Social Media Account Aims to Fight Back Against Misinformation and Boost Confidence
COLUMBUS – Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced today the launch of a new digital outreach initiative aimed at educating Ohioans on two of the core functions of his office: elections and entrepreneurship.
The new messaging platform, called @VerifyOhio, will be used throughout the 2023 and 2024 election cycles to fact-check myths and answer common questions, as well as provide a “rapid response” resource during the voting period around Election Day, when misinformation is often at its peak.
“The abuse of the internet to manipulate public opinion is crippling confidence in our elections and eroding trust in government,” said Secretary LaRose, whose office garnered national media attention for its efforts to combat election misinformation. The Brookings Institution recently profiled efforts by several states to counter the rising skepticism in election integrity.
“We owe it to Ohioans to set the record straight and counter the misinformation with facts,” LaRose added. “This is an opportunity to build confidence by hitting false claims head-on, verifying accurate information, and, most importantly, helping to educate our fellow citizens on what we do as an office, from overseeing the integrity of our elections to helping entrepreneurs start a business.”
The @VerifyOhio project is part of the Ohio Secretary of State’s new Public IntegrityDivision. With the finalization of post-election audits in Ohio, followers of this account can expect content in the coming days explaining the process.
Follow @VerifyOhio on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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