A Republican city councilman is in hot water after he shared a deceiving meme over the weekend telling Pennsylvania voters they could vote for Hillary Clinton online on Election Day just by using a hashtag. according to the
According to screenshots posted on news site BillyPenn by Anna Orso and Mark Dent, the memes posted by Murrysville City Councilman Joshua Lorenz read “Vote Hillary November 8th” and “You can vote at home comfortably online.” Lorenz wrote “more proof that the election is rigged. Only Hillary supporters can vote from their smartphones from the comfort or in the comfort of their own homes,” according to the screenshots.
No state allows voters to vote via social media post.
Lorenz told the Associated Press that he deleted the posts, which he said were meant as a joke.
“Look at the meme itself, ‘You can vote from home comfortably online,'” he told the AP. “Who could possibly think that? It was a joke on my private page, with my friends. It wasn’t for public consumption.”
The post is one of several “joke” posts making the rounds on social media, fueling “rigged election” cries from Republicans and worries that Clinton supporters will fall for it.
Pennsylvania election officials are definitely not laughing. They sent a tweet reminding voters that there is no way to vote via social media:
Do not be misled. PA has only two voting options: absentee ballot or in-person at the polling place. More info at: https://t.co/liU75BrQpf pic.twitter.com/nuQASn9tsU
— PA State Dept. (@PAStateDept) October 18, 2016
Gov. Tom Wolf (D) also issued a statement obtained by the AP, saying he believes “any attempts to disrupt the electoral process should be investigated and prosecuted.”
It’s illegal in Pennsylvania for any elected official to purposely share misinformation about voting and elections, according to the AP. The state’s attorney general’s office said it was informed to expect a referral on Lorenz’s posts.
