Federal authorities say Russians distributed fake videos of ballots in Bucks County

Russian actors created and distributed online Thursday a clearly false video showing a Bucks County election worker tearing up ballots purporting to be for former President Donald Trump, federal authorities confirmed Friday.

The video, which the Bucks County Board of Elections referred to law enforcement on Thursday and condemned as dangerous misinformation, showed the hands of a worker opening mail-in ballots and tearing up ballots cast for Trump. The video had several inconsistencies that made it clear it wasn't real – including the use of the wrong envelopes.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a joint statement on Friday that they believe it was created by Russian actors as part of ongoing efforts in Moscow, questions to raise about the US elections.

“In the lead-up to Election Day and in the weeks and months following, the IC expects Russia to create and publish additional media content aimed at undermining confidence in the integrity of the election and dividing Americans,” the statement said.

The video was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday. Experts told the Associated Press that the video appears to be linked to the Russian disinformation group Storm-1516, which has shared other false videos about Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

In an unrelated news conference Friday, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt said the video could easily mislead the public unfamiliar with election administration.

“It's a blatant fake and I saw it last night and anyone who has experience processing mail-in ballots or knows anything about election administration could spot it from a mile away. “But most people don’t,” said Schmidt, who has been a vocal advocate against election misinformation.

“Even something so simple can cause great harm by undermining confidence in election results or making people believe their vote will not be counted.”