Fact Check: Robocalls urged New Hampshire voters to skip primary election
What We Know
On January 21, 2024, numerous New Hampshire residents received robocalls that featured what appeared to be an AI-generated voice clone of President Joe Biden. The calls encouraged recipients to abstain from voting in the upcoming New Hampshire Presidential Primary on January 23, 2024, stating, “It’s important that you save your vote for the November election,” and “Your vote makes a difference in November, not this Tuesday” (Voter Suppression AI Robocall Investigation Update).
The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office launched an investigation into these calls, which were found to have originated from a Texas-based company called Life Corporation and an individual named Walter Monk (Voter Suppression AI Robocall Investigation Update). The calls were also reported to have spoofed their caller ID, making it appear as though they were coming from a former state Democratic Party chairwoman, Kathy Sullivan (Fake Biden robocall tells voters to skip New Hampshire ...).
The robocalls were estimated to have been made between 5,000 and 25,000 times, according to the anti-robocall application Nomorobo (Fake Biden robocall tells voters to skip New Hampshire ...). The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office stated that these messages represent an unlawful attempt to disrupt the electoral process, emphasizing that voters should disregard the content of the calls entirely (Fake Biden robocall tells voters to skip New Hampshire ...).
Analysis
The evidence supporting the claim that robocalls urged New Hampshire voters to skip the primary election is robust. The investigation led by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office confirmed the existence of these calls and identified their source. The use of AI-generated voice technology to impersonate a public figure, in this case, President Biden, raises significant concerns about voter deception and electoral integrity (Voter Suppression AI Robocall Investigation Update).
The credibility of the sources involved in this investigation is high. The Attorney General's Office is a state government entity responsible for enforcing election laws, and their findings are backed by collaboration with federal partners, including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (Voter Suppression AI Robocall Investigation Update). Furthermore, media reports from reputable outlets such as BBC and NBC News corroborate the details of the robocalls and their implications for voter suppression.
However, it is important to note that while the calls were confirmed to be misleading, the exact motivations behind them remain unclear. The Trump campaign has denied involvement, and the investigation is ongoing to determine if other entities were involved in orchestrating these calls (Fake Biden robocall tells voters to skip New Hampshire ...).
Conclusion
The claim that robocalls urged New Hampshire voters to skip the primary election is True. The investigation by the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office has confirmed that these calls were made with the intent to mislead voters, using AI-generated impersonation of President Biden to do so. The evidence from multiple credible sources supports this conclusion, highlighting a serious issue of voter suppression through deceptive practices.
Sources
- Voter Suppression AI Robocall Investigation Update
- Fake Biden robocall tells voters to skip New Hampshire ...
- Fake Biden robocall tells voters to skip New Hampshire ...
- Man accused of sending AI robocalls to NH primary voters ...
- Political operative who admitted to creating fake Biden ...
- Fake Joe Biden robocall tells New Hampshire Democrats ...
- Consultant Behind AI-Generated Robocalls Mimicking ...
- Fake Biden robocall encourages voters to skip New ...