HAMPTON, Va. — In a society where information sits at our fingertips, the upcoming 2024 presidential election serves as a reminder of just how much of it may not be accurate.
Last week, the Biden administration seized "Kremlin-run websites" and charged two individuals in an effort to push back Russian attempts at election interference and influence. And earlier this summer, U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) issued a caution for the upcoming election cycle, warning that the United States may be more vulnerable to foreign election disinformation and interference than in 2020.
On Monday, top elections officials in the City of Hampton held a roundtable meeting on "What to know about election misinformation and disinformation" at Bethel AME Church, in tandem with the Hampton Branch of the NAACP.
"We want to make sure all voters are armed with the correct information on voting. There are rumors in terms of people not being eligible to register to vote, eligible to apply for an absentee ballot, being from a foreign country, just misinformation out there," branch President Gaylene Kanoyton said.
Misinformation is classified as untrue information that may have unintentionally been circulated, whereas disinformation is biased and misleading information deliberately shared to skew or influence political opinion.
Hampton's Director of Elections, Electoral Board Chair, and State Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) attended and led the discussion.