A Washington-based conservative advocacy agency is running a disinformation campaign to stoke fears about mail-in voting, according to the Washington Post.
The campaign uses LeBron James’ image and misconstrues a quote from the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
“The website, called Protect My Vote, warns baselessly that mail balloting results in ‘lost votes and lost rights,’” the Washington Post’s Isaac Stanley-Becker wrote. “An associated page on Facebook has purchased more than 150 ads, which have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times this month. They appear designed to tap existing anxiety about the integrity of the voting system to convince voters in swing states where minority turnout could be decisive that mail balloting is not reliable amid an uncontained pandemic leading many Americans to consider alternative ways to be heard on Election Day.
“Some of the paid posts feature an image of LeBron James and misconstrue a quote from the basketball star, falsely suggesting that when he condemned polling closures as ‘systemic racism and oppression,’ he was linking those closures to the expansion of opportunities to vote by mail. He was not.
“A longtime adviser to James, Adam Mendelsohn, called the ads ‘shameless’ and ‘reprehensible,’ saying lawyers were examining the matter. He said the misinformation made all the more pressing the efforts by James and other Black athletes and entertainers to protect the voting rights of Black Americans, through a new effort, More Than a Vote.”
The 16-time All-Star took to Twitter to explain his frustration and further promote his program, More Than a Vote.
James explained that Americans need to come together to stop misinformation that leads to the suppression of people’s votes.
Secondly, Nobody should be able to use my name (or anyone else name) to lie and deceive about the election. Not sure what we can do legally but definitely trying to figure it out! #StayWoke #LoveMyPeople✊🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 21, 2020
As James continues to attempt to make the world a better place off the court, he is also fighting for an NBA title on the court.
The Lakers are tied 1-1 with the Portland Trail Blazers in their first-round playoff series.
