On July 5, Facebook user and lawyer Irakli Zakareishvili, who is known for systematically spreading disinformation, posted a video on his account, claiming it shows evidence of fraud in the 2020 US elections. The user asserts that an evacuation was declared in an election precinct building due to a water leak, after which prepared ballots were taken out from under tables and cast in favor of Biden.
The disseminated claim is disinformation. The video he posted does not show evidence of fraud in the 2020 US elections. The video and the claim are not connected. In reality, a water leak incident occurred on the morning of November 3, election day, at 6 a.m. The video, however, was filmed at night and shows election staff performing standard procedures. The ballots shown were legitimate.
Water Leak at Farm Arena
On election day, November 3, 2020, water leaked at Farm Arena in Atlanta before voting started. Initially, the incident was attributed to a damaged water pipe, but it was later revealed that the leak was caused by a malfunctioning urinal. The issue was quickly resolved, and it only temporarily halted the processing of absentee ballots.
Absentee ballots are used by voters who cannot vote in person on election day. They request these ballots in advance, usually by mail, and return them within a specified period. This allows them to participate in the election even if they are not physically present at the polling place. The water leak, which occurred around 6 a.m., did not damage the ballots or any equipment.
However, the video shared by Irakli Zakareishvili has no connection to the incident at Farm Arena on the morning of November 3. The video was filmed hours later, at night. Neither the water leak nor the events depicted in the video, which show standard procedures, led to election fraud.
What does the video show?
The video, which shows personnel taking boxes from under tables, widely circulated and became a topic of discussion. Among others, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and his team presented the video to Georgia state legislators on December 3 as evidence of illegal activity.
The claims suggest that the video shows ballots being taken out of “suitcases” and cast into the ballot box. However, investigators reviewed the footage and determined that the ballots were in standard containers, not suitcases, and were not pre-prepared or fraudulent. The investigation confirmed that the ballots were legitimately used and that the process shown in the video adhered to standard election procedures. The footage distributed by Trump’s campaign was selectively presented. The complete video showed that the supposed “suitcases” were actually standard containers used to store ballots, and the ballots were prepared in front of observers for counting at night.
Frances Watson, the chief investigator in the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, stated on December 5 that there were no secret ballots brought in from unknown locations and hidden under tables, as some claimed. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other officials, along with independent observers, reviewed the incident and found no evidence of illegal activity or fraud. It is noteworthy that the entire ballot counting process was transparent and followed legal guidelines.
On the late night of November 3, some personnel, Republican observers, and part of the media started leaving the polling station. As officials explained, the video shows the confusion that arose after some present believed their work was done for the night and they should leave the station. There was no official directive for them to leave. The personnel started packing up, which involved placing open ballot boxes under tables. As explained by Richard Barron, the head of the Fulton County Election Commission at the time, he learned of this at 10:30 p.m. and contacted the supervisor, instructing them to continue scanning the already prepared ballots. Consequently, they took out the same boxes – not suitcases, but standard containers – and continued their work.
Several fact-checking organizations, including PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, and Lead Stories, debunked the claim that the circulated video confirms fraud or election rigging. AP Fact Check also verified the claim, refuting any connection between the water leak and the alleged election fraud depicted in the video.
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