Fake video does not show ballots being destroyed in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

The claim

A video circulating on X (formerly Twitter) claims to show mail-in ballots for Donald Trump being destroyed by an electoral registration office employee in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. A user named Concerned Citizen, whose false claims Logically Facts has previously debunked, re-shared it with the caption: "They were always going to cheat, amazing they are making it this obvious."

The post has already received over 167,000 views and 1,100 shares. 

However, the video is not authentic and has been identified as fake by local authorities.

In fact 

Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state where the Republican and Democratic candidates have similar levels of support, is expected to be one of seven states that could determine the outcome of the U.S. election on November 5. 

Unlike many states, Pennsylvania does not offer early in-person voting; instead, registered voters who wish to vote before election day can only do so by submitting a mail-in ballot.

The video shared on October 25 was debunked by local election officials and law enforcement within three hours of its initial posting the previous day. The Bucks County Board of Elections confirmed that it was fake, stating: "The envelope and materials depicted in this video are clearly not authentic materials owned or distributed by the Bucks County Board of Elections." The original video, which has been viewed 1.2 million times, has since been removed.

Pennsylvania is one of seven states prohibiting poll workers from processing absentee or mail-in ballots until 7 a.m. on election day. As a result, workers are processing these ballots while the polls are open, which can cause delays in the reporting of results. Since election day has not yet arrived, state authorities have no legal basis to begin processing mail-in ballots at this time.

The Official Bucks County Republican Committee highlighted several inconsistencies that confirm the video's inauthenticity. As shown in the comparison below, they noted that the larger mailing and declaration envelope in the video is the wrong shade of green; the official envelope is actually a brighter, more vivid green. Additionally, the paper quality does not match that used by the Bucks County Board of Elections, and the envelopes in the video lack a return address.

Furthermore, the yellow envelope, designed as a smaller secrecy envelope to protect voter anonymity, is left unsealed, which is atypical; such envelopes are usually moistened and sealed to protect their contents.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have stated that Russian actors created and promoted this video and that this activity is part of a broader Russian campaign to cast doubt on the integrity of the election. U.S. intelligence officials say they expect more disinformation from Russia as the election approaches.

For example, Russian groups were also recently involved in spreading viral disinformation targeting Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, including unsubstantiated claims about his tenure as a teacher.

The verdict

The video purporting to show a Pennsylvania election official destroying mail-in ballots is fake, officials have confirmed. Security agencies believe that it was created by Russian actors and expect more such disinformation to emerge as the election approaches.

Follow Logically Facts' coverage and fact-checking of the U.S. Election 2024 here.