Elon Musk has often inflamed politically tense moments, raising worries for the US election

Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s Democratic secretary of state, mentioned in an interview earlier this month that Musk’s election postings have created a “maelstrom of disinformation” that makes it more durable for those that run elections to empower voters with the information.

“I do know the overwhelming majority of election directors simply attempt to preserve their heads down and do the work,” she mentioned. “The problem is, how will we get details about our work out to residents, lots of whom observe Musk or are members of X, or on the platform?”

Some election officers have tried participating with Musk immediately to coach him and his followers. In July, the Republican recorder accountable for elections in Maricopa County, Arizona, which incorporates Phoenix, invited Musk via an X put up to an all-access tour of the county’s election facility.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, organized a letter to Musk with 4 different secretaries of state this summer season when Musk’s AI platform, Grok, was posting incorrect details about election guidelines. He mentioned Musk deserved credit score for belatedly correcting that misinformation.

Simon mentioned that earlier than Musk purchased Twitter, the platform was useful in correcting election misinformation and that he hopes Musk can do the similar, no matter his private beliefs.

“It’s one factor when you don’t like this election system or that election system in Minnesota,” Simon mentioned, however factually false details about voting must be fastened.

Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company, additionally commented final month on one in every of Musk’s posts to appropriate a false impression that the majority elections in the U.S. do not use paper ballots. She wrote that in the final presidential election in 2020, “all States w/shut presidential vote counts truly used paper information, permitting votes to be counted, recounted, & audited to make sure accuracy.”

The X proprietor has at instances backtracked when he acknowledges his posts have been ill-advised. Earlier this month, he sparked outrage when one in every of his posts promoted an interview between the right-wing podcast host Tucker Carlson and a Holocaust revisionist. He then deleted it.

Musk additionally deleted Sunday’s post musing about how Biden and Harris had not been focused by assassination makes an attempt. White Home spokesperson Andrew Bates nonetheless responded to name the put up “irresponsible” and to say violence “ought to solely be condemned, by no means inspired or joked about.”

Siva Vaidhyanathan, a professor of media research at the College of Virginia, mentioned most celebrities are cautious about their phrases, recognizing that not everybody will perceive their jokes or reply in a measured means. Musk, he mentioned, has by no means had that form of filter.

Even so, Vaidhyanathan mentioned Musk’s affect may be overblown in terms of political misinformation. His platform has misplaced cash and advertisers, and he is solely one in every of many figures who’ve lengthy made false claims about elections.

“Musk is only one extra voice in that cacophony,” he mentioned.

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Related Press writers Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta, Chris Megerian in Washington and Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.

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