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This webpage provides resources for voters to help protect election integrity in British Columbia.
Your trusted source
Elections BC is your trusted source for accurate and up-to-date information about the electoral process.
During an election, voters receive information from many different sources including candidates and political parties, third-party advertising sponsors, news outlets and social media. For information about where and when to vote, and how elections are administered in B.C., voters should visit our website or contact Elections BC.
Knowing the facts about the next provincial election will make voting easier when the election is called, and it will help you spot disinformation. To learn more, visit the 2024 Provincial Election section of our website.
Check the facts
You can help protect election integrity in B.C.
Our first tip: check the facts before you act.
Tools for fact-checking
If you are unsure whether something you see online is true, consider fact-checking it before sharing it.
There are many tools that make fact-checking faster and easier.
If a particular statement or claim has gained a lot of attention, you can use these websites to see whether a professional fact-checker has already debunked it:
Check the profile photo – Fake accounts often have no profile photo at all, or a photo that has been copied from somewhere else online. Do a reverse image search to see if the profile photo is a copy.
Look for recycled images – Fake accounts often fill their feeds with stock images and memes. If there are no original photos, you may be dealing with a fake.
Look for typos – Many spelling or grammatical errors, or very little written content, can be signs of a fake account.
Look at the account profile – Is it very new? Does it contain specifics about the person’s name, occupation and background? If not, be wary.
Look for the verified badge – Some social media platforms have a verified badge, like the blue check on Instagram. If the account person you want to follow is famous or influential, look for the verified badge on their profile.
Look at the engagements – Some fake social media account owners purchase engagement. If the majority of comments seem random, contain only emojis, or all come from one person, the engagement may be artificial.
Look at the follower-to-engagement ratio – Account owners can also buy followers. If an account has thousands of followers with very little engagement, it’s likely fake.
Beware of polarized political opinions – If an account posts only one-sided political views, and never reveals information about the person posting, it may be a fake intending to mislead.
Be wary of scams – Scammers use fake social media accounts to trick you into clicking on links infected with malware. Only click links you trust.
Conduct a reverse image search
Voters can use a reverse image search to reveal if an image has been altered or copied from elsewhere on the internet.
To conduct a reverse image search, copy the image (or image URL) into the search bar of an image search tool. Search results will show if the image appears in other locations on the internet.
Use the tools below to conduct a reverse image search:
If you discover online content that contains false information:
Don’t share it – You don’t have to do anything at all. Just by not sharing false content you are helping to stop the spread of online disinformation.
Ask a question – Asking a question can be almost as effective as correcting false information. If you don’t want to do this publicly, you can send a private message. Try saying: “Are you sure?” or “Is that source reliable?”
Correct it – You can correct false information by giving accurate information instead. Make sure your information is from a reliable source and be sure to show where it came from. You don’t have to repeat the bad information or tell anyone they are wrong. Just share accurate information that shows the facts.
Debunk it – If you can clearly show that the information is false, you can debunk it by saying it’s wrong and showing why. Don’t link to the false information or the original social media post. Use a screenshot instead.
Report it – You can also report the disinformation to some social media platforms. Clicking “Report post” will flag the post for review by the platform.
Disinformation register
Election BC provides a disinformation register for provincial elections in B.C. to ensure voters have access to accurate information about election processes.
The register lists disinformation and misinformation about election processes in B.C. and provides the facts.
The register only covers disinformation and misinformation about election processes. Elections BC does not arbitrate the truth of political opinions or seek to censor political debate in any way, but we are the experts on election processes and will defend the right of voters to understand how provincial elections work in B.C.
Other resources
To learn more about the 2024 Provincial Election, check out these resources on our website:
Toll-Free: 1-800-661-8683
TTY: 1-888-456-5448
electionsbc@elections.bc.ca
Toll-Free Fax: 1-866-466-0665s
