Ballot Dropoff Boxes Do Not Need to be Covid Sanitized
The Claim
A recent tweet from President Trump claimed that Mail Drop Boxes, which will be used to collect voter ballots in the upcoming presidential election, will not be sanitized for COVID-19.
Emerging story
In August 2020, President Trump tweeted about mail-in voter fraud, saying that mail drop off boxes will not be sanitized to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation shows that the claim is false, and a result of President Trump trying to spread misleading claims to possibly discourage voters from dropping off their ballots and cast their vote in the upcoming Presidential election.
The tweet was flagged by Twitter officials, who released a statement on their own Twitter account stating that the tweet makes “misleading health claims that could potentially dissuade people from participation in voting." Despite this, Twitter has left the tweet up; however, it will be hidden behind a public message that warns users of its misleading claims. Twitter said it will leave the tweet up due to its public interest.
While it is true that the ballot drop boxes will not be COVID sanitized, the very nature of the construction of the boxes will help limit exposure to COVID-19. In a recent post, George Conway, the husband of Presidential Counselor Kellyanne Conway, tweeted that the construction of the box, with it being both narrow and clearly marked, made it simple and safe to drop the ballot in. Furthermore, Twitter labeled the tweet as “misleading” and recent guidelines provided by the CDC stated that Covid-19 spread is “more likely when people are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet)."
