Fake polls expose vulnerabilities in US elections ahead of midterms
Fabricated surveys are adding to tensions in the country's increasingly polarised political environment.
Fabricated political polling has forced its way into the spotlight during the midterm election period in the United States.
Revelations that a small number of fraudulent firms have released fictitious results – some of which were picked up by news outlets and polling trackers – have raised concerns about how easily false information can acquire credibility.
Those datasets can be used to cast doubt on the electoral process. And when bad actors are unmasked, their existence can be leveraged to undermine voter confidence in election information overall.
In a social media post, McMorrow described the poll from Wedgewood – and another from the firm Mitchell Research and Communications – as a “one-two punch” that “killed her campaign”. She suspended her Senate bid in July.