Fact Check: Did Abdul El-Sayed get three times more votes than registered voters in Detroit?
DETROIT, MICHIGAN: Following the victory of Dr Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, a claim began circulating on social media platforms that the 41-year-old got three times more votes than registered voters in Detroit. The claim has sparked outrage and speculation, prompting a fact check into it.
Claim: Abdul El-Sayed got more votes than registered voters
According to the claim that surfaced on Facebook, following the Michigan Senate primary, the numbers in a spreadsheet circulating among poll watchers do not add up.
The post was accompanied by a link to an article, according to which a media analyst who monitors elections named Mark allegedly said, “At first we thought it was a typo, but then I looked at the data for three hours on YouTube, and it became clear."
"This isn’t a glitch. This is organized. You don’t accidentally get triple the voters unless something is being orchestrated," it added.
According to the article, Mark went on to explain, “I found a PDF. It was on a forum. The font looked official. It said El-Sayed got votes from people who don’t even exist. I found one guy who voted six times. His name was listed as ‘John Doe’ at 123 Main Street. That’s not a real address. I checked on Google Maps. It’s a Starbucks."
Fact Check: The claim was intended as parody
However, the claim is false, as there is no credible evidence that suggests El-Sayed got three times more votes than registered voters in Detroit.
If the claim were true, credible news media outlets would have widely covered it, making headlines, given President Donald Trump’s recent attacks against the Democratic candidate.
Also, the account that made the post and the article that came with it are not credible and describe themselves in the bio as "nothing on this page is real."
Trump attacks Abdul El-Sayed
Following his Michigan primary win, Trump criticized El-Sayed in a series of campaign-style speeches in Las Vegas.
"When I watch Abdul, he's full of s**t," the presdient said. "Put him in office, you're going to find out what he loves. He doesn't love Israel. He doesn't love Jewish people. He hates them. He hates them with a passion that burns in his heart.”
Trump later took to Truth Social, writing, “Wayne County (Detroit) in Michigan is one of the most corrupt voting areas in the United States, if not the World. It is strictly Third World! Miracles happen in Wayne County, including more votes being cast than there are voters, by a lot."