Live Updates: Snopes Coverage of 2020 U.S. Election Day

This liveblog is complete — but our job’s not done. Read our post-election fact-checking liveblog.

Jump to see each claim:

Trump Falsely Claimed Victory | Biden’s ‘Green Mile’ Remarks | California Holiday Gathering Guidelines | Trump Tweeted “Racist Baby”? | Social Media Platform Election Efforts | McConnell and Cocaine? | Why Voters Wore Pearls | Amish Buggies for Trump | Obama Admin. Built Cages | Penn. Poll Worker Controversy | Biden on Work Visas | Trump in Dumpster? | Giuliani Misattributed Quote | Kullberg Network Reemerges | Trump’s “Losers,” “Suckers” Remarks | Pennsylvania Absentee Rumor | Georgia Election “Cheating” | Memphis BLM Shirt Controversy | ‘Antifa’s Plan?’ | Sam Elliott Endorses Biden? | ‘Illegal Campaigning’ in Philadelphia | Voting Misinfo Robocalls Target Michigan Voters | Biden Campaign Logo is ‘Three Red Banners?’ | Philadelphia Polling Sign ‘Violation’ | FBI Investigating Biden Bus Incident? | A Guide to Voter Intimidation | ‘Super-Predators?’ | Doctors Get Paid for COVID-19 Diagnoses? | ‘America is Great Because She is Good?’ | Biden Bans Fracking? | Michigan’s ‘Man of the Year’ | Background and Previous Claims

Tuesday marks the end of campaigning and the beginning of all-encompassing vote-counting in the U.S. 2020 presidential election between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

As the internet’s premier fact-checking site, we’ve been gauging the truth behind the candidates’ claims since the beginning of the race (see a collection of fact checks involving Trump here and Biden here), as well as rumors about the voting process and what Americans can expect on this historic day.

Now, we’re preparing new fact checks to combat misinformation about the election’s results. We will also be introducing a new post format we’re calling unrated “non-fact checks.” We’ll use those posts to send up a flare about rumors/misinformation for which we may not have enough information for a complete fact check with a truth rating, but that we want to warn audiences about anyway.

The election process extends days, if not weeks, after Americans cast votes on election night. Even during typical cycles when a pandemic isn’t limiting in-person polling and likely to cause a surge in mail-in voting — a method of ballot-casting that can take officials longer to tally — states are unable to count all ballots and legally certify results in one night.

Nonetheless, news reporters often “call” races on election night based on votes counted shortly after polls close. Those media reports are projections, not legally sanctioned results.

Snopes’ team of reporters and editors will monitor those reports closely since they could erroneously bolster beliefs that one candidate has won and delegitimize the official vote-counting process after election night. Already, the Trump campaign is trying to weaken Americans’ trust in the process by repeating unsubstantiated claims of criminal activity when, in reality, cases of voter fraud are minuscule in comparison to the number of ballots cast in U.S. elections.

Additionally, if election night results lean in Biden’s favor, new problems could arise. Trump has repeatedly declined to commit to accepting the results of the election if he loses, which could result in an unprecedented constitutional crisis.

Make sense of what you’re hearing and seeing on Tuesday with Snopes’ live fact checking below.

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Refresh this page for updates.

Trump Falsely Claimed Victory

Nov. 4, 4:06am ET/1:06am PT

"We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election," Trump said in remarks at the White House. https://t.co/bTZ9MngiA1

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 4, 2020

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Biden’s ‘Green Mile’ Remarks

Nov. 3, 11:55pm ET/8:55pm PT

✅ Correct attribution. The remarks came from an interview on Nov. 3. #ElectionDay https://t.co/eMhFqvnS7o

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 4, 2020

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California Holiday Gathering Guidelines

9:28pm ET/6:28pm PT

❌ No, this is not California's official COVID-19 rules for Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday gatherings in 2020. #ElectionDay https://t.co/jqTGpIoRae

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 4, 2020

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Trump Tweeted “Racist Baby”?

8:50pm ET/5:50pm PT

Now trending on Snopes, this manipulated video from June. #ElectionDay https://t.co/ElS52nQqw8

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 4, 2020

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Social Media Platform Election Efforts

8:46pm ET/5:46pm PT

Despite the efforts of social media platforms, plenty of misinformation spread on social media on #ElectionDay. https://t.co/nWzLO0Nl35

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 4, 2020

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McConnell and Cocaine?

7:54pm ET/4:54pm PT

Once again trending on Snopes: This hoax from 2019. #ElectionNight https://t.co/J7yv6WAFqC

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 4, 2020

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Why Voters Wore Pearls

7:26pm ET/4:26pm PT

✅❌ Mixture. Voters wearing pearls to the polls on Election Day did so for a variety of reasons, including supporting Kamala Harris, but it's inaccurate to say that's the only reason. #ElectionDay https://t.co/W2GVSuNiJ7

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 4, 2020

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Amish Buggies for Trump

6:36pm ET/3:36pm PT

✅ Yes, this is a real video of an Amish buggie Trump parade. It appears to have originated with Ohio-based TikTok user AmishBuddies14. #ElectionDay https://t.co/gv6xl39ACV pic.twitter.com/oUZhecve9c

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Obama Admin. Built Cages

6:19pm ET/3:19pm PT

Pictures of children behind chain-link fencing were captured at a site in Texas that had been converted from a warehouse to an immigrant-detention facility under the Biden-Obama administration. https://t.co/sHp0U2gJKi

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Penn. Poll Worker Controversy

5:49pm ET/2:49pm PT

❌ This claim is false — although that didn't stop the hoax from spreading widely among pro-Trump commentators and activists. #ElectionDay https://t.co/hs60B3DQlq

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Biden on Work Visas

5:47pm ET/2:47pm PT

While Biden says he will reform the work visa process, the exact specifics are to be determined #ElectionDay. https://t.co/HGzrZvjA9g

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Trump in Dumpster?

5:22pm ET/2:22pm PT

A spokesperson for the museum called the display "symbolic." https://t.co/qejIBkJNf2

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Giuliani Misattributed Quote

4:30pm ET/1:30pm PT

Admittedly, the name Frank E. McGurrin is a lot less likely to motivate people to action. https://t.co/I2KenPM1nC

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Kullberg Network Reemerges

3:32pm ET/12:32pm PT

There is no guarantee this election will be the Kullberg Network’s final cause. https://t.co/p1DMyObp0a

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Trump’s “Losers,” “Suckers” Remarks

3:15pm ET/12:15pm PT

A September report detailed multiple instances of Trump making disparaging remarks about American war dead.

He denied making the comments, adding: "I've done more for the military than almost anyone else."https://t.co/qwglAFzwqM

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Pennsylvania Absentee Rumor

3:06pm ET/12:06pm PT

This unverified rumor prompted baseless speculation that officials could nefariously alter the vote #ElectionDay. https://t.co/akbRxpvXPY

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Bush Endorses Biden?

2:58pm ET/11:58am PT

Nothing like a last-minute endorsement from a former president. #ElectionDay https://t.co/QAEjPDbEr4

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Georgia Election “Cheating”

2:53pm ET/11:53am PT

FOX 5 in Atlanta reported that at the time of the technical difficulty, paper ballots were used at all locations #ElectionDay. https://t.co/Jhit1k53WM

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Memphis BLM Shirt Controversy

2:31pm ET/11:31am PT

An elections official overseeing the case said "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe" are not political messages, and so shirts or masks with the slogans are permitted at polls. https://t.co/8ibNmlIgHK

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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‘Antifa’s Plan?’

1:53pm ET/10:53am PT

❌ No, this 👇 is not their plan. #ElectionDay https://t.co/55w1FL507W pic.twitter.com/ZSLmlqlAr6

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Sam Elliott Endorses Biden?

1:34pm ET/10:34am PT

✅❌ Mixture. While Elliott did lend his voice to pro-Biden ads, it can’t necessarily be assumed that a professional actor reading a script for a political ad is tantamount to a personal endorsement of the candidate in question. #ElectionDay https://t.co/XOMKZ42Oef

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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RUMOR ALERT: ‘Illegal Campaigning’ in Philadelphia

1:20pm ET/10:20am PT

Another #ElectionDay rumor alert via @snopes. Be wary of tweets and posts claiming to show proof of "illegal campaigning" inside a polling station in Philadelphia. https://t.co/4PiSK083YV

— Dan Mac Guill (@danmacg) November 3, 2020

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Voting Misinfo Robocalls Target Michigan Voters

12:54pm ET/9:54am PT

Nessel’s description of these calls is similar to a suspicious nationwide robocall campaign that discouraged voters from going to the polls, saying that they should instead “stay home and stay safe” on #ElectionDay. https://t.co/VNGKKJP4ra pic.twitter.com/3GwF5iFNGI

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Biden Campaign Logo is ‘Three Red Banners?’

12:44pm ET/9:44am PT

Just so we are clear, the Biden campaign logo is NOT a reference to China’s ‘Three Red Banners’ #electionday https://t.co/BoNpycmlge

— Alex H. Kasprak (@alexkasprak) November 3, 2020

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RUMOR ALERT: Philadelphia Polling Sign ‘Violation’

12:12pm ET/9:12am PT

NEW: Philadelphia District Attorney's office refutes Trump campaign claims about a "violation" at Northeast Philadelphia polling station as "deliberately deceptive": https://t.co/apOggIFm17 @snopes #ElectionDay

— Dan Mac Guill (@danmacg) November 3, 2020

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FBI Investigating Biden Bus Incident?

11:48am ET/8:48am PT

✅ True. The president responded to the incident on Oct. 30 by tweeting a video and writing, “I LOVE TEXAS!” #ElectionDay https://t.co/lOD8iyLof9

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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A Guide to Voter Intimidation

11:18am ET/8:18am PT

Keep an eye out for nefarious schemes by partisan groups. Here's what to look for as you vote today. #ElectionDay https://t.co/La12IZ4gVn

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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‘Super-Predators?’

10:42am ET/7:42am PT

❌ Mostly false. President Trump seems to have conflated a remark made by Joe Biden with one made by Hillary Clinton. #ElectionDay https://t.co/024clwINrG

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Doctors Get Paid for COVID-19 Diagnoses?

10:15am ET/7:15am PT

It appears that the numbers for this oft-repeated claim are based on generic industry estimates for admitting and treating patients with similar conditions. #ElectionDay https://t.co/eVD5IvuLi4

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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‘America is Great Because She is Good?’

9:52am ET/6:52am PT

This archival fact check is suddenly popping up in our @snopes analytics #ElectionDay https://t.co/03h4OhKeVi

— Brandon Echter (@bechter) November 3, 2020

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Biden Bans Fracking?

9:41am ET/6:41am PT

❌ No, Joe Biden did not propose a ban on fracking. #ElectionDay https://t.co/yesZjDHES0 pic.twitter.com/jtIlXJR882

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Michigan’s ‘Man of the Year’

9:14am ET/6:14am PT

❌ No, Donald Trump was not named Michigan’s "Man of the Year," as he often claims (and did last night). In reality, there is no proof that any such award exists. #ElectionDay https://t.co/163yjXvWeG

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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Background and Previous Claims

8:58am ET/5:58am PT

While we get started, remember that many of the claims circulating today will probably be rumors we've already looked into.

We've collected the most common claims we've seen this campaign here, organized by category. #ElectionDay https://t.co/3p1ny6eKWr

— snopes.com (@snopes) November 3, 2020

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