No, You Can't Vote by Text Message
It's impossible to vote by text message, but a fake ad aimed at Clinton supporters on Twitter is urging them to save a trip to the polls and vote via cell phone.
The memes, which mimic the look of Clinton's real ads -- complete with "Paid for by Hillary for President 2016" at the bottom -- encourage voters to "Save time. Avoid the line" and vote early by texting "Hillary" to 59925. One fake ad was written entirely in Spanish. The ads have been tweeted from several alt-right accounts.
According to The Washington Post, the ads gained traction after the account @TheRickyVaughn tweeted the images with a pro-Clinton #ImWithHer hashtag. The account, which has since been suspended, frequently tweeted anti-Clinton conspiracy theories and appeared to be the source of a tweet sent by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller referring to Clinton by a vulgar name.
As the fake get-out-the-vote ads began to spread, some users took notice and questioned whether they were a violation of either federal law or Twitter policy.
Robert McNees, an associate professor of physics at Loyola University of Chicago, said he reached out to Twitter and initially received what appeared to be a form letter in response that found the tweets weren't against the social network's rules.
Twitter just informed me that attempting to disenfranchise voters is not a violation of their Terms of Service. @jack @Support pic.twitter.com/YXVdt8sHwA
-- Robert McNees (@mcnees)
But later, several hours later, a spokesman wrote back again, saying the problem had been fixed and that Twitter had started removing the images.
@mcnees @Support not sure how this got past us. Fixed (and thanks for reporting)
--jack (@jack)
Tech site Mashable said that when they tried sending a message to the number in the ads, a text response makes it clear the ad wasn't official.
"The ad you saw was not approved by iVisionMobile OR Hillary For America in any way," the text response said. "To opt-in to the real HFA list, text HFA to 47246. Reply STOP to cancel."
The fake ads were quickly debunked, but they come as voting rights activists have expressed alarm over what they believe are systematic efforts by Donald Trump, the Republican Party and GOP supporters to suppress minority turnout.
The Democratic Party has filed lawsuit against the state Republican parties in Arizona, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania, accusing them of attempts to intimidate voters, while a federal judge in North Carolina on Wednesday called purges from registration rolls are "insane."
Trump has encouraged his supporters to "watch" polling stations, ostensibly to prevent a "rigged election," and his call has been taken up by white nationalist groups who have made plans to intimidate voters in Philadelphia.
Gabrielle Levy covers politics for U.S. News & World Report. Follow her on Twitter (@gabbilevy) or email her at GLevy@usnews.com.
