AI chatbots gave inaccurate voting answers in 29% of tests
A study found AI responses to election queries were often unclear or outdated, particularly for Spanish questions.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
AI chatbots gave inaccurate voting answers in 29% of tests
Photograph: ISD (embedded from source)
What this story says
- AI chatbots answered 29% of basic voting questions inaccurately, unclearly, or with outdated information, according to a study.
- The study's tests were conducted this year in anticipation of the 2026 midterm elections.
- AI chatbot performance on voting questions was lower when the queries were asked in Spanish.
- The research was carried out by the Institute for Strategic….
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 9 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
68/100
Craft
77/100
Hype
15/100
9 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 9 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Artificial intelligence chatbots provided inaccurate, unclear, or outdated replies to 29% of basic questions about elections and voting procedures in tests conducted this year. The study, which took place ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, also found that AI chatbot performance was lower for questions asked in Spanish. The research was conducted by the Institute for Strategic….
Coverage comparison
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated reports mentioned the study's finding that AI chatbot performance was lower for questions asked in Spanish.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 5 Sept 2026, 08:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
3 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led on the finding that AI chatbots provided inaccurate, unclear, or outdated replies on 29% of basic voting questions. One report noted that this occurred in tests conducted this year ahead of the midterm elections, according to NBC News. The same report also highlighted that AI chatbot performance was lower for questions asked in Spanish. The study was conducted by the Institute for Strategic….
Centre
6 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports focused on the finding that nearly a third of AI chatbot replies to voting questions were inaccurate or outdated. These reports stated that the study determined nearly a third of AI-generated replies could be inaccurate. One centre-rated report mentioned that AI chatbot performance dropped in Spanish. The tests were carried out ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover AI chatbots gave inaccurate voting answers in 29% of tests?
- Of the 9 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 33% are rated left, 67% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is AI chatbots gave inaccurate voting answers in 29% of tests left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 9 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of AI chatbots gave inaccurate voting answers in 29% of tests biased?
- AI chatbots gave inaccurate voting answers in 29% of tests is one event reported by 9 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting AI chatbots gave inaccurate voting answers in 29% of tests?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered AI chatbots gave inaccurate voting answers in 29% of tests?
- 9 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- How many AI chatbot answers about voting were inaccurate?
- A study found that AI chatbots provided inaccurate, unclear, or outdated replies to 29% of basic questions about elections and voting procedures. These tests were conducted this year ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
- Did AI chatbots perform differently based on language?
- Yes, the study reported that AI chatbot performance was lower for questions asked in Spanish. This indicates a potential disparity in accuracy and clarity for non-English queries regarding voting information.
- Who conducted the study on AI chatbots and voting questions?
- The study was conducted by the Institute for Strategic…. The findings were based on tests performed this year to assess AI chatbot accuracy on election and voting procedures ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Read it at the source
9 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
3- Chatbots and the Ballot Box: Evaluating Accuracy, Sourcing, and Language Gaps in AI Answers to Election Questions - Institute for Strategic Dialogue (opens ISD in a new tab)
- “AI chatbots frequently flub voting questions ahead of midterms, study finds” #ELB (opens electionlawblog.org in a new tab)
electionlawblog.org — is electionlawblog.org biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AI chatbots frequently flub voting questions ahead of midterms, study finds (opens NBC News in a new tab)
Centre
6- Nearly a third of AI chatbot replies to voting questions inaccurate, outdated: Study (opens WFLA-TV in a new tab)
- Nearly a third of AI chatbot replies to voting questions inaccurate, outdated: Study (opens Kron 4 News in a new tab)
Kron 4 News — is Kron 4 News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Nearly a third of AI chatbot replies to voting questions inaccurate, outdated: Study (opens ABC 27 in a new tab)
- Nearly a third of AI chatbot replies to voting questions inaccurate, outdated: Study (opens Fox 59 Indianapolis in a new tab)
Fox 59 Indianapolis — is Fox 59 Indianapolis biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Nearly a third of AI chatbot replies to voting questions inaccurate, outdated: Study (opens The Hill in a new tab)
- AI Chatbots Flub Basic Voting Questions (opens Political Wire in a new tab)
Political Wire — is Political Wire biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
