As the votes are being counted, experts warned people to be wary of videos purporting to show voting irregularities because they could be artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes.

On Monday, three U.S. intelligence agencies said Russian internet trolls are behind a fake video claiming Arizona is changing voter rolls in Kamala Harris' favor.

Chris McIsaac, a governance fellow at the right-leaning think tank R Street, said people should be skeptical of seemingly shocking videos.

"The key for people who are consuming information online is to remain suspicious of things they see that garner an emotional response," McIsaac cautioned. "Just be sure to try to double-check multiple sources to try to figure out what is true or what is false."

Just last week, the elections board in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, declared a widely seen video of someone destroying ballots marked Donald Trump to be fake. Bucks County election officials asked the Pennsylvania state attorney general to look into the case.

In August, California lawmakers passed a bill to give judges the power to order people who post AI deepfakes to take them down or face fines. The law is on hold after the creator of a deepfake targeting Kamala Harris sued on constitutional grounds.

McIsaac noted Minnesota's law banning deceptive election-related videos is still in place.

"We've seen about 20 states take some form of action to try to regulate the use of deepfakes and election communications in some fashion," McIsaac observed. "The vast majority of those attempted to do so by requiring labels be included on any manipulated video or audio."

The problem is, inflammatory videos tend to go viral and be shared millions of times, whereas the rebuttal from the authorities tends to have comparatively little reach. If questionable clips emerge over the coming days, people can look to county and state election officials and to law enforcement for guidance on the videos' veracity.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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With the Independence Day holiday weekend here, North Dakotans might be out at parades, fireworks shows and barbecues. However, new polling indicates that many Americans are struggling to feel optimistic about the state of the country.

A new Gallup survey shows 58% of U.S. adults say they're proud to be an American. While there are some partisan splits, the overall percentage is a record low for the annual poll question.

Barbara Headrick, president of the League of Women Voters of North Dakota, said it's not surprising, given the sharp divides between the two major parties. But she feels there's something else at play.

"There is still an after effect, I believe, from the pandemic from that separation from each other that we had," she said.

That the pandemic was so politicized is another complicating factor that prevented the country from healing, Headrick said, adding that it's understandable some Americans are very concerned about various rights being taken away. However, she noted the U.S. has deep flaws throughout its history, and there are still many more rights afforded today than in past decades.

If heated rhetoric clouding U.S. politics has got you down, Headrick said, you can still show American pride through actions.

"Find a way to love your country by making it better," she said.

Headrick said it can involve showing support for civil workers or volunteering at a local homeless or animal shelter. She added that expressing pride through elections doesn't just involve voting, noting that there are opportunities to stay informed about how your local government is addressing pressing issues, such as affordable housing.


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A new Indiana law, starting today, allows school board candidates to list their political affiliation on the ballot.

Candidates may choose to register with a political party, as independents or not disclose any affiliation. Those who do not select will have a blank space next to their name and straight-ticket voting will not apply to school board races. Those opposed to the new law said it injects unnecessary politics into a role traditionally focused on education.

Leslie Jacobs, a school board member for the Fayette County School Corporation in Connersville, is against the new law.

"In my 10 years, I couldn't tell you the political leanings of anybody on my board. Never comes up," Jacobs explained. "Our discussions are purely about educational opportunities, picking a superintendent, looking at budget."

She warned requiring party labels might discourage qualified candidates from running. Supporters of the new law said it increases transparency.

Jennifer Blackburn, a school board member for the East Allen County Schools near Fort Wayne, also opposes the new law.

"The scenario that there are four candidates potentially running and three are Democrat, one is a Republican -- this last school board election -- none of us were opposed," Blackburn pointed out. "As big as our county is, there are not a lot of people running."

The law will first affect school board elections in November.


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A three-part online training series on how to run for office and govern effectively begins Monday, designed for people running at any level of government office in Western states, including Wyoming.

The training is part of the Grassroots Democracy Program under the Western Organization of Resource Councils, a group organizing in rural parts of the West and includes Wyoming's Powder River Basin Resource Council.

Gwen Lachelt, political director for the group, said the series will help answer a broad range of questions.

"Everything from, 'Am I ready to run for office? How do I organize my campaign?' To, 'how do I govern, and how can I be an effective elected official?'" Lachelt explained.

As of Friday, Lachelt noted about 50 people had signed up for the training. Registration is still open until the event starts Monday at 5:30 p.m. MT.

Lachelt added she is seeing a lot of interest in running for office from people of all age groups and all backgrounds. She emphasized the group hopes to connect with Westerners who care about natural resources.

"Our goal is to build a bench of elected officials across our regions who will champion democracy and also work to protect the West's land, air, and water," Lachelt stressed.

Guest speakers at the event include Rep. Katie Sullivan, D-Missoula, who is the House Minority Leader, and Kevin Williams, a board member of Colorado's Delta-Montrose Electric Association.


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