ATLANTA — A fake video has been circulating on social media showing a Haitian immigrant claiming to have voted in several times during early voting in Georgia.
The viral video has been taken down, but the ripple effects could have a far-reaching impact.
Despite the post being removed, the damage may have already been done.
"A Haitian immigrant is purporting to have voted multiple times here in Georgia. They basically debunked the claims. There’s no factual basis to them. Now, they are raising the possibility that this viral video is part of a foreign influence operation," Emory Political Science Associate Professor Zachary Peskowitz said.
Peskowitz says the fake video is an attempt to stir up people’s fears.
“It’s trying to tap into political divisions," said Peskowitz.
Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer for the Georgia Secretary of State's Office, says the video is part of a coordinated campaign on behalf of foreign entities to disrupt the election, and it is playing to what some voters already believe is true.
“It gets retweeted by an influencer or put on TikTok, and it just kind of rolls out there. The people who have a fertile mind want to hear it. It reinforces what they already believe," said Sterling.
Sterling says the Secretary of State's office has audited the voter rolls and has only found about 20 instances of people who are not citizens listed as registered voters.
Those people have been removed.
Sterling says everyone should exercise caution when viewing videos making similar claims.
“One of the things I tell people all the time is that if you have a partisan itch that a piece of social media information scratches, take it with a grain of salt," Sterling added.
Both Sterling and Peskowitz say it's important to fact-check any posts on social media before sharing them.
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