Video shows line for Kamala Harris rally, not early voting | Fact check
The claim: Video shows line for early voting in Grand Rapids, Michigan
An Oct. 18 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows thousands of people waiting in a line that winds along a series of roadways.
“Early voting in Grand Rapids, Michigan,” reads both text in the video and the post's caption.
The Instagram post received more than 3,000 likes in three days. Similar versions also circulated widely on Threads and on X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: False
Those people aren’t lined up in Grand Rapids to vote early. The post was shared before early in-person voting started in Michigan. They are waiting to enter a rally in that city for Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the social media user who posted the clip to TikTok and to media outlets that covered the event.
Video predates start of early in-person voting in Michigan
With Election Day approaching, early voting is underway in many states. A USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll shows Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris with a substantial lead over Republican former President Donald Trump among those who had already voted, though Trump leads among those who plan to vote in person Nov. 5.
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But those people waiting in line in the Instagram video were not there to vote early. The Instagram user shared the post before early in-person voting started in the state, according to the secretary of state’s office. The first Michigan city to offer early in-person voting was Detroit, where it started Oct. 19 – the day after the claim was shared. In Grand Rapids, early in-person voting starts Oct. 26.
The supposed early-voting video was first posted on TikTok by a user who told USA TODAY it showed people waiting to enter a Harris rally on Oct. 18 in Grand Rapids. Harris held rallies that weekend in Grand Rapids and in other Michigan cities. The same scene shown in the Instagram post can be seen in photos and video from media outlets in that city.
USA TODAY previously debunked false claims that former President Jimmy Carter voted for Harris by Oct. 4 and that 105% of Michigan’s population is registered to vote.
USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
@maryb_theturtle, Oct. 21, TikTok message exchange with USA TODAY
The Holland Sentinel (Imagn), Oct. 18, Photo
The Holland Sentinel (Imagn), Oct. 18, Photo
The Holland Sentinel (Imagn), Oct. 18, Photo
MLive (YouTube), Oct. 18, Thousands wait in line for a Kamala Harris rally in Grand Rapids
MLive (YouTube), Oct. 18, Thousands line up for Kamala Harris rally in Grand Rapids
Michigan Department of State, accessed Oct. 21, Early in-person voting
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video doesn't show long line of Michigan early voters | Fact check
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