Ever since Donald Trump zeroed in on his theory of a rigged election, conspiracy theories have run amok in the social media world. The latest one is a picture that shows Clinton/Kaine listed twice on an Oregon ballot, and no Trump/Pence option. Trump was left off, exasperated tweeters proclaim as they retweet the photo. The story has been shared and re-tweeted tens of thousands of times. Except the only problem? It’s a hoax!
Even Curt Shilling tweeted something out yesterday afternoon:
As it turns out, the guy who initiated the hoax even fessed up to it about an hour later. “In case, its not super obvious the last tweet from me is a hoax. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet folks,” the twitter user wrote:
But, the picture is out there, and the story took on a life of its own.
“I’m hoping people figure out soon this was fake, and, in the future, look at what they’re passing on,” John Laussier, the man who photoshopped the photo told KATU. “We’ve got to act responsibly. Get out your ballots, take a good hard look, and vote with some research!” He also apologized for tweeting out the photo and said it was irresponsible.
The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office told KGQ that they are evaluating whether the hoax violated election law. Spokesperson Molly Woon emphasized to the television station that the Oregon Secretary of State is “confident” in the election process.