Callers responding to a false election claim overwhelm Oregon officials
Source: AP
Updated 4:14 PM EDT, October 18, 2024
Oregon election officials were screening phone and email messages Friday after their system was overwhelmed and shut down because of a barrage of calls from people responding to a false claim that the state’s voter pamphlet doesn’t include Republican nominee Donald Trump.
The pamphlet does list Trump as a candidate, and Trump will be on the ballot in Oregon. What the pamphlet doesn’t include is a statement about why people should vote for him. That’s because the president didn’t submit one, the Oregon GOP said in a statement.
The false claim has continued to spread on social media, however, and on Thursday, the Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division said it shut down the phone lines after being overwhelmed by out-of-town callers. They made adjustments Friday to deal with the ongoing deluge.
“Our phones are back up, but in this case, it would be more accurate to say that we will be screening voicemails,” spokesperson Laura Kerns told The Associated Press. “Oregonians who call with specific, answerable questions about the election will be prioritized for a return call.”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-oregon-ballot-election-false-claim-bf3c1e66e5a92e4ad1a30d573100e112
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and sow doubt in our elections. 
