Rating
4.5/5
Allegations of Voter Fraud and Geo-Tracking Technology
2000 Mules has spurred renewed debate and vitriol into allegations of voter fraud that emerged in the 2020 elections. In the film, data analyst Gregg Phillips presents cell phone geo-tracking data indicating that individuals delivered election ballots to ballot boxes at multiple locations. The True the Vote organization purchased geo-location signals for the analysis and coined the term “2000 mules.” “Mules” is a pejorative description of individuals who carry illicit substances or items for a cartel. 2000 refers to the number of individuals whose tracking data indicates they deposited election ballots at multiple drop-off sites from October 2020 through January 6, 2021, in the Atlanta, Georgia run-off elections. Video surveillance recordings were used to support assumptions collected from the geo-tracking analysis. In the film, the analysis model is expanded to review key geographical regions during the 2020 presidential elections and extrapolate effects on the election outcome. To accept the evidence presented one must accept the assumptions of the film’s author and participants. In this thought-provoking exercise, I wondered about the accuracy of geo-location data, and how we can know to which party candidates’ ballots are funneled. What about allegations of fraud that occurred in back rooms with paper ballots at voting places? It’s great fun to read reports from the different news services about the film and listen to enthusiastic TV pundits (only briefly!), some of whom accept the data and others that completely reject it.Social Studies 101
This reminds me of a social studies class from my high school days. We frequently discussed current events and debated on how to determine which news reports were unbiased statements of facts, and which reports were editorials disguised as an unbiased presentation of facts. We were assigned a particular news story and required to collect and review articles that covered it from several sources. From that data, we debated, sometimes heatedly, which reports contained bias and what were the actual facts. It was surprising at the time to discover that major news publications presented completely different views on a subject, whether discussing the latest military excursions in Viet Nam, students taking over Columbia University administration buildings, or the national guard shooting students at Kent State in Ohio. What I learned from this class was to examine news reports from multiple sources, review all available evidence, and determine for myself what are facts or opinions. This was likely the time I began to understand the concept of “cynicism” and never again accepted reports from TV news channel hosts as gospel. While Walter Cronkite was a well-respected newscaster, should we believe everything he said?Anecdotal Evidence
Reports of election rigging have emerged since the early 19th century. You may have grandparents from overseas who in the early 20th century were paid about ten cents per vote to support particular candidates or parties in as many districts they could get to from 7 am until the polls closed. Their poor English and heavy accents reduced any attempts at scrutiny. At each voting district, they used a new name taken from grave markers with names similar to those of their birth regions. You may recall the corruption and exploits of Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed.