The Oregon Secretary of State’s office temporarily shut down its election phone line after being overwhelmed by a flood of calls fueled by online misinformation. The false claims, circulating largely outside the state, alleged that Oregon election officials deliberately excluded former President Donald Trump from the state’s voter pamphlet.
In reality, the Trump campaign chose not to submit a statement for the pamphlet, as confirmed by both Oregon’s election officials and the state’s Republican Party. “The decision not to submit a statement was made by the Trump campaign earlier this year,” the Oregon GOP clarified in an Oct. 10 statement. Trump’s campaign similarly did not submit a statement during the primary.
The misinformation spread widely after the account Libs of TikTok posted a video questioning Trump’s absence from the pamphlet, despite a community note clarifying that Trump hadn’t submitted the required $3,500 fee or statement. The influx of misleading calls hindered genuine election-related assistance, with Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade condemning the spread of false claims as harmful to Oregonians seeking help.
In Oregon, harassing or threatening election workers is a crime.
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