Bogus QAnon Claim that Mail-In Ballots Are Illegitimate

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:
Jane Lytvynenko
@JaneLytv
Genuinely confused about what this "watermarked ballots" thing is claiming, my mental gymnast is tired.

Anyway, here's a debunk of it from PolitiFact: https://politifact.com/factchecks/2020/nov/06/facebook-posts/did-president-trump-issue-secret-watermarks-ballot/…
And another from http://FactCheck.org:

Bogus QAnon Claim that Mail-in Ballots Are Illegitimate
A bogus QAnon-related claim that many of the mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election were illegitimate has spread widely on social media. But the claim is based on the faulty assumption that ballots...
factcheck.org
2:33 PM · Nov 6, 2020

https://www.factcheck.org/2020/11/bogus-qanon-claim-that-mail-in-ballots-are-illegitimate/

Quick Take

A bogus QAnon-related claim that many of the mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 election were illegitimate has spread widely on social media. But the claim is based on the faulty assumption that ballots are produced by the federal government.

Full Story

On the second day without a clear outcome to the presidential election, a QAnon-related conspiracy theory has gained traction on social media.

QAnon followers, who regard President Donald Trump as a crusader against a shadowy group of elite pedophiles who supposedly run the government, have been posting bogus claims that many of the mail-in ballots being counted aren’t legitimate.

One widely shared version that started on Twitter and migrated to Facebook says: “Consider: Dept of Homeland Security controlled ‘official ballots’ production. Dems print extras, not knowing about non-radioactive isotope watermarks on ‘official ballots’. Military sting operation. After weeding out all counterfeit ballots, Trump landslide confirmed.”

Another commonly copied post on Facebook says, in part: “The ‘watch the water’ intel refers to …..THE WATERMARK on the official election ballots!!!! …The DEMS fell right into the trap of this sting operation and TRUMP has it all!!! Fraud will be exposed for the world to see.”

Both of those posts are pure bunk.

First of all, the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t produce ballots. That task is handled by local governments which, typically, contract with printing companies to make the ballots. The Wall Street Journal reported in August on the increase in demand for mail-in ballots due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

*snip*

[gollygee]

1. "Bogus" and "Qanon" are redundant. nt

[Chainfire]

2. QAnon followers are both illegitimate and inbred.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

3. "spread widely on social media" by Putin's internet trolls.

Wish we could lock his ass up too.


KY...........