evidence: For instance, lies about when polls close, where one can vote, whether one can vote online, by mail, and the like, and who is eligible to vote. These lies can generally be narrowly defined and tend to be easily verifiable; and many such lies are likely to happen shortly before the election, when established alternative institutions—election officials, candidates, the media, and others—might not have the time to undo the effects of the lie.To be sure, the distinction between such statements and political lies more broadly is not completely sharp. In New York Times v. Sullivan, the allegation about King having been arrested seven times by the police was also a narrow and easily verifiable claim, and yet that too was seen as categorically not punishable. Moreover, there will sometimes be controversy about whether a particular statement is an obvious joke, as with this meme, which is the foundation of a criminal prosecution: [...] I do not discuss the separate questions of whether and when lies by government officials should be punishable, whether by removal from office or otherwise. See, e.g., Ross, supra note 20.