Sorting fact from fiction
Fact from fiction
Social media can help you find out what candidates and parties stand for, but you need to know how to sort fact from fiction because you can't trust everything you see on your feed.Jump to the misinformation register
False or inaccurate information can easily spread online, sometimes unintentionally. It's important to think carefully about all electoral information you see this election.
Ask yourself these questions to help sort fact from fiction:
- Is it from a reliable source?
- Is it current?
- Is it authorised?
- Is it coming from a real person and not a 'bot'?
Misinformation is when information is spread that is believed to be true by those who are sharing it, but which is actually incorrect.
Disinformation is when information is designed to deliberately mislead and influence public opinion or obscure the truth for malicious or deceptive purposes.
You might come across both types during the election period.
This information is available in an Easy English guide (PDF) at the bottom of this page.
Check the source
Is the information published by a person or organisation with a reputation for accurate reporting? Or is it difficult to find what the source is at all? Information that seeks to mislead people is often from a website or news source that you've never heard of. If you're unsure, see if you can find a similar story from a source you trust.
Check the date
Make sure any information you are consuming about an election is current. Information that is more than 6 months old might not have all the latest facts.
Check for authorisation
Has the person who wants to share this information put their name to it? Messages that seek to influence how people vote must include an authorisation statement. If there is no authorisation statement, the information might not be reliable.
Check who is spreading it
Sometimes information isn't posted by humans and instead is published by bots. A bot is a piece of software that is programmed to automatically complete certain tasks. Social media bots can be programmed to mimic human users by posting updates, replying to other users, and sharing links and news stories.
Sometimes bot accounts use social media to deliberately spread incorrect information. Check the profile of the account posting the information to see if it is a legitimate account, or one that looks like it has been set up to push a particular message.
Things such as the account's posting history, number of followers or location may help you figure out whether a real person is posting from the account.
Check who is paying for it
If you see sponsored advertising related to an election on social media, you can check to see who has paid for it.
Ads on social media will be marked 'sponsored' or 'paid for by [company name]'. You can click this information or the ellipsis on the post (...) to find out who has paid for it.
Advertisers online can target people based on their location, age, gender, websites they have visited or other characteristics. Ask yourself why this message or ad may have been sent to you.
Check how it makes you feel
If the information makes you feel angry or excited, take time to check the facts of the story. It might be an opinion piece that is designed to make people share it around. If you're not sure if the information is true – then don't share it.
Know who to trust
We are the impartial 'umpire' that runs State and local council elections in Victoria and makes sure that all election participants play by the rules. We are independent of government, and our aim is to make sure that all eligible Victorians are equal at the ballot box. We'll be sharing some of the myths we come across in the lead up to the 2022 State election, so check this page frequently. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
While we will address myths and false information about election processes, it's important to understand that we don't regulate political advertising. Victorian electoral law does not require electoral campaign material to be truthful, so we encourage you to use the tips on this page to sort fact from fiction and do your own research.
Misinformation register
This register lists the electoral misinformation we have discovered, along with the corresponding facts.
- Misinformation: the VEC uses Dominion/Scytl vote counting software
- Misinformation: people who aren't vaccinated won't be able to vote
- Misinformation: the VEC is an arm of the State government
- Misinformation: the VEC is silencing free speech and targeting certain groups
- Misinformation: the VEC use pencils at voting centres so we can change your vote
- Misinformation: postal voting is not secret or secure
- Misinformation: the VEC is perverting the course of democracy by partnering with online platforms
- Misinformation: not needing ID to enrol will lead to enrolment fraud. Anyone can change their enrolled address to somewhere they don't live
- Misinformation: applying to be a general postal voter if you’re over 70 will mean you’ll get a postal ballot pack for all future federal, State and local council elections.
- Misinformation: the 2018 State election result is not legitimate because the election writs did not carry an official seal.
- Misinformation: the VEC has partnered with the World Economic Forum (WEF) for the upcoming state election, allowing the World Economic Forum to oversee and count votes
- Misinformation: the 2022 State election is not legitimate because the writs have not been signed and are not publicly available
- Misinformation: the election will be void if less than half of people vote
- Misinformation: The 2023 Warrandyte District by-election is not legitimate because the writ has not been signed and is not publicly available.
How we work with online platforms
In September 2022 we signed an agreement with 5 online platforms to set out how we will work together to reduce the risk of harm that may arise from the spread disinformation and misinformation. This agreement is known as a 'statement of intent', and you can download it below.