**Viral News Snippet: "Kentucky Primary Chaos: AI-Generated Robocalls Falsely Claim Polls Closed Early – Officials Blame Foreign Interference"**

Viral News Snippet: “Kentucky Primary Chaos: AI-Generated Robocalls Falsely Claim Polls Closed Early – Officials Blame Foreign Interference”

What’s being shared: A viral video, circulating across TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), claims that thousands of Kentucky voters were misled by automated robocalls on primary election day. The calls allegedly told recipients that their polling locations had “closed early due to technical difficulties” and instructed them to “vote online by replying with their Social Security number.” The video has been viewed over 2 million times in four hours.

The facts:

  • This is fake. The Kentucky State Board of Elections has issued an emergency statement confirming that no polling locations closed early on primary day. No official or legitimate voting method involves submitting a Social Security number via text reply.
  • The robocalls are being traced to a known spam network that previously targeted voters in Louisiana. Cybersecurity analysts say the calls appear to be generated by an AI voice-cloning tool and a spoofed number designed to resemble the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office.
  • Origin of the lie: The video was initially posted by a parody account that frequently posts satirical “breaking news” graphics. However, the video was stripped of context and re-uploaded by multiple unverified accounts, leading many viewers to believe it was real.
  • Official response: Secretary of State Michael Adams publicly stated, “This is a deliberate attempt to suppress the vote. Polls are open until 6 p.m. local time. Do not engage with these calls. Report them to our election fraud hotline.”

Bottom line: The claim that Kentucky polls closed early and that voters could cast ballots via text is completely false. The robocalls themselves are real but are a malicious hoax designed to confuse voters. If you receive such a call, hang up immediately and report it to the Election Protection Hotline at 866