Should you ask AI about voting? Election officials are cautious

One state is trying to harness AI technology to help those who run elections.

Elections officials are grappling with voters using artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT or Claude, to get information about upcoming election dates, how voting works, and the candidates they'll see on their ballot. It's among the many ways artificial intelligence has transformed politics, elections, and campaigns ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Officials largely urge caution, uncertain that voters will be able to get the precise, accurate information they need. AI companies, meanwhile, say they're working to surface neutral information and to improve their chatbots' ability to talk about elections.

But some election officials also think there's opportunity in harnessing the new technology to help election workers.

Chatbots could allow voters to find quick, digestible information about when and where to vote, and how votes are counted and results are shared. But voters could also be served outdated or incorrect details, hallucinated details, or misinformation that's been picked up on by the chatbot.

"The bottom line for me is that voters should seek out trusted sources of information, and the most trusted source are people who administer elections," Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon told ABC News on the sidelines of a recent gathering of election officials.

West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner told ABC News that he's concerned about what happens if someone tries to look for local details but doesn't type in everything the chatbot needs to know.

"We have somebody in Harrison County [West Virginia] that types in, they need specific information about Harrison County. If they don't put in the name of the state, there's seven other states that all have Harrison counties, so it could be Mississippi, Indiana, Texas or any of the other states. They're not going to get the right information," he said.

Some state officials are wary because they've already dealt with AI causing deleterious impacts in their elections. New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan brought up a robocall voters in the Granite State received in early 2024 that used artificial intelligence to impersonate the voice of then-President Joe Biden, and says they're still driving home the message this year that voters should get accurate information from officials.

"When that occurred, we reacted very quickly ... to inform voters that the only source of accurate information that you can rely on is from your local election officials, or the secretary of state, or the attorney