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Election Day misinformation followed a predictable pattern – but it's still a problem

caption: Elections worker Cynthia Ghaffari holds 'I voted' stickers for King County voters on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, outside of the Seattle Public Library Ballard Branch in Seattle.
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Elections worker Cynthia Ghaffari holds 'I voted' stickers for King County voters on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, outside of the Seattle Public Library Ballard Branch in Seattle.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer

Claims of mail-in voter fraud, stolen elections, and fraudulent ballots are circulating online as fact-checkers rush to verify. With an official end to the election still in the distance, the ongoing period of uncertainty makes us especially vulnerable to mis- and disinformative attacks.

Bill Radke speaks with Kate Starbird, associate professor at the University of Washington Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering also studying the spread of misinformation and disinformation on social media for the Center for an Informed Public.

Why you can trust KUOW