Debunked fake video purporting to show ballots being destroyed in Pennsylvania

A key swing county in a key swing state had to quickly quash a viral video Thursday that they are calling disinformation.

The video — debunked by officials and experts — shows the alleged destruction of mail-in ballots for the former president by election workers in that county. It contains profanity when referring to the former president, and the narrator says “Vote Harris” at one point.

The Bucks County Board of Elections released a statement Thursday night calling it “fake” — adding that the video was reported to local and state law enforcement, as well as the FBI.

The board said: “This type of behavior is intended to sow division and distrust in our electoral systems and ridicule the people who work incredibly hard to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.”

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt told Scripps News that the video was a “flagrant fake.” No envelopes are sealed. No return addresses on envelopes. Even mail-in ballots dropped off at election offices are sealed.” Although he didn't know the source of the video, he said, “Anyone who works elections every day can spot a fraud from a mile away.”

Scripps News spoke with Schmidt back in September when he was in Washington, and he said that his office had been on the lookout for disinformation narratives on social media and that they would combat them with press releases and interviews and closely monitor what was posted online.

We don't know the origins of this video, although the intelligence community told us just earlier this week that they expect an increase in the number of foreign malicious actors trying to influence the US election. Russia, China and Iran have used disinformation and propaganda campaigns to sow division and unrest in the United States and undermine Americans' trust in the democratic process. This type of video would fall squarely into that category.

RELATED STORY | U.S. officials expect foreign influence efforts to intensify ahead of the election

Cyber ​​attack in Georgia

Officials in another key swing state, Georgia, confirmed to reporters that they were the target of an attempted cyberattack about 10 days ago that their systems detected and repelled.

Gabe Sterling, the chief operating officer in the secretary of state's office there, told Scripps News that on Oct. 14, its cyber defenses blocked a distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack on the website through which voters apply for absentee ballots.

This type of cyberattack attempts to slow down normal traffic on a website.

Sterling said voters' ability to request those ballots will not be affected.

Another official in that office confirmed it was “probably” carried out by a foreign country.

Sterling was candid, saying her office had never seen anything like this “at this level” before. He said they notified the FBI and CISA.