Social media posts that claim a video shows a young man is illegally putting other people’s ballots into a drop box are false, say election officials in Lincoln, Nebraska.
In a Nov. 4 statement shared to X, the Lancaster County Election Commission said they were aware of a video showing a young man on a skateboard returning his ballot to a drop box and the allegations that “he was doing something wrong.”
Officials clarify that the video actually captures the young man voting in his first presidential election and then taking a selfie to commemorate the “important milestone in his life.”
Lancaster County Election Commissioner Todd Wiltgen refutes any suggestions or claims that this incident constitutes election fraud, deeming them as “false and misleading.”
Wiltgen points out that an online group is behind efforts to spin the incident as potential election fraud, citing suspicions that the man was photographing himself as evidence of completing the task of dropping off multiple ballots for payment.
“It is unfortunate this group is spreading false and misleading information to deceive the public and undermine confidence in our elections,” Wiltgen stated.
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“They should remove the post and apologize immediately.”
The Lincoln Police Department has been notified about the incident as a precaution due to possible safety concerns for the voter, officials confirmed. Surveillance footage was reviewed, enabling the identification of the young man after retrieving his ballot.
“We were concerned about the voter’s safety when we realized commenters on the social media posts were threatening to harm him,” the election commission stated.
Wiltgen emphasized that any situation where a voter faces intimidation and threats for exercising their “right to vote” is “shameful and un-American.”
Leading up to the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, security concerns had been a prevalent topic among voters.
According to an Oct. 24 report from the think tank Pew Research Center, conducted among 5,110 U.S. adults, including 4,025 registered voters, respondents were split on whether election systems are secure from hacking and other threats.
Approximately 52 percent of voters expressed confidence that U.S. election systems are secure from hacking and other technological threats, while nearly 47 percent were not confident.
There was also a division regarding the smoothness of the election process.
Around 90 percent of respondents supporting Democratic candidate Kamala Harris expressed confidence in the well-administration of elections across the U.S., in contrast to 57 percent of respondents supporting Republican candidate Donald Trump.
