A viral screenshot of a tweet shared on Instagram claims former President Jimmy Carter voted for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Verdict: False
The claim is false, as the post was shared on Instagram on Oct. 4, three days before registrars in Georgia could begin mailing out absentee ballots for the November 2024 general election. Carter, who has been in hospice since February 2023, said he hopes to vote for Harris, according to CNN.
Fact Check:
Carter became the first U.S. president to turn 100 on his birthday, Oct. 1, according to Fox News. Carter served as the nation’s 39th president, the outlet reported.
The screenshot, which has garnered over 19,000 likes as of writing, claims Carter voted for Harris in the 2024 presidential election. “Former President Jimmy Carter just voted for Kamala Harris. I mean, you gotta be kidding me at this point,” the text of the tweet shared on Instagram reads. The claim originally circulated on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, where it garnered over 100,000 views.
The claim is false. Both the Instagram and X posts were shared on Oct. 4, three days before registrars in Georgia could begin mailing out absentee ballots for the November 2024 general election. Likewise, according to Georgia’s Absentee Voting Guide, the voted absentee ballot “must be received by your country registrar no later than close of the polls on Election Day.” In addition, “Advance Voting” in Georgia does not begin until Oct. 15, according to the website for Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s Office.
Check Your Fact also found no credible news reports indicating Carter voted for Harris. Actually, the opposite is true. On Oct. 8, USA Today reported the claim was false. The claim is not referenced on The Carter Center’s website, either.
Furthermore, back in August 2024, CNN reported Carter, who has been in hospice since February 2023, said he was “only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris.” (RELATED: Facebook Post Falsely Claims Kamala Harris Borrowed Quote From Karl Marx)
Check Your Fact has contacted Carter via The Carter Center for comment.