According to CalMatters Housing, election skeptics across the country have been filing numerous public records requests with California election officials in advance of recent elections. These groups, which include organizations with track records of spreading election misinformation, are using government documents to add apparent legitimacy to claims of fraud that have been thoroughly debunked by experts and investigators.
The reporting reveals that some of these organizations have documented histories of misusing information they obtain through public records requests. For instance, a national group once settled a lawsuit after it falsely accused thousands of legal voters in Virginia of being noncitizens, and it publicly shared their personal information including Social Security numbers and home addresses. CalMatters obtained records from thirteen California counties to identify which activist groups were requesting what information from election offices.
According to CalMatters, several of these organizations have also used their election-related work as a fundraising mechanism. David Becker, who works in election administration, described how these groups constantly ask supporters for donations while promising to reveal evidence of fraud, yet rarely deliver on those promises. One prominent group, True the Vote, raised millions following the 2020 election on promises it had proof of fraud but never released the supposed evidence, according to reporting reviewed by CalMatters.
The article documents how some of these activists have made significant requests across multiple California counties, filing hundreds of public records requests nationwide. These groups then post the documents online and encourage followers to take action based on what they find. Some have even worked with local election officials to attempt to draw attention to unsubstantiated fraud claims, with one county registrar allowing federal agents to inspect ballots based on claims that ballots "smelled funny."
What I am seeing locally in the Bay Area and East Bay is that these efforts can create real confusion and concern among buyers and sellers who are trying to focus on their property transactions. When public trust in institutions gets shaken, it affects how people feel about their communities and their confidence in local processes. As a broker, I care about helping my clients navigate the real estate market with clarity and factual information, and these kinds of campaigns that spread doubt based on disproven claims make that job harder for all of us.
