined up for an event attended by then-President Barack Obama. Actual photos from Trump's Madison Square Garden rally in…

Did Sean "Diddy" Combs pay Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff $500,000 for a tip that alerted him to the police raids that were about to search his homes in Florida and California, according to a video with an article? No, that's not true: The federal government announced that "Russian influence actors" manufactured the video. The article was published…

Are voting machines in Kentucky changing votes from Donald Trump to Kamala Harris? No, that's not true: There was an incident involving a single ballot marking device in Laurel County but it wasn't switching votes; instead, one voter was pressing the space between voting boxes repeatedly instead of directly in the middle of a voting box. The county election supervisor…

Does a widely shared video feature a man who drove "Trump's garbage truck"? No, that's not true: The video came from an account that labels its content as satire. The man seen in the footage is a stand-up comedian. The claim originated from a video (archived here) on TikTok on October 31, 2024, under the caption: He drove Trump's Garbage…

Did Donald Trump wear a hat in the Proud Boys colors of black and yellow at his Madison Square Garden rally on October 27, 2024? No, that's not true: Trump wore the black-and-yellow baseball hat in Traverse City, Michigan, two days before the Madison Square Garden rally. Agency photos show that Trump wore a blue suit, red tie and no…

Was a large crowd shown in a viral video on X.com related to the Kamala Harris campaign? No, that's not true: The footage showed a crowd at a concert for Hurricane Helene relief. Contrary to the implication made in a social media post, the concert and the crowd had nothing to do with the 2024 U.S. presidential race. The claim…

Did Tim Walz tell Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that his administration would make her Speaker of the House if Democrats win the election? No, that's not true: Walz suggested Democratic lawmakers should make her chair of a House committee, not the speaker. Walz is running for vice president, a position that has no direct role in picking House officers. The claim appeared…