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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 10h

Yes. This needs to happen. If people don’t fight back, he’ll keep doing this sh*t.

Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 14h

This story is both frustrating and heart-breaking: Nick Shirley, an online influencer whose misleading videos about "daycare fraud" motivated the federal invasion of Minneapolis, turned his camera onto a Seattle restaurant, framing a cashier mistake as "fraud": www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

seattletimes.com

Seattle grocery fights back against right-wing influencer after viral video

After Nick Shirley posted a video accusing Lam’s grocery of fraud, the store has been fighting to clear its name against an onslaught of social media hate.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

My thoughts are… the folks who pulled out of the conference got played by another targeted operation… and I’d recommend @noupside.bsky.social’s reflections on this, because she’s been following it since the first letters went out asking panelists for comments.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Here’s our site: uwcip.substack.com We should start turning out 2-3 posts per week with “rumor rundowns”. We have a couple this week and last. And then lots of historical stuff include our “what to expect when you’re electing” series from 2024.

uwcip.substack.com

The Election Rumor Rundown @ Center for an Informed Public | Substack

Welcome to the Election Rumor Rundown Substack by the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington, covering rumors about election processes and procedures in U.S. elections. Click to...

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Our UW "rumor research" team is trying to reach a broader audience... we're thinking about trying to build an audience over on Threads, but it's hard to get started in a new digital neighborhood. If anyone is over there and can follow my account (katestarbird30), I'd appreciate the boost.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

It’s not socialism that they hate, it’s pluralism.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Often they’ll start with facts, but then twist and distort them into false narratives and conspiracy theories.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Very much agree with this. The Trump admin has purposefully attacked mail in voting from multiple directions and continues to make threats of law enforcement at voting sites… their goal is to create confusion, distrust, and fear… to suppress votes.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

That’s from tonight, isn’t it? Clear sky…

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Is that returned? They’re saying they’re comparing “requested” not returned.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I think one challenge is that the right isn’t comparing these numbers directly, but the trends compared to 2022. So it’s a selectively chosen, misleading statistic amplified to fit their strategic frame.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Do you have a link to the source date for this? I’d like to cite it.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I do not expect the USPS to screw with ballots. The Trump admin lost their case that would have allowed/forced the USPS to do this. The right wants the left to think that this is going to happen, though, and we've been seeing intentional disinformation about this.

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Reposted by Kate Starbird

Margaret Signorella @msignorella.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Those two stats for PA from the two reports def conflict. I note that PA has a weird early voting option --you can go to some sites, request a "mail" ballot on the spot, fill it out, and place in the drop box. This would not show up now as a mail ballot request because unavailable until Oct 15.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

This. The threats from the admin & their friends have been both towards mail-in voting AND towards potential suppression efforts at the polls. Even more important to ensure that people can safely vote -- and that we aren't spreading false rumors about violence or law enforcement at voting locations.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I don't know the answer. Many states have official ballot dropboxes (which are better than using the mail if you're worried about timing), but not all states have those. I imagine that you can always hand deliver the ballot to the post office, but it could be a state-by-state thing.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Indeed, I do think that. If their data is correct and they’re interpreting it correctly, this could be a shift in how Dems plan to vote. But the right is likely going to frame it as “Republicans are now expected to win” and possibly lean on that to claim “fraud” when they don’t.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Interesting... Different states in some cases, yes. But also same states (PA), so maybe different data (early voting vs. mail-in voting)? Some of the CNN stats seem to conflict with the X influencers' data...

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Could be. But he's not the only one singing this same refrain at the moment. I'm imagining there's a signal there, the question is what is it a signal of. The GOP is framing it in a very particular way. It's possible it means something very different.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

No. States run elections. Injecting counterfeit ballots would be extremely difficult and likely to get identified/caught. They'd rather run information operations (they're good at that) and try to do vote suppression (in part by getting the left to spread rumors about voting dangers).

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

My read: 1) the Trump admin has intentionally & effectively sown doubt among Dems in the mail-in voting process; 2) many Dems are making other voting plans (in states where mail-in voting is optional); and 3) looks like GOP plans to use that shift in concert w/ their "polls are rigged" narrative.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

This "Republicans are over-performing based on mail-in ballot requests" narrative is hitting right wing influencers on X now:

Screenshot of an X post by Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson), a verified account, posted at 11:45 AM on Oct 6, 2026. The post reads:

"Are you sitting down?

Republicans are OUTPERFORMING in Pennsylvania this midterm by a historic margin. The media will not show you these numbers. Scott Presler just dropped the data:

In 2022 there were 50,000 fewer Republican vote-by-mail requests, and 90,000 more Democrat vote-by-mail requests

Now, in 2026 Republicans are UP by 50,000 in vote-by-mail and Democrats down by 90,000.

That is a 140,000 swing in the mail-ballot gap versus the last midterm. Republicans are getting out and voting early. We're beating Democrats at their own game.

The media wants you to think we're losing so you don't vote, don't believe them.

Go vote.

Great work, @ScottPresler"

Below the text is a 1:38 split-screen video clip from The Benny Show. On the left, a man with long dark hair sits in front of a wall with a painting; an on-screen banner identifies him as "GUEST: SCOTT PRESLER, Founder of Early Vote Action." On the right, the show's host sits at a microphone in front of a lit "Benny Show" sign, with a scrolling live chat of viewer comments overlaid in the lower right corner. A "Watch again" button sits in the center. The post has 382.6K views, 1.2K replies, 7.1K reposts, 26K likes, and 511 bookmarks.

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Reposted by Kate Starbird

Medoyid_ua @rusni-pizda.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Twelve cases in a country of 260 million, staged for cameras. The fraud was never the point. The point is pre-loading the excuse before a single ballot is counted, so a loss reads as theft. Same script Moscow ran in 2014.

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Reposted by Kate Starbird

Julie Hotard Ph.D., writer, effects of disinfo on social systems @upine.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Yes. And narratives are always pushed for reasons. The main purpose of pushing this narrative is to provide themselves with a--false, of course--justification for manipulating the electoral system so GOP can "win" despite unpopularity. See @democracydocket.com for more info.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The Trump administration is weaponizing the DOJ and DHS to generate propaganda to push its “rigged election" narrative. The timing and promotion of arrests of non-citizens for alleged voter fraud suggests a strategic effort to push their false narrative. Thread:

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Oh? I don’t know if being right will be enough to keep them out of trouble. If their work is effective, then they should expect the wrath of the Trumpians to come down upon them.

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Reposted by Kate Starbird

Center for an Informed Public @cip.uw.edu · 07/10/2026

Here's the latest from our election rumor research team ... ⤵️⤵️⤵️

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Wasn’t before. Am now. Thanks!

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The charges, press releases & online amplification create the illusion that non-citizen voter fraud is widespread. This is a strategic, manufactured, false narrative. Statistics show non-citizen voting is extremely rare, & in the few cases that exist often results from confusion, not willful fraud.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Online influencers, political elites, and news networks have amplified these press releases and the charges within them, often framing them as “proof” of voter fraud to their audiences.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

These press releases appear to be strategically deployed, functioning as “pseudo-events” that generate attention and provide content for a partisan media ecosystem primed to amplify “news” that supports the non-citizen voting narrative.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

In recent months, the DOJ and DHS have issued an increasingly number of press releases featuring arrests and charges (but not convictions) of non-citizens for alleged voter fraud, bolstering a false narrative that non-citizen voting in U.S. elections is widespread and impacting election results.

Figure 1: Timeline of DHS and DOJ press releases since July 5, 2026 detailing charges of alleged non-citizen voting. The black line shows the total number of X posts per day related to the charges and/or press releases, while the drop lines indicate the timing of the press releases themselves. The graph shows a sharp increase in September of both press releases and discussion of those press releases.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The latest “rigged election” strategy from the Trump administration involves producing a series of strategically timed arrests of non-citizens for alleged voter fraud & promoting those events to feed the false narrative that non-citizen voter fraud is widespread. uwcip.substack.com/p/federal-fr...

uwcip.substack.com

Federal Fraud Charges Resonate With Debunked Non-Citizen Voting Narratives

A flurry of recent charges and press conferences amplifying alleged non-citizen voting make a small phenomena seem bigger

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The Seattle sky looking out across Elliott Bay towards Bainbridge and the Olympics right now is… lit.

Colorful sunset over the bay, clouds with pink and orange, above a mountain line with clouds hanging below the top of the mountains along the water.

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Reposted by Kate Starbird

Nancy Drew: Girl Detective @sonjajacobsen.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Election bullshit Bingo! “Every square is a trope — a recurring story element from real election rumors. Line up five in a row (across, down, or diagonally) and you’ve got BINGO. The center square is a free space.”

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Reposted by Kate Starbird

Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The Trump admin is trying to knock out whole categories of info in the 2030 census and make residence rules that shift population numbers to the south. This Q&A w/ @zephoria.bsky.social is very revealing about the urgency of mobilizing in 2026 to stop it www.porchpartynews.com/p/why-the-us...

porchpartynews.com

Why the US Census is on the brink

Researcher danah boyd watched heroic civil servants pull off the 2020 census amid a global pandemic. But the 2030 count is in peril—and she says the time to save it is now.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Ah yes. Agree on this. I don't think there's solid data or a shared understanding yet, but the right is developing their theories/narratives to spin this into their "polls are wrong" narrative, which will also be among the "evidence" they cite for a "rigged election" if/when it doesn't go their way.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Here are some examples: x.com/magapolling/... x.com/TonerousHyus...

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Just seeing them today… using a Mike Caulfield style advanced search on X, looking at posts about mail in ballots from the last 5 days. 50 likes or more. Sorting by latest.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

If you head over to Facebook, you're likely to see this spreading among overly online friends on the left:

Image of a social media post with white text on a blurred red and orange background, with the word "FALSE" stamped diagonally across it in large gold letters. The post reads:

"Postmaster General has already said there are ways he WILL block mail-in ballots, so... The minute you get your ballot, fill it out and take it to the nearest drop box, usually near libraries. Do NOT mail your ballot through USPS!
Find a BALLOT DROP BOX only!!!
Please copy this and share on your feed."

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Related trend: There seems to be an effort on the right (X) to convince people Trump's efforts to get the USPS to play a role in challenging mail-in ballots worked... and accompanying fear being spread on the left (FB/IG) that seems to suggest they're falling for it. Lots of posts like the following

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I'm seeing that too... and there's a RW effort to stoke those flames, where they are misleading people to make them think that Trump's efforts to manipulate the mail-in ballot process worked. Let me add a post to this thread.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I agree. I think if there's signal here, it's of this. The left is spreading memes about not trusting the USPS, so not surprising if people are switching their voting intentions. Unfortunately, that may reduce turnout, because it puts up more barriers to vote. But people are pretty determined...

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Reposted by Kate Starbird

jes @jwolfe73.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Imagine an entire government apparatus trying to discredit and threaten mail-in ballots resulting in more mail-in ballots. I would expect just the opposite, an increase of voting on-site.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Does anyone over here have any of the sources on these lower-than-expected mail-in ballot requests? If true, could be a signal of something, possibly diminished trust in the mail-in process, which wouldn't be surprising due to the political attacks on mail-in voting & consequent rumors about USPS.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Interesting trend from our election rumor monitoring... over on X, there's lots of discussion about early mail-in ballots and mail-in ballot requests pointing to lower-than-expected turnout for Dems. That's alongside allegations that the current polls are juiced for Dems.

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