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Today’s Links:
Articles: 
ProPublica – “Big Lie” Vigilantism Is on the Rise. Big Tech Is Failing to Respond
Pew Charitable Trust – “Voters with Disabilities Face New Ballot Restrictions Ahead of Midterms”
CBS News –  “What is ballot harvesting, where is it allowed and should you hand your ballot to a stranger?”

Groups Taking Action:    Common Cause, Public Citizen, Declaration for American Democracy

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Unicorn, meet the Ballot Mule. This mythical creature only appears when you’ve lost an election, or if you want to tighten voting restrictions to make it harder for the disabled, the elderly and working parents to vote.

An investigation by ProPublica tracks the term “Ballot Mule” to 2020 election denier allegations of widespread ballot delivery schemes by third-party voter advocacy organizations. The conspiracy theory, amplified by former President Trump, alleges groups and individuals “harvested” ballots from people who might not otherwise vote and dropped multiple ballots off in drop boxes.

ProPublica reports that “Wanted” posters with the images of alleged fraudsters went viral on social media platforms, resulting in online threats. In Arizona, there was a call for vigilantes to find and prosecute alleged Ballot Mules. But Propublica found no evidence of wrongdoing by the individuals pictured, and around the county, election officials found no such activity. ProPublica also found no evidence that the social media platforms did anything to stop the lies from spreading.

Disinformation campaigns like the Ballot Mule conspiracy theory contributed to dozens of states tightening restrictions for voting by mail, delivering ballots to drop boxes, restricting or eliminating drop boxes, and increasing required documentation for voting absentee. All making it harder to vote, and based on a myth.

ProPublica’s article and an article on the impact of voting restrictions on the disability community by the Pew Charitable Trusts are linked at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.