Robocall Impersonating President Biden Circulating in New Hampshire, Advising Residents to Refrain from Voting in Primary

Overview:

In the midst of the 2024 presidential primary season, a disturbing trend has emerged in New Hampshire: robocalls utilizing an AI-generated voice resembling President Joe Biden have been circulating, urging residents to abstain from participating in the upcoming primary and instead save their votes for the November general election. This manipulative tactic, detected by the anti-robocall application Nomorobo, has raised red flags among authorities and campaign officials, prompting an investigation into its origins and intent.

Robocall Details:

The robocall, featuring a digitally altered Biden voice, expresses staunch opposition to the Republican Party’s attempts to attract nonpartisan and Democratic voters to their primary, deriding it as “malarkey.” The voice emphasizes the significance of strategic voting, encouraging listeners to preserve their votes for the November election, when their votes will hold greater weight in electing Democratic candidates at various levels of government. Additionally, the robocall portrays voting in the Tuesday primary as aiding the Republican quest to re-elect Donald Trump.

Nomorobo’s Analysis:

Nomorobo, a leading anti-robocall service, has classified the volume of these robocalls as “severe,” indicating a substantial number of calls being made. Data gathered by Nomorobo suggests that the majority of the calls were targeted at New Hampshire, with smaller percentages reaching Boston and other areas. Estimates of the number of fraudulent calls range from 5,000 to 25,000, highlighting the widespread nature of this deceptive campaign.

Context:

The appearance of this robocall coincides with a unique situation in the New Hampshire primary: President Biden’s name will not appear on the ballot due to a dispute between the state and the Democratic National Committee. This has resulted in an organized effort among Biden supporters to write in his name on the ballot. In response to this development, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden’s campaign manager, issued a statement condemning the robocall as disinformation aimed at suppressing voting and undermining fair elections. Aaron Jacobs, a spokesperson for Write-In Biden, denounced the call as “deep fake disinformation” intended to harm Biden, suppress votes, and damage democracy.

Caller ID Spoofing:

The robocall employs caller ID spoofing, a common practice in fraudulent robocalling, to display a false phone number, obscuring the caller’s true identity. This technique makes it challenging to trace the origin of the calls and hold the perpetrators accountable. In this instance, the call appears to originate from a local New Hampshire number belonging to Kathy Sullivan, a former Democratic Party chair and treasurer of the Granite for America PAC, which is encouraging voters to write in Biden’s name.

Kathy Sullivan’s Experience:

Kathy Sullivan found herself at the center of this controversy when she began receiving numerous robocalls on Sunday night. Alarmed by the situation, she promptly filed a complaint with the New Hampshire attorney general’s office. Sullivan expressed concern that the robocall aims to suppress the primary write-in vote by discouraging voters from participating on Tuesday. She believes her phone number was deliberately targeted to overwhelm her phone lines and interfere with her efforts to promote Biden’s candidacy.

Reaction from Dean Phillips’ Campaign:

The campaign of Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, who is challenging Biden in the New Hampshire primary, expressed outrage at the robocall, labeling it an unacceptable affront to democracy. Spokesperson Katie Dolan voiced concern about the potential use of AI to manipulate voters, emphasizing the need for vigilance against such tactics.

Conclusion:

The robocall impersonating President Biden has sparked widespread indignation and prompted investigations into its origins and intent. Authorities and campaign officials are working diligently to address the situation and ensure the integrity of the upcoming primary election. This incident underscores the importance of voter education and the need for robust measures to combat disinformation and protect the integrity of our electoral processes.