Viral image
Viral image
stated on August 17, 2020 in a Facebook post:

“Thousands of Seattle Democrats gather to demand mail-in voting because it’s too dangerous to vote in-person.”

False

Photo doesn’t show Democrats gathered to demand mail-in voting

If your time is short

  • This photo shows demonstrators in Seattle on June 6 protesting police violence against Black people. 
 
See the sources for this fact-check

Democrats across the country have advocated for more mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic. But a photo shared on social media does not show demonstrators crowding at an intersection in the name of this cause.

“Thousands of Seattle Democrats gather to demand mail-in voting because it’s too dangerous to vote in-person,” one post says of the aerial photo that shows people gathered on the streets below. 

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) 

The photo does show thousands of demonstrators in Seattle on June 6, but they were protesting police violence against Black people — not demanding mail-in voting for the November election. 

West Seattle Blog reported on the demonstration, which happened in the West Seattle neighborhood, and published the photo that appears in the Facebook post. It’s credited to Paul Weatherman, an aerial photographer. 

We rate this post False.

Our Sources

Facebook post, Aug. 17, 2020

West Seattle Blog, PHOTOS/VIDEO: West Seattle Junction fills with sea of protesters affirming ‘Black Lives Matter,’ June 6, 2020

Paul Weatherman tweet, June 6, 2020