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Photo alleging Detroit voter born in 1823 is from 2019 lawsuit that's been cleared up

By FOX 2 Staff
Published  November 5, 2020 5:34pm EST
2020 Election
FOX 2 Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - As every single ballot is counted and scrutinized, the chance of fake news being spread online is growing. That's apparent in a graphic that's been widely shared on social media this week, including by a former Major League Baseball player.

The image that was shared on Facebook on Wednesday morning is from FOX 2 in December 2019 and it was part of a lawsuit against Detroit election officials claiming that they failed to maintain accurate and current voter rolls.

The graphic detailed a 2019 lawsuit filed by Detroit Voter Roll Lawsuit and included four bullet points:

  • Detroit had 4,788 duplicate voter registrations
  • 32,519 more registered voters than eligible voters
  • 2,503 dead people registered
  • One voter born in 1823.

The lawsuit was filed in December 2019 but dropped this past June when the election officials worked to fix the voter error. That was five months before Election Day.

But on the internet, stories never die. 

Someone took a picture from our broadcast, a picture that was never part of our original story - which you can watch for yourself - and shared it online.

The photo in question was shared on social media but if you look closely, it says it's 19 degrees in the bottom corner. Detroit's been in the 50s and 60s all week long and we haven't seen the teens since March.

Don't believe everything you see on social media. It may be old, misleading, or a flat out lie. This one is old, the issues have been corrected, and is now being used to spread disinformation.