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If a message connected to voting threatens violence, intimidation, or interference, treat safety as the first priority. In the United States, assess whether anyone is in immediate danger, preserve the original communication, verify voting details with an official election office, and report the message through the channel that matches its content.

This guide covers messages received by text, email, social media, messaging apps, phone, or other digital channels. State and local procedures differ, so use your state or local election office for voting details and local reporting instructions rather than relying on a link or phone number supplied by the sender.

First, sort the message by urgency and type

Do not argue with the sender or forward the message while you decide what to do. Make a quick assessment using these three questions:

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  • Does it describe an imminent act of violence or a person who may be in immediate danger?
  • Does it threaten or intimidate a voter, poll worker, election official, or other person because of voting activity?
  • Does it give information about the time, place, or manner of voting that may be false?

Immediate danger or violence at a polling place

Call 911 or local police first. The Department of Justice advises alerting local law enforcement before contacting the department about violence, threats, or intimidation at a polling place. If you are at the location, move to a safer place if you can do so without putting yourself or someone else at greater risk, and follow instructions from emergency personnel.

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A threat or intimidation message without immediate danger

Keep the message, avoid engaging with the sender, and report it to the relevant state or local election office. A possible voting-rights violation can also be reported to the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section. If the conduct may be an election crime, a local FBI office or U.S. Attorney’s Office may be an appropriate destination.

A message that gives suspicious voting instructions

Do not use the message’s instructions until you have checked them. Confirm the date, registration or eligibility information, polling place, voting method, and any deadline with your state or local election office. Report suspected misinformation there; the U.S. Election Assistance Commission also identifies misinformation@cisecurity.org for misinformation or disinformation reports.

Preserve the communication before deleting or reporting it

The original message is more useful than a copied description. Preserve it before blocking the account, deleting a chat, or using an in-app report that might remove your access to the evidence.

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  1. Keep the original. Do not edit the text, crop the only copy, or alter an audio or video file. If the service allows you to export or download the conversation, save that file.
  2. Capture context. Take screenshots that show the sender’s account or number, date and time, the complete message, and any surrounding conversation needed to understand it. Save the message URL when the platform provides one.
  3. Save related media. Preserve attachments, voice messages, videos, images, and links as received. Note whether the sender claimed to be an election office, campaign, poll worker, or government agency.
  4. Record what happened. Write down when you received the message, how it reached you, who else saw it, and any action you took. Keep this note with the original files.
  5. Store a backup safely. Keep one copy in a location you control and avoid publicly reposting threatening material. Public sharing can expose personal information and make later review harder.

The Justice Department says preserving communications can help the FBI assess suspected election criminal activity, including activity involving artificial intelligence. Keep the unaltered files even if the message looks fake or disappears from the service.

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Verify voting information through an official election office

False voting messages often imitate an official notice or combine one accurate detail with a wrong deadline or location. Open a new browser window or use a phone number you obtain independently; do not trust contact details embedded in the suspicious message.

What to verify

  • The election date and any early-voting dates.
  • Your assigned polling place, including whether it has changed.
  • Whether you are eligible to vote in the election and what registration status the office shows.
  • Accepted voting methods, such as in-person, absentee, or mail voting, and the applicable request and return deadlines.
  • Identification, accessibility, language-assistance, or ballot-curing instructions that apply in your jurisdiction.

Use your state election agency or the local office that administers elections in your county or municipality. The federal USA.gov election-crimes page and the Election Assistance Commission’s national contact list help you find the correct official route. Procedures and deadlines are jurisdiction-specific, so an answer that is correct in one state may be wrong in another.

Choose the right reporting channel

State or local election office

Start here for false or misleading instructions about when, where, or how to vote, and for intimidation that affects voting in your jurisdiction. Include the preserved message and explain which detail you believe is wrong or threatening. The election office can tell you whether a local agency, state investigator, or another authority should receive the same evidence.

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Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Use the DOJ Civil Rights Division’s voting resources to report a possible violation of voting rights, including intimidation or coercion. Provide the jurisdiction, election involved, date and time, people affected, and copies of the communication. This route is for suspected rights violations; it does not replace emergency services when danger is immediate.

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FBI or U.S. Attorney’s Office for suspected election crimes

The USA.gov guidance directs people to a local FBI office or U.S. Attorney’s Office as appropriate for suspected election crimes. Describe the conduct rather than assigning a criminal charge yourself. Give investigators the original files, your timeline, and the official election office’s response if you have already contacted it.

Threats against election workers

For a message threatening an election worker, the FBI accepts reports at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov. Use emergency services if anyone is in imminent danger. Include the worker’s role, the location or election involved, the sender’s identifying information, and the preserved communication.

Misinformation or disinformation reports listed by the EAC

The EAC’s national contact information lists misinformation@cisecurity.org for reports of misinformation or disinformation. This can supplement, not replace, your state or local election office’s process. Send the original message and explain the specific voting instruction that needs verification.

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What federal law covers—and what it does not

Federal law prohibits intimidation, threats, and coercion throughout the voting process. The Justice Department’s guide, Voter Intimidation Under Federal Law, describes an additional rule about deliberately false voting instructions:

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“In addition, it is illegal to send out knowingly false information about the time, place, or manner of voting to prevent people from properly casting their ballots.”

The wording matters. An inaccurate statement is not automatically a federal crime. The description includes both knowledge that the information is false and an intent to prevent people from properly casting ballots. Report the facts and let the appropriate agency determine whether the legal elements are met.

The Justice Department’s Election Threats guidance explains that threats, violence, and intimidation can be investigated through law enforcement, while voting-rights concerns can be reported through DOJ resources. Keep separate the questions of whether a message is wrong, whether it violates a platform rule, and whether it is criminal.

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If the message appears to be AI-generated

Do not conclude that a message is criminal or false solely because it appears to use generative AI. DOJ states that generative AI is not inherently criminal and is generally protected expression, while also noting that AI can facilitate criminal threats, fraud, or interference with the right to vote.

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Apply the same process as with any other message: preserve the original, verify voting information independently, and report suspected threats, fraud, or interference through the appropriate official channel. Tell investigators why you think synthetic media may be involved, but do not alter the file or rely on an AI detector as proof.

Prepare a clear report

A concise, factual report helps an election office or investigator understand what happened without having to reconstruct it from scattered posts.

  • Who: your name and safe contact information, the sender’s account or number, and anyone targeted.
  • What: the exact words or media, the voting instruction or threat, and why it appears false, intimidating, or coercive.
  • When and where: date, time zone if known, platform, election, state, county, municipality, or polling place.
  • How you received it: direct message, group chat, email, phone call, printed notice, or another channel.
  • Evidence: original files, screenshots, links, call logs, and your contemporaneous notes.
  • Impact: whether anyone changed a voting plan, felt unsafe, was denied access, or faced pressure because of the message.

Submit only through the agency’s official website, telephone number, or address. Keep confirmation numbers, emails, or other receipts so you can refer to the report if another agency asks for it.

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After you report

Protect personal information

Threatening messages may contain doxxing, impersonation, or attempts to move the conversation to a less visible channel. Avoid publishing your address, identification documents, or private phone number while seeking help. Tell the reporting agency if the sender has exposed personal information or knows where you live or work.

Secure the accounts involved

Change a compromised password from a trusted device, enable multifactor authentication where available, and review active sessions and recovery details. Do not click a link in the suspicious message to “verify” an account or voting status. If the message came through an employer, school, campaign, or community account, notify that organization’s security contact after preserving the evidence.

Use platform reporting carefully

You may report harassment, impersonation, or threats to the service that carried the message, but platform moderation is not a substitute for emergency services, an election office, DOJ, or law enforcement. Save the evidence and any platform case number before the content or account changes.

Common situations and the safest next move

Situation First action Official follow-up
A person threatens violence at or near a polling place Contact 911 or local police Preserve the communication and follow investigators’ instructions
A message says a group will be arrested or harmed for voting Save the original and do not engage State or local election office; DOJ Voting Section for a possible voting-rights violation
A text gives a changed polling place or deadline Verify independently before acting State or local election office; report suspected misinformation
An election worker receives a threat Use emergency services for imminent danger FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov
A video or voice note seems synthetic Keep the unaltered file Report the underlying threat, fraud, or interference; apparent AI use alone is not proof of a crime

A short checklist

  1. Assess immediate danger and get emergency help when necessary.
  2. Do not follow suspicious voting instructions until an official election office confirms them.
  3. Preserve the original message, media, account details, timestamps, and relevant links.
  4. Report to the state or local election office, adding DOJ, FBI, a U.S. Attorney’s Office, or the EAC-listed address when the content fits those channels.
  5. Keep confirmation details and protect your accounts and personal information.

For federal election-threat information and reporting guidance, consult the Justice Department’s Election Threats page. For general election-crime reporting and official contacts, use USA.gov and the Election Assistance Commission directory.

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