Voting Machines

Has Tina Peters been "fully pardoned" by Donald Trump, wiping out her prison sentence for giving unauthorized access to Mesa County, Colorado, voting machines in 2021, when she was county clerk? No, that's not true: Trump's "pardon" of Peters is only symbolic, not official. The U.S. Constitution grants the President power to pardon only those criminals facing federal charges. Peters,…

Did The Economic Times article that declared Kamala Harris won the 2024 election cite reports that concluded voting systems were rigged for Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The reports referred to by The Economic Times all stop short of declaring the election was stolen. Instead, those writers whom The Economic Times cited said there are questions about software and…

Did Elon Musk's satellite-based high-speed internet system Starlink play any role in counting or uploading votes in the U.S. election that could have allowed for potential vote manipulation or cheating? No, that's not true: Election security experts told Lead Stories that there's no evidence of vote tampering involving Starlink. U.S. voting systems are managed by county and state offices on…

Does a fold line or a crease in the candidate name area void paper ballots so "the machines cannot count it" in Wisconsin? No, that's not true: The Grant County clerk, where the complaint about a wrinkled ballot was reported, told Lead Stories a ballot with a crease or a fold would not be voided. She also said that the…

Does a viral video discussing poll workers bringing "machines" to voters' cars prove "election cheating" in Florence, South Carolina? No, that's not true: The head of the local elections board told Lead Stories that the video is "misinformation." Voters with disabilities, the elderly and those who can't stand in line for a long time may vote using a curbside machine.…

Does a video on social media show a Kentucky voting machine marking Kamala Harris for president when the voter tried to press Donald Trump, leaving them unable to vote for Trump? Yes, but that is missing context: The Kentucky Board of Elections' general counsel told Lead Stories in a statement that, after the video was filmed, the voter was able…

Is there a "nationwide issue" affecting Dominion voting machines that is impacting people's ability to vote as they intend? No, that's not true: Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson misspoke when she said that. According to a Dominion press release, Michigan is the only state experiencing such issues, specifically with Dominion Voting Assistance Terminals -- a device used by voters…

Did a voting machine in Arkansas cause a vote for Donald Trump to be cast instead for Kamala Harris? No, that's not true: Elections authorities at the state and local level plus the voting machine manufacturer told Lead Stories the voter accidentally touched the wrong name because they used their finger rather than the stylus provided. Even so, they said…

Have rigged voting machines in Fulton County, Georgia, and North Carolina been seized or destroyed by "white hats," as an article by Real Raw News said? No, that's not true: State election boards in North Carolina and Georgia told Lead Stories that no machines have been seized or destroyed as of this writing, and there is no evidence of rigging.…

Are voting machines in Kentucky changing votes from Donald Trump to Kamala Harris? No, that's not true: There was an incident involving a single ballot marking device in Laurel County but it wasn't switching votes; instead, one voter was pressing the space between voting boxes repeatedly instead of directly in the middle of a voting box. The county election supervisor…