{"id":105755,"date":"2020-11-05T22:06:01","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T19:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/sharpiegate-debunked-conspiracy-theory-leads-to-scary-situation-in-arizona\/"},"modified":"2020-11-05T22:06:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T19:06:01","slug":"sharpiegate-debunked-conspiracy-theory-leads-to-scary-situation-in-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/sharpiegate-debunked-conspiracy-theory-leads-to-scary-situation-in-arizona\/","title":{"rendered":"##SharpieGate: Debunked conspiracy theory leads to scary situation in Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"

“##SharpieGate: Debunked conspiracy theory leads to scary situation in Arizona<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\nTrump supporters are protesting the Arizona election count due to an online conspiracy known as #SharpieGate.
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\nImage: Courtney Pedroza\/Getty Images\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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Donald Trump\u2019s supporters are spreading a conspiracy theory involving Sharpies in an attempt to stop votes for Joe Biden from being counted.<\/p>\n

As the Democratic candidate seems poised to overtake President Trump\u2019s lead in several states, Trump and his supporters have demanded<\/a> that votes stop being counted across the country.<\/p>\n

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STOP THE COUNT!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2020<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Well, everywhere except Arizona, where Trump supporters are calling for the exact opposite.<\/p>\n

They’re pushing the #SharpieGate conspiracy theory. Unlike #PizzaGate, it doesn’t involve a satanic pedophile ring hidden in a pizza shop\u2019s basement. Instead, the false claim is that only Trump supporters were handed Sharpies at polls because they bleed through ballots, which causes voting machines to invalidate them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

None of this is true. There is no #SharpieGate. It\u2019s misinformation.<\/p>\n

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In Arizona, which turned blue last night, conservatives are cooking up a conspiracy theory that is already being called #SharpieGate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The gist is they believe poll workers gave Trump supporters Sharpie markers to fill out ballots, which then somehow invalidated their votes. pic.twitter.com\/qO0ppAZCDT<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Nick Martin (@nickmartin) November 4, 2020<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Still, the conspiracy spread fast on social media<\/a>. Related tweets <\/a> thousands of likes and retweets. Major conservative YouTube personalities, like Steven Crowder, <\/a> on #SharpieGate. It even spread on <\/a><\/p>\n

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Meanwhile on YouTube, Steven Crowder got 3.5 million views on a 5-hour livestream in which he promoted Sharpiegate and a bunch of other debunked voter fraud claims. pic.twitter.com\/i2la84lZh5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) November 5, 2020<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Here’s the truth. All of the votes in Arizona <\/a>. Arizona election officials put out several <\/a> debunking the conspiracy theory, noting that felt-tip pens or markers <\/a> invalidate a vote.<\/p>\n

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IMPORTANT: If you voted a regular ballot in-person, your ballot will be counted, no matter what kind of pen you used (even a Sharpie)! 1\/<\/p>\n

\u2014 Secretary Katie Hobbs (@SecretaryHobbs) November 4, 2020<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Did you know we use Sharpies in the Vote Centers so the ink doesn\u2019t smudge as ballots are counted onsite? New offset columns on the ballots means bleed through won\u2019t impact your vote! Find a location before the polls close at 7 p.m. today at https:\/\/t.co\/8YEmXbWyRL<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/KKG2O8rQhf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Maricopa County Elections Department (@MaricopaVote) November 3, 2020<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Regardless of this fact, a large crowd of Trump supporters protested outside the Maricopa County Elections Department on Wednesday night as poll workers counted votes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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They\u2019re shouting about the sharpie social media misinformation. You can see law enforcement preventing them from entering the building. They\u2019re waving Trump flags and this crowd is growing pic.twitter.com\/Vr55ZpKqTv<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kyung Lah (@KyungLahCNN) November 5, 2020<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The situation became so dire that the vote count had to be delayed. Authorities escorted poll workers and watchers inside the building, and watching media away from the facility, for safety reasons.<\/p>\n

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UPDATE: @MaricopaVote<\/a> shutting down the building, for safety reasons. The count continues for another 11 minutes. Media being escorted out by security and Sheriff\u2019s deputies. https:\/\/t.co\/j1EIwgITop<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Alicia Acuna (@aacuna1) November 5, 2020<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

And, of course, are playing a major role in spreading #SharpieGate misinformation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A conservative Facebook Group called \u201cStop the Steal\u201d gained hundreds of thousands of members in just two days. Members demanded vote counts be stopped in several states \u2014 except Arizona, where they said they wanted their Sharpie-marked votes counted. Facebook eventually shut the group down.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Facebook statement: \u201cIn line with the exceptional measures that we are taking during this period of heightened tension, we have removed the Group ‘Stop the Steal,’ which was creating real-world events…<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ryan Mac ? (@RMac18) November 5, 2020<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n