WASHINGTON — With the midterm elections just around the corner, misinformation and disinformation are flying in key battleground states.
While a lot of attention has gone to combating election interference efforts from President Donald Trump and his allies, not enough attention has been paid to the powerful misinformation campaigns already underway from MAGA faithful like Elon Musk.
With Musk spending roughly $366 million on this year’s midterms, according to the New York Times, Democrats are resigned to an onslaught of lies and distortions between now and Nov. 3 — but they say they have a hyperlocal antidote to these national distortion efforts.
“U.S. government itself a driver of false and misleading information”
With Trump back in the White House this cycle, the federal government itself has spread falsehoods about voting machines, mail-in ballots, foreign interference and widespread voter fraud.
“The Trump administration has made the U.S. government itself a driver of false and misleading information about elections,” according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice.
Meanwhile, partisan sites masquerading as local news keep multiplying. NewsGuard has identified 21 such sites that launched this year, bringing the total to 1,179, according to AFP, with outlets backed by groups on both sides of the aisle, a figure that has surpassed the number of real local newspapers.
And in the battleground states that will decide control of Congress next year, voters are being inundated with targeted messages meant to distort Democrats’ positions on everything from communism to trans issues.
During the first few weeks of September, Musk’s America PAC spent around $1 million on ads in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, Texas and Michigan accusing Democratic candidates of supporting taxpayer-funded sex changes, according to Judd Legum’s Popular Information.
“Abdul El-Sayed supports sex changes for minors and tells parents they should move on,” claims one ad running in Michigan.
That’s despite El-Sayed’s actual position: “I just think the government shouldn’t tell you what kind of healthcare you should have.”
Down-ballot Democrats have had to adjust to this new misinformation environment.
“For instance, there was a tweet out, ‘oh my God, there’s ICE at this location,’ we had people on the ground that said, ‘that’s not true,’” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a member of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s so-called Squad, told Raw Story. “We do think there is some intentional, you know, fear-mongering that is happening to prevent people from voting.”
“Hyperlocal is the most important”
Musk isn’t just spending big in 2026. His critics say he’s funding distortion efforts.
“Register to Vote” greets visitors to VoteSafe.org, a site run by Musk’s America PAC, even though voters can’t register to vote there. Critics have noted its similarity to the nonprofit voter information site Vote.org, and its privacy policy allows America PAC to sell users’ data. Election officials in several states have warned voters about America PAC’s messaging, though the group did not respond to questions from the Associated Press.
“Misleading information, giving wrong information, I mean, this is cheating,” Tlaib told Raw Story of the Musk-backed site. “It’s also something that should be illegal, you know, should be arrestable. Like, he should be arrested for putting misinformation out there about people voting.”
It’s not just digital efforts. There’s also an on-the-ground effort underway.
“He’s targeting people, communities like mine. He’s already got America PAC in my district, door-knocking, misinformation about Abdul and others,” Tlaib said.
To combat these national distortion efforts, candidates like Tlaib are going hyperlocal.
“I hired somebody on my campaign to do voter protection,” Tlaib said. “Her only responsibility is to make sure in the twelfth congressional we have voter protection. We did a trial run, obviously, in the August primary. It went really well.”
Tlaib and other Democrats are also combating the misinformation by posting their own public service announcements.
“Have a plan to vote. Here’s all the options. It’s interesting to see so many folks still get a ballot and say, ‘I’m not sure about it,’” Tlaib said. “We also have mapped out where ballot boxes are. Like, we literally map it out and tell them, ‘these are where the ballot boxes are,’ which is important because you see Elon Musk now he’s having his own website.”
Tlaib’s campaign has also stayed in close contact with city clerks to ensure ballot access.
“Hyperlocal is the most important, because you’re developing a relationship with the local clerks and others,” Tlaib said. “So yeah, we’re just going to combat it by being ahead of them 10 steps.”
That’s also what national Democratic leaders are coaching their party’s incumbents and challengers alike.
“I understand the anxiety. It makes sense,” Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) told Raw Story. “But I do know this: we’ve seen polling data which continues to suggest that local election administrators are the most trusted people in the country. People will listen to them.”
“Just go vote”
Months ago, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) tapped Morelle to spearhead an election integrity task force to help the Democratic Party prepare for whatever Trump and his allies may throw their way during this year’s midterm elections.
“People should take time, in our view, to make sure they know the registration status, that they know the rules in their community and their state,” Morelle said. “And they should vote as early as possible. But I feel confident. I think we’re doing a great job.”
Rank-and-file Democrats seem to have gotten the message and have tripled down on their own efforts to engage voters on the ground.
“At the end of the day, election integrity is going to be about people voting,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) told Raw Story. “The, you know, massive numbers of poll watchers and volunteers who are going to make sure that polling stations are fair and free and open and basically using the tools of the law to stop Trump if anything bad happens.”
That’s why Democrats are borrowing a line from Trump’s rhetorical bag during this year’s midterms.
“Our message is, it has to be too big to rig. Meaning that we need the American people to show up, to speak up, to cast their ballots,” Stansbury said. “There just cannot be any questions.”
Whether the president deploys armed ICE agents, declares a national emergency or tries to have valid mail-in ballots tossed, Democrats say their party’s best antidote remains the same.
“We are very aware of the Trump administration trying to suppress people’s votes, and my message to the American people is just go vote,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) told Raw Story. “If someone’s trying to take away your vote, the best way to fight back is to vote.”
