Robocalls told at least 800,000 swing state residents to "stay home" on election day.

[Celerity]

The FBI is investigating.

A firm that tracks robocalls said more than 3 million calls were made on Nov. 3, which contained a cryptic message instructing people to “stay safe and stay home.” The tactics join other efforts to confuse voters this election cycle.

https://www.propublica.org/article/robocalls-told-at-least-800-000-swing-state-residents-to-stay-home-on-election-day-the-fbi-is-investigating#1011344



More than 800,000 people with phone numbers tied to six presidential swing states have been targeted with automated phone calls on Tuesday suggesting they remain at home on Election Day, a tactic that has alarmed voters and has drawn the attention of the FBI, documents and interviews show. All told, more than 3 million calls were made to people across the country on Tuesday, instructing them to “stay safe and stay home,” according to data and call recordings provided by the firm TelTech, which owns the RoboKiller smartphone app. One message, only a few seconds long, delivers the message in a monotone, robotic voice.

Government officials and voters interpreted the messages as potential voter suppression, though it’s not clear what the intent was since the messages apparently began last December, before the coronavirus pandemic. It is also not known who was behind the cryptic messaging campaign or whether it targeted people with particular party registrations or political leanings. Nor was it clear whether the calls had any effect on voters’ willingness to go to the polls. In many states, significant numbers of people have already voted by mail, making the apparent veiled threats irrelevant.

Nonetheless, the robocall campaign added to a trove of tactics that could undermine Americans’ confidence in the election, from disinformation on social media to hacking attempts that could slow vote counting. Calls like it drew pushback from state officials, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, who tweeted Tuesday afternoon: “Attempts to hinder voters from casting ballots by spreading misinformation is illegal and will not be tolerated. That’s why I am actively investigating robocalls allegedly spreading disinformation.”

Link to tweet

The available data doesn’t show how many of the callers listened to the full message. Neither the recording provided by TelTech nor those heard by voters who spoke with ProPublica mentioned specific political candidates or even the election. But the messages were so ubiquitous that they prompted complaints from voters, as well as federal law enforcement officials. “Because it talks about safety, I thought, is this about COVID? But it doesn’t actually say anything about COVID,” said Mariah Montgomery, a Brooklyn nonprofit worker with a Los Angeles area code who received the phone call twice in one day last week. “It did seem potentially like voter disinformation or suppression, given the timing,” she said.

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[beachbumbob]

1. Who in their right mind would ever listen to a robo call?

[SouthernCal_Dem]

2. Unfortunately some people do

These kinds of calls are illegal and the perpetrators should be prosecuted.

[SheltieLover]

3. Glad this is being investigated!

[Buns_of_Fire]

4. Sounds like the kind of thing Jacob Wohl would have his fingers in. nt

[crickets]

5. K&R for visibility.