Alleged election fraud: rumors are said to destroy trust

Warnings of an alleged threat of manipulation reappear for the Bundestag election. in the fact finder podcast Experts explain what’s behind it – and warn of the doubts that are deliberately spread.

General, direct, free, equal and secret: these are the five principles for democratic elections in the Federal Republic. But before the upcoming general election, warnings reappear that there is a risk of manipulation.

Sascha Gehm, election officer in the Oder-Spree district, knows such allegations very well. In a local election in Brandenburg, an election worker is said to have slammed votes from the AfD to the Greens. However, the investigation revealed that this allegation was not true.

There is no evidence of widespread or major manipulation: Nevertheless, various politicians and activists repeatedly claimed that there had been multiple frauds in elections – including AfD functionary Björn Höcke.

Only vaccinated people can vote? That’s not true.

In addition, doubts are deliberately sown: Allegedly, only those who are vaccinated or recovered are allowed to choose, according to messenger messages that are displayed ten thousand times. Not true, says election supervisor Gehm im fact finder podcast of the Tagesschau. The choice takes place as usual – “perhaps with larger distances and a little more ventilation”. The federal government also emphasizes: “Voting at the polling station is possible without a corona vaccination or test.”

The publicist Karolin Schwarz had already uncovered organized troll attacks around the 2017 federal election – and the subject of alleged electoral fraud was also an issue at the time. In an interview with moderator Anja Reschke, she emphasized that this narrative did not come to Germany through Donald Trump.

Allegedly invalid ballot papers

At the moment, false reports about the election are being distributed again in a targeted manner, explains Schwarz. For example, the claim that ballot papers are invalid because a corner has been cut off. In fact, it is a help for people with a visual impairment, explains Schwarz.

Schwarz and Gehm im explain who is behind the campaigns against alleged electoral fraud and why such claims can cause lasting damage fact finder podcast.

The fact finder podcast is there in the ARD audio library, on tagesschau.de as well as on major platforms that offer podcasts.

Also in that NDR podcast “She Likes Tech” the latest issue is about disinformation about the federal election.