House Democrats looking into disinformation’s election impact in Republican-led states

House Democrats are looking into the impact of election disinformation and misinformation in four GOP-led states and efforts to combat it.

House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and House Administration Committee Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) penned letters to election officials in Arizona, Florida, Ohio and Texas on Wednesday, writing that their respective committees are looking into “partisan actors’ weaponization of misinformation and disinformation to subvert free and fair elections.”

“The Committees are seeking to understand the scope and scale of election misinformation in your state, the impact that this flood of false information has had on election administration, the risks it poses for upcoming federal elections, and the steps that your organization and local election administrators have taken in response,” Maloney and Lofgren wrote.

The lawmakers said their probe “aims to identify steps that federal, state, and local governments can take to counter misinformation and prevent these lies from being used to undermine the legitimate vote count in future elections.”

They are specifically requesting that the officials provide, among other things, information regarding the “most significant misinformation and disinformation campaigns” their states encountered following the 2020 election, and if the officials have been subject to threats in connection with misinformation after the presidential race.

The pair also requested information about methods or strategies the officials have used to oppose election misinformation and disinformation.

The letters come just over six months before the November midterm elections, when voters will head to the ballot box to weigh in on a number of state and federal races.

Since the 2020 cycle, however, a number of states have enacted more-restrictive voting laws. As of February, at least 27 states had introduced, pre-filed or carried over 250 bills that include restrictions at the ballot box, according to the Brennan Center.

Maloney and Lofgren noted the legislative push in their letters, writing, “The Committees are particularly concerned by reports over the past year that some state officials have relied on false, debunked election conspiracy theories to enact new laws and take other steps that could undermine future elections.”

“Several states have passed laws that unnecessarily involve partisan actors in election administration and could lead to the overturning of legitimate election results,” they added.

The letters were specifically addressed to Lisa Marra, president of the Election Officials of Arizona; Wesley Wilcox, president of the Florida Supervisors of Election; Brain Sleeth, president of the Ohio Association of Election Officials and Remi Garza, president of the Texas Association of Election Administrators.

Garza told The Hill on Thursday that the group will be contacting its members in the coming days to collect information to prepare its response to the committee.

She said the organization is “grateful” to “address this important issue as requested by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.”

“It is clear that there are true and lasting detrimental effects caused by misinformation on our citizens’ confidence in the election process,” Garza said.

“Whether they are seeking to break the public trust or working to discourage participation, we must work together to counter their efforts,” she added.

Garza said the Texas Association of Election Administrators is looking forward to “participating in the discussion on a national level and finding solutions that we can use on the state and local level.”

The Hill reached out to the letter recipients for comment.

Updated at 3:06 p.m.