In response to a request for comment, Twitter spokesperson Nick Pacilio said, "Anyone claiming that spam accounts on Twitter are distorting the national, political conversation is misinformed."But the fact remains that these bots are still there, unless they are reported as spam and taken down by Twitter. Bots can be difficult to identify, but the researchers say that some characteristics to look out for include: Constant tweeting, few followers (but many followees), and a less-personalized account. You can also plug the username into the useful online tool BotOrNot to check if its tweets come from a computer or a human.Of course, Twitter isn't the only online space affected by bots. Reddit, too, has faced its fair share during the election. "Bots can influence people, especially on a site like Reddit, where the more upvotes you get, the higher up you appear in feeds," says Ben Parr, the cofounder of chatbot company Octane AI. "Reddit is known for having pro Trump bots that push up topics." Parr also says that you can expect election-related spam bots to stick around, at least for the foreseeable future.Tonight, as polling results start to roll in , be sure to get your news from verified accounts. Because on election day, especially , bots are expected to be alive and tweeting.