Sarasota County primary: Candidates warn voters of fake campaign guides
Push for probe into out-of-state campaign
Sarasota County commissioners and local candidates are demanding an investigation into out-of-state organizations they claim are using artificial intelligence and fabricated voter guides to deceive voters ahead of Tuesday's primary election. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.
SARASOTA, Fla. - Sarasota County commissioners and local candidates are demanding an investigation into out-of-state organizations they claim are using artificial intelligence and fabricated voter guides to deceive voters ahead of Tuesday's primary election.
Sarasota election investigation
What we know:
Sarasota County Commissioners Joe Neunder and Mark Smith held a press conference with fellow candidates to expose outside interference in their re-election campaigns. They pointed to two Wyoming-based entities, US Polling Research LLC and Local Government Accountability, as the source of misleading campaign literature and fake voter guides.
Smith warned voters to scrutinize incoming political literature, noting that while AI represents the future, it is actively being weaponized to distort facts in local races.
"Please don’t believe what you are reading from these websites, it’s fabricated. It’s AI. It maybe the future of our world, but this is definitely now for political campaigns, and we’ve got to really wise up," said Commissioner Smith.
Neunder added that outside players are trying to weigh in and convince local voters to buy into disproven claims.
"We have outside players trying to weigh in and convince Sarasota voters to buy into what have been described as disinformation and dis-accurate information."
Additionally, Siesta Key resident Lourdes Ramirez filed an official IRS complaint regarding the actions of both organizations.
Out-of-state campaign influence
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed who is financially backing the two Wyoming-based groups operating within the county. It remains unclear if federal or state authorities will officially open a formal criminal investigation into the campaign tactics.
Development voting records
The backstory:
Both commissioners believe their voting records on local development projects prompted the targeted campaign attacks, after rejecting specific development plans.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Sarasota County Commissioners Joe Neunder and Mark Smith during a press conference covered by FOX 13 reporter Kimberly Kuizon.