Robocalls telling some voters to wait until Wednesday to vote, Michigan official says
Robocalls are falsely telling Michigan residents to stay home on Election Day and vote Wednesday instead, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says.
The robocalls to residents in Flint, Michigan, tell voters to cast ballots Wednesday due to long lines at election polling places, Nessel says.
“Obviously this is FALSE and an effort to suppress the vote,” Nessel tweeted. “No long lines and today is the last day to vote. Don’t believe the lies! Have your voice heard!”
Michigan is a battleground state important for President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden to win, and both candidates have spent time there leading up to the election.
Other robocalls have hit Americans over the past few months. YouMail, a tech site with a robocall-blocking app, says an unknown caller has made about 10 million calls, hitting 280 of the 317 area codes in the U.S., The Washington Post reported.
“Hello, this is just a test call. Time to stay home stay safe and stay home,” a female voice on the robocall says.
In Greensboro, North Carolina, Hashim Warren tweeted audio of a call on the morning of Election Day instructing him to “stay safe and stay home.”
University of North Carolina journalism professor Deen Freelon also tweeted audio of the robocall to his friend.
“Now this isn’t technically mis- or disinformation, but it’s still pretty ominous,” Freelon tweeted. “I only hope it’s transparent enough to be completely ineffective.”
Nebraska Secretary of State Robert Evnen warned of a similar robocall to voters in his state on Election Day.
“Our polling places across the state are open. Our voters and our poll workers will be kept safe,” Evnen tweeted. “Elections matter and your vote counts.”
Experts say the robocalls expose vulnerabilities in the U.S. phone system, The Washington Post reported.
“If you wanted to cause havoc in America for the elections, one way to do it is clearly robocalling,” YouMail CEO Alex Quilici told the news outlet.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Robocalls telling some voters to wait until Wednesday to vote, Michigan official says."