Fact check: Clip of Biden taken out of context to portray him as plotting a voter fraud scheme
By Reuters Staff
Shared on Facebook and Instagram days leading up to the 2020 U.S. general election, posts show a clip of Joe Biden saying, “We have put together I think the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics.”
The posts falsely ask if the video shows the Democratic presidential candidate “admit(ting) to voter fraud.” It was a slip of the tongue - Biden was describing the voter protection program his campaign has launched in anticipation of potential legal fights over the outcome of the Nov. 3 election against President Donald Trump.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-fact-check...SKBN27E2VH
Likely meaning to say “voter protection” instead of “voter fraud,” the former vice president is referring to the special litigation team his campaign has launched as it braces for potential legal fights over the outcome of the election (here). Biden’s campaign for months has been ramping up what it calls the largest voter protection program in presidential election history, after Trump repeatedly has suggested without evidence that the election could be “rigged”.
The former vice president goes on to remark that what his opponent “is trying to do is discourage people from voting by implying that their votes won’t be counted, can’t be counted”. Mentioning “the long, long lines at early voting”, he advises voters not to “be intimidated” if they run into roadblocks while trying to cast their ballots. To reach his campaign’s team of “over a thousand lawyers… who will answer the phone if you think there’s any challenge to your voting”, the candidate says to call “833-DEM-VOTE.”
Talking about the Obama administration’s efforts “before this”, Biden was likely referring to the former president’s strategy of challenging voting laws it viewed as discriminating by race, an effort to counter a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that freed states from the strictest federal oversight (here).
Paid for by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the voter hotline Biden mentions is “monitored by DNC employees 24/7/365 who are ready to field questions pertaining to felon disenfranchisement, voter purging, poll worker misconduct, voter machines, accessibility, and more”. ( here )
On Oct. 25, Fox News published a story picking up on Biden’s mix-up, with the headline “Biden says in video he has created ‘voter fraud organization’” ( here ). The 5th paragraph of the story states that “Biden may have been referring to his campaign's massive "election protection program," which includes former Attorney General Eric Holder and hundreds of other lawyers in preparation for a legal battle in the event of a contested election.”
The Reuters Fact Check team has debunked multiple social media claims about alleged voter fraud in the lead-up to the 2020 general election. Examples can be found here , here , here , here , here , here , and here
VERDICT
Missing context. This clip of Biden allegedly “admitting” to voter fraud has been shared out of context. As seen in the full interview, the former vice president was discussing his campaign’s voter protection program .
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here .
By Reuters Staff
Shared on Facebook and Instagram days leading up to the 2020 U.S. general election, posts show a clip of Joe Biden saying, “We have put together I think the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics.”
The posts falsely ask if the video shows the Democratic presidential candidate “admit(ting) to voter fraud.” It was a slip of the tongue - Biden was describing the voter protection program his campaign has launched in anticipation of potential legal fights over the outcome of the Nov. 3 election against President Donald Trump.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-fact-check...SKBN27E2VH
Likely meaning to say “voter protection” instead of “voter fraud,” the former vice president is referring to the special litigation team his campaign has launched as it braces for potential legal fights over the outcome of the election (here). Biden’s campaign for months has been ramping up what it calls the largest voter protection program in presidential election history, after Trump repeatedly has suggested without evidence that the election could be “rigged”.
The former vice president goes on to remark that what his opponent “is trying to do is discourage people from voting by implying that their votes won’t be counted, can’t be counted”. Mentioning “the long, long lines at early voting”, he advises voters not to “be intimidated” if they run into roadblocks while trying to cast their ballots. To reach his campaign’s team of “over a thousand lawyers… who will answer the phone if you think there’s any challenge to your voting”, the candidate says to call “833-DEM-VOTE.”
Talking about the Obama administration’s efforts “before this”, Biden was likely referring to the former president’s strategy of challenging voting laws it viewed as discriminating by race, an effort to counter a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that freed states from the strictest federal oversight (here).
Paid for by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the voter hotline Biden mentions is “monitored by DNC employees 24/7/365 who are ready to field questions pertaining to felon disenfranchisement, voter purging, poll worker misconduct, voter machines, accessibility, and more”. ( here )
On Oct. 25, Fox News published a story picking up on Biden’s mix-up, with the headline “Biden says in video he has created ‘voter fraud organization’” ( here ). The 5th paragraph of the story states that “Biden may have been referring to his campaign's massive "election protection program," which includes former Attorney General Eric Holder and hundreds of other lawyers in preparation for a legal battle in the event of a contested election.”
The Reuters Fact Check team has debunked multiple social media claims about alleged voter fraud in the lead-up to the 2020 general election. Examples can be found here , here , here , here , here , here , and here
VERDICT
Missing context. This clip of Biden allegedly “admitting” to voter fraud has been shared out of context. As seen in the full interview, the former vice president was discussing his campaign’s voter protection program .
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here .
