The Electoral Commission is warning the public to treat every day like it's April Fool’s Day when it comes to sourcing information ahead of the upcoming election season.

They are asking the public to use “critical thinking” in the same way they would to “dodge April Fool’s Day pranks” ahead of the local and European elections on June 6th.

To combat misinformation ahead of these elections, they have released a series of videos where the public is shown fake headlines to see how easy it is to be tricked.

Electoral Commission Chief Executive Art O’Leary said it’s important not to believe everything you see or hear around election time.

“There’s a day each year when each of us questions the headlines and is sceptical of everything we hear and read — and that day is today, April Fool’s Day,” he said.

“To fight false information during election campaigns we need to treat every day like it’s April 1st and to question what we see, what we hear, and what we read, particularly online.”

“We are asking people whether today on April Fool’s Day or any day around elections when you are being told something to ask yourself, who is telling me this; how do I know it’s true, and are there any other trusted sources?”

The Electoral Commission was established in 2023 to provide oversight and support to elections in Ireland.

Main image: A polling station: Sam Boal /Rollingnews.ie