Fake Voter Guides Are Confusing Florida Voters — And Now They’re Coming by Text

Fake and misleading voter guides have become an increasingly troubling feature of Florida elections, leaving voters to sort through political advertisements that can look like official party endorsements.

Now, the problem is moving from the mailbox directly to voters’ phones.

A text message circulating in Miami-Dade County this week falsely claims that “Miami-Dade Democrats Support Vicki Lopez & Frank Lago,” placing photographs and checkmarks next to the two Republican candidates.

The accompanying message claims the Democratic Party is preparing to fight Gov. Ron DeSantis’ property-tax relief plan and tells recipients that Lopez and Lago are “TWO candidates who will help democrats do it.”

But there is a problem with the message: The Democratic Party did not endorse either candidate.

Vicki Lopez, a Republican and former state representative now running for Miami-Dade County Commission District 5, is opposed by a candidate the Miami-Dade Democratic Party has actually endorsed. Democrats have publicly backed Rob Piper in the race, specifically choosing him over Vicki Lopez or Joe Sanchez.

When reached by telephone, Kevin Cooper, the Miami-Dade GOP Chairman, confirmed that “Vicki Lopez is a strong Republican, and has not been endorsed by the Democratic Party. Republican voters should not believe these fake text messages and lies,” Cooper said.

The same text also targets Frank Lago, a Republican candidate for Florida House District 113, placing him under the banner falsely claiming “Miami-Dade Democrats Support” him and suggesting he would help Democrats oppose DeSantis.

Cooper separately pushed back on that claim.

“The lies about Frank Lago are absurd. Frank Lago is a good Republican, and he has not been endorsed by the Democrats,” Cooper said. “Republican voters should not believe these lies or allow “Fake News” messages to deceive them about our candidates.”

The text is an example of a broader problem that has drawn increasing attention across Florida.

Fake or misleading voter guides can be particularly effective because they do more than make the usual political arguments. Instead, they can create the appearance that a trusted political party or organization has endorsed — or rejected — a candidate.

For a voter making a decision in a crowded primary, that distinction can matter.

Florida Lawmakers Have Taken Notice

The problem has become serious enough that Florida lawmakers have strengthened election laws aimed at deceptive voter guides and political communications.

Florida law restricts voter guides that falsely present themselves as official publications of political parties and requires disclosures on certain political voter guides. The state has also adopted rules governing political text messages, including disclosure requirements for certain messages and restrictions against falsely representing an organization without its approval.

The issue has even resulted in criminal charges. This summer, five people in St. Johns County, including two sitting county commissioners, were charged in connection with an alleged fake Republican voter-guide scheme stemming from the 2024 election.

The latest Miami-Dade example shows why the issue remains difficult to contain.

A questionable mailer may reach thousands of homes. A text can spread even faster. It can be screenshotted, forwarded through group chats and shared on WhatsApp or social media within minutes — often separated from any information about who originally created it.

The screenshot reviewed for this article shows the Lopez-Lago message arriving from a local 786 number. No disclaimer identifying who paid for the communication is visible in the screenshot. Whether the communication violates Florida election law would depend on additional facts surrounding its creation and distribution.

For voters, however, the larger lesson is straightforward.

A political party’s name appearing on a voter guide does not mean the party created it, approved it or made the endorsements it claims. Voters should look to official party websites and social media channels to confirm endorsements or support.

As Florida elections become increasingly competitive — and political messaging becomes increasingly sophisticated — voters may have to do something that was once unnecessary: verify the voter guide itself before trusting the names printed on it.