Touchscreen voting issues reported but not evidence of rigging

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 00:02 · Archive

Reports of touchscreen voting machines selecting wrong candidates circulating on social media do not indicate election tampering, election officials say.

Reports have surfaced on social media of voters tapping a candidate's name on touchscreen voting machines, only for the wrong person to light up as their selection. The claims have been especially prominent among Democratic voters in Kansas, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas during early voting for November's midterm elections.

Some voters interpreting these incidents as evidence of election tampering to favour Republicans. An AP-NORC poll shows many Democrats have lost trust in election results over the last four years, with many citing concern about the president interfering with the vote.

Election officials say the touchscreen challenges are almost always the result of user error or easily fixed screen miscalibration. They note that the number of complaints this year is not higher than in years past, despite the outsized attention on social media. Officials emphasise that voters can select a candidate as many times as needed, consult a poll worker for help and review their selections before submitting their ballot. The decentralised structure of U.S. elections, with thousands of jurisdictions controlling votes under different rules, shields the system from widespread fraud.

How it is being reported

• Why reported challenges with touchscreen voting machines don't signal election riggingReports of touchscreen voting machines selecting the wrong candidate have been surfacing on social media, as they have during previous election years.Clickorlando · 22 Oct, 23:41
• Why reported challenges with touchscreen voting machines don't signal election riggingReports of touchscreen voting machines selecting the wrong candidate have been surfacing on social media, as they have during previous election years.News4Jax · 22 Oct, 23:41

In this story: Kansas · Ohio · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas

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