Video does not show former U.S. President Jimmy Carter voting early in Georgia

The claim 

Early voting for the U.S. presidential election began in Georgia on October 15, with more than 250,000 voters casting ballots on the first day — almost double the turnout in 2020. 

Meanwhile, a video went viral on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter attended the polls and voted for Kamala Harris. The video, captioned, "BREAKING: Jimmy Carter made it to the first day of early voting in Georgia. His family says he will vote for Harris," has already been viewed over 11.2 million times.

However, the video is outdated and does not show Carter at an early voting site. Representatives for Carter have stated he voted by mail-in ballot.

In fact

This claim was made by the account End Wokeness, which has posted misleading statements in the past and is followed by more than three million users. The video shows Carter in a wheelchair accompanied by family members. It has already garnered 14,000 comments, including statements such as, "Very sad. They couldn't have simply requested a mail-in ballot; they had to parade him around for show and tell when he clearly isn't in any condition to be out." 

The video, however, does not show Carter participating in early voting. A reverse image search showed it was circulating before early voting began, and an analysis of media archives indicates it was first published by CBS News on October 2 of this year. The video shows Carter celebrating his birthday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He is the first former U.S. president to reach the age of 100, having celebrated his milestone on October 1, during which he watched military aircraft fly overhead in his honor.

Original video first published by CBS news. (Source: CBS News/Screenshot)

Misleading information about Carter's vote began circulating after he reportedly declared his support for Kamala Harris. "I'm just trying to make it so I can vote for Kamala Harris," he reportedly told his son Chip, as relayed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by his grandson Jason Carter. 

However, Carter, who has been in hospice care since February 2023, did not directly communicate this statement to the media; the information regarding his endorsement of Harris originated solely from his grandson. On October 16, the Carter Center released a statement that Carter voted by mail-in ballot, but did not specify who he voted for, as reported by the Associated Press.

The verdict

The post is false, as the video was recorded on October 1, during Carter's 100th birthday celebration, rather than during early voting in Georgia. It is not known whether Carter cast a ballot for Kamala Harris.

Update: This fact-check was updated on October 17 with a statement from the Carter Center, clarifying Carter voted by mail on October 16. The Center does not reveal who Carter voted for.