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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Elections & voting fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about elections & voting. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

5,414 published reviews in this topic

Pagella PoliticaElections & voting

«Il 17 marzo votano in Olanda, poi votano in Bulgaria, in Albania, in Scozia, in Galles, in Francia, in Germania, in Israele, in Russia, in Norvegia»

Publisher’s rating: Vero

The claim concerns Matteo Salvini’s list of places expected to hold elections in 2021, beginning with the Netherlands on 17 March. The review says he made the statement in a Sky Tg24 interview while arguing that elections could be held during the pandemic. It checked the countries and territories he named and concluded that each had an election scheduled during 2021: the list was accurate, though not exhaustive. The claim should be read as a list of places due to vote that year, not as a prediction that every listed vote would happen on the same date or proceed without changes. [S1: “intervistato da SkyTg24 il 2 febbraio” / “tutti questi Paesi è previsto che vadano alle urne nel 2021”] For the Netherlands, the review identifies 17 March as the date for elections to renew parliament. It gives 4 April for Bulgaria’s parliamentary election, 25 April for Albania’s parliamentary election, and 6 May for the Scottish and Welsh parliament elections. In Germany, it lists a Baden-Württemberg local election on 14 March and a parliamentary election on 26 September; for Russia and Norway it gives 19 September and 13 September respectively. [S1: “Nei Paesi Bassi si voterà il 17 marzo per il rinnovo del Parlamento.” / “In Bulgaria, il presidente della Repubblica Rumen Radev a gennaio ha convocato le elezioni parlamentari per il 4 aprile 2021.” / “In Albania le prossime elezioni per il Parlamento sono state fissate a settembre 2020 per il 25 aprile 2021.” / “Le elezioni per il Parlamento scozzese – ricordiamo che la Scozia insieme al Galles, all’Inghilterra e all’Irlanda del Nord fa parte del Regno Unito e le principali competenze sono attribuite allo Stato unitario – sono previste per il 6 maggio 2021.” / “In Germania, infine, ci saranno sia elezioni locali (nel Land di Baden-Württemberg, il 14 marzo) sia le elezioni parlamentari, previste per il 26 settembre.” / “In Russia le elezioni per il rinnovo del Parlamento (Duma) si terranno il 19 settembre 2021. In Norvegia pochi giorni prima, il 13 settembre, è previsto il rinnovo del Parlamento.”] There were qualifications: French regional elections planned for March were expected to move to June, and the review says further pandemic-related postponements could not be ruled out for the Scottish and Welsh votes. Israel’s parliamentary election was scheduled for 23 March, following an early dissolution; the review distinguishes it as the only early election among those listed. These qualifications do not change the review’s assessment that the named places were expected to vote during 2021. [S1: “In Francia a marzo 2021 erano previste le elezioni regionali. Queste tuttavia saranno quasi certamente rinviate a giugno a causa della pandemia.” / “Tuttavia non è esclusa la possibilità di rinvii dovuti alla pandemia.” / “Israele, l’unico Paese non europeo citato da Salvini, andrà al voto il 23 marzo 2021 per il rinnovo del Parlamento (Knesset), dopo il suo scioglimento anticipato.” / “Israele è l’unico Paese dell’elenco ad andare al voto anticipato”]

FACTLYElections & voting

Amidst the farmers’ protests, BJP has bagged 20 seats in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The claim paired BJP’s 20-seat result in Chandigarh’s municipal corporation election with the farmers’ protests, presenting the result as if it had happened during those protests. FACTLY’s review says the figures instead came from the 2016 corporation election: BJP won 20 seats, Congress won four, and the Akali Dal and an independent candidate won one each. The review concludes that these earlier results were being circulated as recent ones. (S1)

Fact CrescendoElections & voting

Claim: Hindu religious faction leaders not asked to vote for BJP

Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False

The claim concerns a social-media post saying that 11 Tamil religious leaders had jointly urged Hindus to reject the BJP and its allies. Fact Crescendo reports that the post combined a photograph of the leaders with text arguing that those parties were “Hindu-opposed.” The review distinguishes that interpretation from what the leaders themselves said: it reports that they did not name a party or call on people to vote for or against one. [S1: “மடாதிபதிகள் பா.ஜ.க-வுக்கு வாக்களிக்க வேண்டாம் என்று கூறிவிட்டதாக நினைத்து பலரும் இதை ஷேர் செய்து வருவதை காண முடிகிறது.”] To check the image’s provenance, the review says it used reverse-image search. It identified the photograph as having been taken on April 14, 2019, when the 11 leaders spoke to reporters. The review’s account of that interview says they urged people to identify who respected Hindus and spoke for them, but did not endorse a specific party. This matters because the post presented the general appeal as an explicit anti-BJP instruction. [S1: “படத்தை ரிவர்ஸ் இமேஜ் தேடலில் பதிவேற்றித் தேடியபோது, 2019ம் ஆண்டு ஏப்ரல் 14ம் தேதி 11 மடாதிபதிகள் ஒன்றாக நிருபர்களுக்கு பேட்டி அளித்த போது எடுக்கப்பட்டது என்று தெரியவந்தது.”] [S1: “இந்த பேட்டியில் மிகத் தெளிவாக எந்த ஒரு கட்சிக்கும் வாக்களியுங்கள் என்று கூறவில்லை, இந்துக்களுக்காக குரல் கொடுப்பவர்கள் யார் என்று அறிந்து செயல்படுங்கள் என்று மட்டுமே கூறியுள்ளனர்.”] The review also says it contacted the Perur Adheenam about the alleged statement. A representative later told Fact Crescendo that the information was false and that the leaders had not issued an interview or statement against any party. The review concludes that the social-media post misrepresented the leaders’ general remarks as a joint call to reject the BJP and its allies. [S1: “நம்மைத் தொடர்புகொண்ட அவர், ‘இந்த தகவல் தவறானது என்று சுவாமிகள் தெரிவித்துள்ளார். எந்த ஒரு கட்சிக்கு எதிராகவும் பேட்டி, அறிக்கையை மடாதிபதிகள் வெளியிடவில்லை.’”]

BR24 FaktenfuchsElections & voting

Bundestagswahl wird wegen Corona verschoben, Stimmen von Toten und Komapatienten werden gezählt, nur Anhänger der Grünen zählen Stimmen aus, Bei der Briefwahl wird viel betrogen/gefälscht.

Publisher’s rating: Größtenteils falsch: Die öffentliche Kontrolle bei der Briefwahl ist auch laut Bundesverfassungsgericht geringer als im Wahllokal. Dass Stimmen von Toten gezählt werden, ist rechtlich nur möglich, wenn diese vor ihrem Tod noch selbst abgestimmt haben. Betreuungsbedürftige - und damit theoretisch auch Komapatienten - haben das Recht zu wählen. Allerdings können sie es nur wahrnehmen, wenn sie ihren Wahl-Willen kommunizieren können. Dass Stimmen nur von Anhängern einer Partei ausgezählt werden, ist nicht zulässig. Dass Kanzlerin Merkel die Bundestagswahl auf unbestimmte Zeit verschiebt, ist nicht möglich.