Does a video show someone in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, destroying real mail-in ballots from voters who voted for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The Bucks County Board of Elections, the Bucks County District Attorney and the Bucks County Republican Committee all confirmed the video is fake. The local GOP pointed out discrepancies in the filmed election ballots and said that no Bucks County election official matches the person from the video.
The claim appeared in a post and video (now deleted but archived here) on X, formerly Twitter, on October 24, 2024. The video's caption said:
Breaking: Destruction of Trump mail-in ballots caught on camera in Bucks County, PA. This shocking footage must be investigated immediately! If true, this could be a serious threat to the integrity of the election. It's becoming clearer that this is the only way Democrats think they can win this election!
This is what an archived version of the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: Archive.today screenshot taken on Fri Oct 25 15:19:41 2024 UTC)
The post provided no additional evidence to support its assertion that the person in the video was destroying real mail-in ballots in Bucks County.
Duplicate
Although the original version of the video was deleted, copies circulated elsewhere online, including this post (archived here) on X, published on October 25, 2024. This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Fri Oct 25 20:24:52 2024 UTC)
Bucks County Board of Elections
The Bucks County Board of Elections addressed the fake video with a statement (archived here) published on its website on October 24, 2024. It said:
The Bucks County Board of Elections is aware of a video circulated this afternoon on social media purporting to show Bucks County mail-in ballots being opened and destroyed. This video is fake.
The envelope and materials depicted in this video are clearly not authentic materials belonging to or distributed by the Bucks County Board of Elections.
The video has been reported to law enforcement, including the Bucks County District Attorney's Office, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the FBI, as well as the Pennsylvania Department of State.
The Board of Elections - Chair Bob Harvie, Vice Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia and Gene DiGirolamo - have issued the following bipartisan statement:
'This type of behavior is meant to sow division and distrust in our election systems, and makes a mockery of the people working incredibly hard to ensure a free and fair election is carried out. The Board of Elections unequivocally condemns this purposeful spreading of dangerous disinformation. We will not be distracted from the job the voters of Bucks County have entrusted to us.'
An example of the county's mail-in and absentee ballot envelopes, which were updated in 2023, appears on the board's website. A press release (archived here) from April 11, 2023, shows the ballot envelopes and explains the security changes made:
(Source: Bucks County screenshot taken on Fri Oct 25 16:16:22 2024 UTC)
Bucks County District Attorney
Also on October 24, 2024, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office issued a statement (archived here), declaring the video fake: It said:
The Bucks County District Attorney's Office and the Yardley Borough Police Department are aware of a video circulating on social media appearing to show the destruction of election ballots. Our investigation has concluded that this video was fabricated in an attempt to undermine confidence in the upcoming election.
Our office is in contact with the Federal Bureau of Investigation who will be attempting to locate the source of this manufactured video.
We want to thank the public and the county's Board of Elections for bringing this to our attention. The Bucks County District Attorney's Office will not tolerate any voter suppression, intimidation, or fraud.
Bucks County Republican Committee
The Bucks County Republican Committee echoed the findings that the video is fake. The committee posted a statement on its Facebook page on October 24, 2024. It said:
We have seen the video circulating on the internet showing someone, allegedly in Bucks County, ripping up ballots with votes for President Donald Trump. We immediately worked with our attorneys, as well as attorneys with the Trump campaign to investigate this. The Bucks County Board of Elections has confirmed that the actions seen in this video did not occur.
The video is fake, with things such as the color of the envelopes being the wrong shade of green, the paper is not the same quality used by the Bucks County Board of Elections, the envelopes lack a return address, and no employee at Bucks County Board of Election meets the description of the person in the video. Furthermore, no mail-in or absentee ballots have been or will be opened and counted until election day on November 5th.
To us, this is disinformation, aimed at scaring voters and dissuading them from using mail-in ballots or on-demand voting that uses the same mail-in ballot process. We have seen dirty underhanded tactics this year, from the defacing of signs, letters threatening Trump supporters, and now this video trying to scare Bucks County voters.
The workers at the Board of Elections help hundreds of voters every day, and are working tirelessly to process all applications they have received. Our County Party Chair and staff all voted by mail because we are sure that our system in Bucks County works and is safe.
We will remain vigilant. We will continue to work to help voters and ensure that every vote is properly counted.
Please do not let their scare tactics work... please continue to cast your ballots, and let's win!
-Bucks County Republican Committee
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Fri Oct 25 16:31:23 2024 UTC)
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At the time this was written, AFP Fact Check had reviewed the same claim.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks of claims about the 2024 U.S. presidential election can be read here.
