False claims about voting may target Latvian voters on election day

False information about polling stations, voting procedures and alleged fraud can spread quickly on election day, LSM reports, although Latvia has not seen widespread organised disinformation campaigns targeting the election so far.

Saturday, October 3, is the main and final day of Latvia’s parliamentary election. The State Security Service has not detected broad, organised campaigns aimed at influencing the vote in Latvia’s information space. But experience abroad shows that misleading claims can appear on election day, when people may have little time to check what they see on social media.

During the 2024 European Parliament elections, misleading posts in several European countries included claims about how polling stations operated and how voting worked, unsupported allegations of fraud, and attempts to discourage people from voting. In Spain, false reports claimed that ballot papers for a particular party were unavailable at polling stations because they were being deliberately hidden. In Germany, a misleading video appeared to show a ballot box being opened to alter ballots; the box’s origin was unknown.

These examples do not mean the same scenario will unfold in Latvia, but they show the kinds of claims voters may encounter on election day.