Median Strategies: A Fake Polling Experiment Exposes Vulnerabilities in U.S. Election Information Flow

Rahil Prakash, a 21-year-old recent college graduate, launched the anonymous website Median Strategies as a “short-term social experiment.” The site began posting on August 9 and quickly released fabricated polls for Wisconsin, Nevada and California. The Nevada poll was amplified by a widely followed polling aggregator on X, while the California poll was cited by the *California Post*. In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass cited a Median poll that placed her more than 10 points ahead of challenger Nithya Raman; the poll was also referenced by the *California Post*. Similar fake data suggested Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo leading by five points before the November general election. Median’s X account amassed roughly 20 followers before the project was shut down after a *Los Angeles Times* inquiry.

The Guardian

Median posted an unsigned statement describing the effort as a “short-term social experiment” intended to test how fake polling could infiltrate the political information ecosystem without independent verification. The statement asserted that no individual involved received compensation and that the project was not funded, commissioned, or directed by any campaign, party, media outlet, or “outside entity.” Prakash told the Guardian he built the site using artificial intelligence and denied any trading on prediction markets.

The Guardian

• “I wanted to see if fake polls could really penetrate the ecosystem that easily,” — Rahil Prakash

The Guardian

• “Did I expect it to perhaps expedite in the way it did? Most definitely not,” — Rahil Prakash

The Guardian

• “This is what inspired me to test my theory,” — Rahil Prakash

The Guardian

• “I think my overall takeaway was that if you just make it look a bit pretty, it’s rather easy for it to spread,” — Rahil Prakash

The Guardian

• “And I hope it gives a really good lesson going forward in that we need to be very serious about these things and very serious in how, if one person can do this, what can a serious operation do in the future – a real, you know, operation for an organization, country, whatever.” — Rahil Prakash

The Guardian

• August 9 – Median’s X account begins posting fabricated polls.

The Guardian

• Early August – Fake polls are cited by political figures and media outlets.

The Guardian

• Mid-August – After a *Los Angeles Times* inquiry, Median shuts down the website and withdraws its polling.

The Guardian