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Officials Warn Against Relying on AI Chatbots for Voting Information Ahead of U.S. Presidential Election

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With just four days until the U.S. presidential election, government officials are urging voters to avoid relying on artificial intelligence chatbots for election-related information. The New York Attorney General’s office, led by Letitia James, issued a consumer alert on Friday, cautioning that AI-powered chatbots frequently provide incorrect voting information, which could mislead voters.

Testing conducted by the Attorney General’s office on multiple AI chatbots revealed that they often gave inaccurate responses to questions about voting processes, raising concerns that voters could lose their chance to vote if they follow misleading information. The alert emphasized the importance of using official sources to verify voting details as Election Day approaches, with the presidential race between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris showing a tight competition.

The increase in generative AI use has amplified fears about election misinformation, with AI-generated content and deepfakes on the rise. Clarity, a machine learning firm, reported a 900% increase in deepfake content over the past year. U.S. intelligence officials warn that some of this content is created or funded by foreign actors, including Russia, in attempts to influence the election.

Experts are particularly wary of misinformation risks associated with generative AI, a technology that rapidly gained popularity after OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT in late 2022. Large language models (LLMs) are known to produce unreliable information, often “hallucinating” or inventing details about critical voting-related topics like polling locations and voting methods. Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology, cautioned, “Voters categorically should not look to AI chatbots for information about voting or the election.”

A study conducted by the Center for Democracy & Technology in July examined responses from major AI chatbots to 77 election-related questions, finding that more than one-third of the answers contained inaccuracies. Chatbots from companies like Mistral, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta were included in the study. In response, an Anthropic spokesperson stated, “For specific election and voting information, we direct users to authoritative sources,” emphasizing that their chatbot, Claude, does not provide real-time updates on election details.

OpenAI announced it will begin prompting users who ask ChatGPT about election results to consult reliable news outlets like the Associated Press and Reuters, or to contact local election boards for accurate information. In a recent report, OpenAI disclosed efforts to counter misinformation, disrupting over 20 deceptive networks attempting to misuse their models for disinformation, though none of the election-related activities managed to gain significant traction.

Meanwhile, state legislators are taking steps to counteract AI-based election disinformation. Voting Rights Lab reported that as of November 1, there are 129 bills across 43 states that aim to regulate the spread of AI-generated misinformation related to elections.

 

U.S. Voters Turn to Courts for Election Access Ahead of 2024 Presidential Election

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For Ericka Worobec, a resident of Cecil, Pennsylvania, mail-in voting is a family tradition that she shares with her young son. However, after discovering that her ballot was rejected due to an incomplete date, she felt deeply concerned about the accuracy of the election. Worobec, who votes by mail due to her autoimmune condition, is one of many Americans turning to the courts to ensure their votes are counted in the upcoming November 2024 presidential election.

Worobec’s experience reflects a growing number of lawsuits in the United States surrounding election access and voting rights. With 95 election-related lawsuits filed across seven key battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—voters, advocacy groups, and political parties are seeking judicial intervention on a wide range of issues, from absentee ballot errors to polling place accessibility. These legal battles are fueled by the contentious presidential race between Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and her Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump.

A Nation Divided: Voting Access vs. Election Integrity

The lawsuits often fall along partisan lines, with Democrats advocating for expanded voting access and Republicans emphasizing the need for election integrity. Democrats argue that voter suppression tactics limit eligible voters’ participation, while Republicans claim that looser regulations invite fraud. These legal battles are seen as critical, with both parties fighting for every vote in a tight race.

Worobec’s case is an example of this divide. After being approached by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), she joined a lawsuit against her county’s election board, challenging the rejection of mail-in ballots with minor errors. A Republican intervention in the case defended the election board’s actions, but a judge ruled in favor of Worobec, mandating that voters be notified of ballot errors in time to cast provisional ballots.

Mixed Success in Court Challenges

While some voters, like Worobec, have seen favorable rulings, others have struggled to gain traction in the courts. Tyler Engel, a 35-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, has faced challenges accessing his polling place. Unable to mark a paper ballot on his own, Engel sought a legal solution that would allow him to vote electronically without assistance. Though a lower court ruled in his favor, allowing electronic ballots, the ruling is on hold, leaving Engel and other disabled voters in uncertainty.

In Michigan, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has sued over the governor’s decision to designate Veterans Administration (VA) and Small Business Administration (SBA) offices as voter registration agencies. The Vet Voice Foundation, a nonpartisan group supporting veterans, attempted to intervene, arguing that veterans, particularly those who are homeless, rely on these agencies for registration. Despite the group’s efforts, a judge denied their request, leaving the case unresolved. The RNC has criticized the initiative as a partisan move, while advocates for veterans argue that it’s crucial for facilitating voter access.

Tribal Voters Seek Representation

In Montana, a lawsuit filed by members of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes underscores the challenges faced by Native American voters. Some tribal members live over 20 miles from the nearest election office, making it difficult to vote. The plaintiffs have requested satellite voting offices to be open daily in the six weeks leading up to the election, arguing that their voices deserve to be heard despite their geographic isolation. Settlement talks are currently underway, with local officials citing resource limitations but promising to provide some level of satellite voting access.

As the November election approaches, these cases reflect the broader battle for voting rights in the United States, with legal challenges emerging in response to the evolving landscape of mail-in voting, polling place accessibility, and voter registration procedures. With the stakes high in this 2024 presidential election, both voters and advocacy groups are fighting to ensure their ballots are counted in a race that could hinge on every vote.

Georgia Election Board Mandates Hand-Counting of Ballots Amid Legal Warnings from GOP Officials

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The Georgia State Election Board has passed a controversial new rule requiring counties to hand-count ballots cast at polling places on Election Day, despite opposition from bipartisan election officials and warnings from key Republican state officials. The decision was approved in a 3-2 vote, with allies of former President Donald Trump supporting the measure, while a Democratic and GOP-appointed independent member opposed it.

The hand-counting rule mandates that the total number of ballots be counted by hand to ensure they match those tallied by voting machines. However, the rule stops short of requiring hand counts for individual candidate votes, which are still to be processed by machines. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, had previously warned that the move could be unlawful, noting that state law does not allow local election workers to hand-count ballots before votes are officially tallied.

Carr’s office also cautioned the board that implementing these changes so close to the election—early voting begins October 15—might lead to legal challenges. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger echoed these concerns, criticizing the timing of the rule changes, calling it “too late in the cycle” to introduce new procedures.

The rule’s proponents, like State Election Board member Janelle King, defended the changes, arguing they were necessary to address public mistrust in the electoral process. Critics, however, see this as part of a broader effort by Republicans allied with Trump to cast doubt on election results, particularly in battleground states like Georgia. The rule change comes after a GOP-led state legislature removed the secretary of state’s position from the election board in the wake of Trump’s failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Nonpartisan experts and local election officials have expressed concerns that hand-counting could slow the election process, adding unnecessary burdens on county offices already struggling with limited resources. Despite this, the board also passed another rule granting poll-watchers greater access to vote-counting areas, a move similarly criticized as overstepping statutory authority.

With early voting set to begin in just weeks, many election officials fear these changes could lead to delays and confusion during the critical 2024 presidential election. As the new rules come under scrutiny, legal challenges seem likely, especially given warnings from the state attorney general’s office that they may be overturned in court due to their lack of legal basis.