President Donald Trump is again being flagged on Twitter for a post spreading disinformation related to the November election after repeating a call to North Carolina voters to potentially cast a second ballot in the November elections a move that is illegal.
“NORTH CAROLINA: To make sure your Ballot COUNTS, sign & send it in EARLY. When Polls open, go to your Polling Place to see if it was COUNTED. IF NOT, VOTE! Your signed Ballot will not count because your vote has been posted. Don’t let them illegally take your vote away from you!” Trump wrote early Saturday.
Shortly after, Twitter flagged the tweet for violating its policies “specifically for encouraging people to potentially vote twice.”
The flagged tweet comes as Trump has repeatedly pushed his supporters to break election laws, while simultaneously accusing Democrats of a “rigged” election and massive voter fraud.
A statement on Twitter’s Safety page said that the measure was taken to “protect people” against the President’s effort to advise people to “take actions which could be illegal in the context of voting or result in the invalidation of their votes.”
This is not the first time President Trump has told his followers to vote twice. He offered the suggestion at an event in North Carolina that was hurriedly followed by a statement from the North Carolina State Board of Elections urging voters not to heed the President’s advice since it it illegal to vote twice, and is classified as a felony in at least 28 states, including North Carolina.
The President made a similar suggestion later that week, during a campaign event in Pennsylvania.
The tweet is the latest in the President’s effort to undermine the legitimacy of the election, suppress votes and capitalize on fear surrounding the coronavirus pandemic as many voters seek to cast their votes by mail during the ongoing health crisis that Trump has fumbled to contain.
Social media companies have grown wary as the election draws near regarding concerns about a premature victory being virally spread for either of the candidates across the likes of Facebook or Twitter before a true winner has officially been declared.
In what appeared to amount to a PR stunt, Facebook recently announced that it would not allow new political advertising in the week leading up to the election. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said that he would work with election officials by labeling any false results reported before an official winner had been determined.
Twitter has said Trump’s tweet will remain posted but that engagements will be limited, allowing users to quote-tweet it but not permitting them to like, reply to or retweet the post.
