It used to be said that seeing is believing. In 2024, that cliché is under siege, and nowhere is the threat more real—or more alarming—than in America’s local elections. The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has made generating hyper-realistic, but completely fake, photos easier than ever. These so-called ‘deepfake’ images aren’t just a curiosity—they’re poised to become a serious menace in the democratic process, spreading fake news and sowing confusion on a scale we haven’t seen at the grassroots level before.
Local elections matter. While national races for president or Congress capture headlines, it’s the outcome of school board contests, city council votes, and mayoral races that shape our daily lives. Campaigns at this level often operate with small budgets, tight timelines, and limited resources. Unfortunately, these very factors make them perfect targets for misinformation, especially deepfake images that are cheap to produce and hard to immediately disprove.
Imagine a scenario: just days before your city’s contested school board election, a photo circulates in Facebook groups and text threads. It appears to show a candidate vandalizing public property, or attending a controversial rally. Angry debates flare up online. The candidate’s reputation is tarnished. By the time anyone can debunk the image as a deepfake, the damage is done—votes have already been cast, perceptions poisoned.
As voters, Americans are no strangers to political mudslinging, misleading ads, or the occasional photoshopped image. But deepfakes up the ante. These AI-generated pictures can convincingly depict events that never happened, and even the most media-savvy among us may struggle to spot the difference. As the AI technology powering deepfakes becomes more sophisticated and accessible, the barriers to entry are dropping. Practically anyone with a computer and a few minutes of patience can create a digital forgery convincing enough to fool the public—and perhaps sway an election.
The threat isn’t just theoretical. In the past few years, several states and local jurisdictions have seen attempts to manipulate public perception with misleading visuals. Tech companies and journalists have identified deepfakes targeting candidates, often designed to provoke outrage or stoke division within tight-knit communities. In local races, where trust and personal reputation are everything, a single viral image can be devastating.
So what can we do? First, communities need to foster a culture of skepticism—especially online. Just because a friend or neighbor shares a graphic photo doesn’t mean it’s real. If a shocking image emerges, users should look for confirmation from multiple reputable sources before accepting it as fact. Voters can leverage reverse image searching tools or AI-detection sites, many of which are now available to the public.
Second, election officials and local newsrooms must step up. Fact-checking teams should be prepared to move quickly in the days before an election, when the risk of deepfake attacks is highest. Candidates, too, can help by educating their supporters about the possibility of these tactics, and by responding rapidly—and transparently—if they become targets.
Finally, policymakers have a role. A handful of states have already passed laws aimed at curbing the use of deepfakes in elections, mandating disclosures or setting criminal penalties. As the threat evolves, more legislation may be required at both the state and federal level to deter bad actors and give victims recourse.
The battle against fake news is becoming more complex as technology advances. When it comes to our local elections, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The next time you see a viral image from a candidate’s campaign—whether scandalous or sensational—pause and remember: in the age of AI, not everything is as it appears. Our democracy depends on staying vigilant, informed, and, above all, skeptical.