{"id":1544,"date":"2026-08-19T16:08:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T16:08:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1544"},"modified":"2026-08-19T16:08:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T16:08:44","slug":"fake-la-mayor-race-poll-raises-alarm-over-election-manipulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1544","title":{"rendered":"Fake LA Mayor Race Poll Raises Alarm Over Election Manipulation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Read more US Sanctioning ICC Prosecutor Who Reportedly Worked on Warrant for Netanyahu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Polls released this election cycle by a firm called \u201cMedian Strategies\u201d were fake, the company admitted, raising alarm that false numbers could be used to manipulate future electoral outcomes or prediction market betting.<\/p>\n

A Median Strategies poll in the Los Angeles mayoral race, published earlier this month, showed incumbent Mayor Karen Bass ahead of city council member Nithya Raman by nearly 12 points. Bass cited the poll as evidence to voters that she was on the path to victory in November.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoing the work, showing up, and gaining momentum. Let\u2019s do this, LA!\u201d Bass wrote in a now-deleted post on X.<\/p>\n

Upon closer examination by The Los Angeles Times<\/em>, however, the numbers didn\u2019t seem to make any sense. When contacted by the publication about their polls, Median Strategies admitted the numbers were falsified.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll previously published polling releases have been withdrawn and should not be cited or treated as genuine polling data,\u201d the company wrote on its website, adding that their work was part of a \u201cshort-term social experiment examining how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bass\u2019s post on social media indicates that the company\u2019s experiment \u2014 if that was indeed the reason they posted the fake numbers \u2014 successfully showcased how little polling data is actually scrutinized. A spokesperson for Raman\u2019s campaign blasted the mayor for not \u201cproperly vetting\u201d the poll, claiming it was demonstrative of Bass\u2019s other shortcomings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the latest example of an administration that too often struggles to get the basics right. \u2026 Angelenos deserve a mayor who gets the facts right, communicates clearly, and does the work before announcing the result,\u201d the Raman campaign spokesperson said. <\/p>\n

Read more Kushner Backs Up Netanyahu\u2019s \u201cPoison Pill\u201d After Meetings With Hamas, Israel<\/a><\/p>\n

The use of fake polls to confuse candidates is troubling on its own \u2014 but other uses of fake polling data could be equally, if not more, concerning, commentators have noted.<\/p>\n

Fake polling numbers can depress voter turnout, for example, if the data falsely suggests that a certain candidate has a wider lead than they actually do.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearch shows that voters often look to polling as a source of information about candidate viability, momentum, and broader public sentiment,\u201d a Brennan Center analysis of fake polling explains. \u201cBy exaggerating a candidate\u2019s strength or suggesting an opponent has little chance of winning, manipulated polling can create a bandwagon effect, discourage turnout, and alter perceptions of a race during a moment many voters are deciding how to cast their ballots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deceptive polls could also have a disturbing impact on prediction markets, which are now a multibillion dollar industry. Such platforms allow users to place bets on the outcomes of real-world events, such as elections. Bettors could potentially be swayed by manipulated polls \u2014 or manufacture their own fake polls to mislead other bettors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rapid growth of prediction markets, and their plans to prey on elections, are direct threats to undermining trust in electoral outcomes,\u201d explained Jim Allen, the elections director for Delaware County, Pennsylvania, speaking to Wired<\/em>. \u201cThe overriding concern is that prediction markets have the potential to monetize a reward for manipulating results and, equally concerning, capitalizing on the anger and frustration by those who lose in these prediction markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fake polling numbers also have the potential to magnify voter distrust in the outcome of elections \u2014 at a time when a sizable portion of the electorate is already skeptical about election results due to President Donald Trump\u2019s false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential race. If voters believe that fake polling numbers are legitimate, and their preferred candidate loses, they could wrongly see the outcome as proof of election interference or corruption.<\/p>\n

Read more Minnesota Sues Texas to Extradite ICE Agent Who Shot Resident, Falsified Report<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A poll on the Los Angeles mayor\u2019s race showed one candidate with a 12-point lead. 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