Philadelphia spends $1.4 million to fight election misinformation
Illustration by Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
Axios
The Philadelphia City Commissioners' office is spending $1.4 million to hire an outside marketing firm to connect with voters and combat misinformation ahead of the November election.
Why it matters: Pennsylvania, one of six swing states expected to decide the election, was hammered during the 2020 race by Republicans' baseless claims of voter fraud — and former President Trump repeated those allegations during a recent campaign rally in Philadelphia.
Driving the news: Commissioners chair Omar Sabir tells Axios this is the most his office has spent on a media blitz in recent years — an effort to make Philly's more than 1 million registered voters feel secure that their voices are heard in the contentious rematch between President Biden and Trump.
The nonpartisan messages will span radio, billboards and social media, Sabir says.
They'll encourage higher voter turnout, remind voters of options for casting ballots and recent changes to mail-in voting, and dispel conspiracy theories that cause people to lose faith in the integrity of the process.
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