FACT FOCUS: Gaping holes in the claim of 2000 ballot ‘mules’; The Associated Press Fact Checks the Film '2000 Mules'

Associated Press ^ | 05/09/2022 | Ali Swenson

[SeekAndFind]

A film debuting in over 270 theaters across the United States this week uses a flawed analysis of cellphone location data and ballot drop box surveillance footage to cast doubt on the results of the 2020 presidential election nearly 18 months after it ended.

Praised by former President Donald Trump as exposing “great election fraud,” the movie, called “2000 Mules,” paints an ominous picture suggesting Democrat-aligned ballot “mules” were supposedly paid to illegally collect and drop off ballots in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

But that’s based on faulty assumptions, anonymous accounts and improper analysis of cellphone location data, which is not precise enough to confirm that somebody deposited a ballot into a drop box, according to experts.

The movie was produced by conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza and uses research from the Texas-based nonprofit True the Vote, which has spent months lobbying states to use its findings to change voting laws. Neither responded to a request for comment.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: At least 2,000 “mules” were paid to illegally collect ballots and deliver them to drop boxes in key swing states ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

THE FACTS: True the Vote didn’t prove this. The finding is based on false assumptions about the precision of cellphone tracking data and the reasons that someone might drop off multiple ballots, according to experts.

“Ballot harvesting” is a pejorative term for dropping off completed ballots for people besides yourself. The practice is legal in several states but largely illegal in the states True the Vote focused on, with some exceptions for family, household members and people with disabilities.

[Mark17]

Did you watch it?

No, what was it on? I don’t believe the Russians did it, but the article I read didn’t say anything about anyone getting arrested. Was it wrong?

[bray]

You can watch it online at Citizen’s Free Press.

[Joe Brower]

[Albion Wilde]

Counterclaims, but no more proof than they allege was missing from 2000 Mules.

[Albion Wilde]

A “pejorative term” is a Leftist characterization whenever an “accurate term” is used to refer to a leftist process they don’t want you to know about

And here I thought it was a "baseless claim." :-)

[rlmorel]

Well, it comes from the Left, which means you are 100% correct!

[gitmo]

How many facts would a fact chucker chuck if a fact chucker could chuck facts?

[Gritty]

I see the REAL liars are out in force today.

[zeugma]

We discuss how the Left is singing in unison on refuting this with the same weak "fact checks".

Very weak. It is so easily refuted, that it's not even funny. You can even stipulate that geotracking is only accurate to within 50 feet, and the conclusions taken from the data doesn't change at all.

[rlmorel]

Exactly. That shallowness in people is what the Left has been banking on, and succeeding in banking on.

[Pearfect]

A
P

ALL PROPAGANDA.

LIARS.

[Bryan24]

I was being very conservative with the argument. Even at 50 feet, the pattern is damning.

I had the opportunity to view some test data on a missile test. They used military grade GPS to track the missile. The missile was subsonic, traveling in the 400mph range. . It updated every 3 feet. Do the math on that, you see just how accurate GPS is.