Twitter is adding a special badge for electoral candidates this year

Twitter is taking steps to combat misinformation on its platform after falling under scrutiny about the spread of fake news and bot accounts at the US general election in 2016.

“When people are looking for news and information, they turn to Twitter to find out what’s happening in the world right now. This is especially true during elections, where Twitter has become the first place voters go to seek accurate information, resources, and breaking news from journalists, political candidates, and elected officials.” explains Twitter’s Senior Public Policy manager Bridget Coyne this week in a blog post, “We understand the significance of this responsibility and our teams are building new ways for people who use Twitter to identify original sources and authentic information.”

Users will find these election labels first on for those running on the U.S midterm elections They will appear on campaign accounts of candidates who run for governor or for the House or Senate. Twitter will partner with the non-profit Ballotpedia to identify Twitter accounts of candidates, and they will begin to appear from May 30.

“Providing the public with authentic, trustworthy information is crucial to the democratic process, and we are committed to furthering that goal through the tools we continue to build,” the public policy manager said.