SALEM, Ore. — On Thursday, the Elections Division of the Oregon Secretary of State announced the closure of its phone lines due to an overwhelming number of calls prompted by misleading information regarding the state’s voters pamphlet. This misinformation suggested that Republican nominee Donald Trump was absent from the pamphlet, leading to confusion among voters.

Contrary to these claims, the voters pamphlet does include Trump as a candidate. However, it also notes that he chose not to provide a personal statement advocating for his candidacy. The former president will indeed be listed on Oregon’s ballot.

The confusion seemingly originated from a post made last week on the conservative social media account, Libs of TikTok, which inaccurately asserted that Trump was not featured in the voters pamphlet and questioned the situation with a provocative, “What’s going on?” In response, the Oregon GOP clarified that the decision for Trump not to offer a statement was a strategic choice made by his campaign earlier this year.

Despite this clarification, the false narrative suggesting potential election interference continued to gain traction on social media platforms, ultimately leading to the inundation of the Elections Division’s phone lines. In a news release, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade expressed frustration over the situation, stating, “Oregonians who need assistance will now have to wait because some individuals operating in bad faith are misleading people online.” She further emphasized that spreading false claims about election interference only hinders the citizens of Oregon.