After weeks of Republican candidate Donald Trump warning that Pennsylvania’s — and the nation’s — election would be rigged, one Western Pennsylvania Republican official circulated an image claiming Pennsylvanians can vote online for Hillary Clinton. The official, according to a screenshot of a Facebook post, is Murrysville City Councilman Joshua Lorenz. Lorenz, a Republican, was most recently elected in 2015 and his term runs through 2019. He also works for the Meyer Unkovic Scott law firm in Pittsburgh and is the vice president of the Murrysville City Council. The image features an American flag with the phrase “You can vote at home comfortably online!” in big lettering. It then instructs voters to type “Hillary” with the hashtag #PresidentialElection to vote online on November 8. The bottom left corner features a similar but inaccurate logo resembling the Democrats’ election motto of “Change That Matters.” Big problem here: Pennsylvanians can’t vote online. For that matter, neither can voters in any state.
Lorenz responded to Billy Penn’s inquiries after the initial publishing of this story, saying it was “abundantly clear” that the post was meant to be a joke on a private Facebook page. He added that after one of his friends on Facebook screenshotted the post and asked him about it on Saturday, he deleted it. “My friends understood the spirit which was intended,” he said. “This was clearly a joke. It’s a farce. It’s not exactly the only joke or farce going around on Facebook this election.”
Lorenz also said that on his initial post, “virtually everybody understood that it was a joke,” save for one person who commented asking if it was real. Lorenz said he responded to that person, saying “in no uncertain terms that the only way that somebody could vote is to either go to the polls on Election Day or to vote by absentee ballot.”
It is illegal for elected officials to knowingly share misinformation when it comes to elections.Billy Penn has learned the matter will be referred to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
Full Article: ‘Rigged?’ Western PA Republican circulates fake meme about online voting in PA.