NSW election officers are being harassed, adopted and nonconsensually filmed whereas transferring pre-poll ballots by conspiracy theorists who’re baselessly accusing them of committing election fraud.
Movies of NSW Election Fee (NSWEC) staff transferring containers of poll papers are circulating amongst on-line conspiracy teams and are being promoted by a few of their extra outstanding figures.
These movies seem to indicate staff following typical process and transporting sealed containers of filled-out pre-poll poll votes.
“It’s normal follow for full poll containers to be moved in the course of the early voting interval to the election supervisor’s workplace, for safe storage when an early voting centre has taken a considerable amount of votes,” the NSWEC’s web site says. It additionally features a checklist of processes to make sure the integrity of votes in the course of the course of.
Regardless of this, these movies are getting used to make unsupported claims that election staff are in some way committing election fraud.
Former Liberal MP turned United Australia Occasion chief Craig Kelly took problem with a “bloke in shorts and a T-shirt” utilizing his private car to move votes.
Equally, Household First candidate Lyle Shelton tweeted that he was “involved” concerning the poll transport course of earlier than he was knowledgeable by the NSWEC Twitter account that this was regular process.
Different movies being shared on Telegram present folks confronting NSWEC staff, calling them “crooks”, telling them that they “can’t take them” and telling them that what they’re doing is “unlawful”. A number of movies seize the employee’s faces and automotive numberplates even after staff ask them to cease filming.
One Telegram group, which Crikey has chosen to not identify to keep away from amplifying its claims additional, has collated and printed greater than 10 movies and pictures of various NSWEC staff carrying containers.
An NSWEC spokesperson rejected election fraud claims and reiterated that the movies confirmed staff following the proper process.
“That is permitted and there are processes in place to make sure there’s a strong audit path of poll field actions,” they informed Crikey.
Election fraud is a typical kind of election misinformation unfold by conspiracy teams within the lead-up to and after elections (like claims made by United Australia Occasion’s Clive Palmer after the 2022 federal election) however is never substantiated.
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