Democracy Dies in Darkness

Fake Biden robocalls urge Democrats not to vote in New Hampshire primary

State’s attorney general announced it is investigating several complaints of an AI-generated voice impersonating President Biden

January 22, 2024 at 1:50 p.m. EST
A sign suggesting that voters write in Joe Biden on their New Hampshire ballots is seen in Peterborough, N.H., on Saturday. (Philip Bump/The Washington Post)
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The weekend before the New Hampshire primary, voters received a call from what sounded like a digitally generated voice impersonating President Biden that advised them not to vote on Tuesday, according to complaints that the New Hampshire attorney general is investigating.

The call, which began with a catchphrase of Biden’s, calling the election “a bunch of malarkey,” told voters: “It’s important that you save your vote for the November election.” Biden is not on the ballot in the state’s Democratic primary, but a group of Democrats organized a campaign to write in his name to show support for the incumbent.