Arizona Election

Is it true that as of November 4, 2020, there were six Democratic-controlled states that showed President Trump in the lead over Joe Biden? No, this is not true. While Trump was ahead in seven (not six) uncalled states on Wednesday, November 4 -- Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina -- not all are states with Democrats…

Did The Department Of Homeland Security craft an election fraud sting by printing watermarked ballots? No, that's not true: The design, printing and auditing of ballots are processes managed by state and local election officials. One of many versions of this rumor appeared when it was uploaded to Facebook in a post (archived here) published on November 5, 2020, with…

Is there something suspicious about House, Senate and Presidential winners not being identified all at the same time even though voters use just one ballot to vote in all those contests? No, that is not true. While voters use just one ballot, a House race is a small local contest, a Senate race requires a bigger statewide tally and the…

Did several states have more votes than registered voters in the 2020 presidential election? No, that's not true: A post making that claim contains inaccurate data on both the number of votes and the number of people registered to vote. Lead Stories found the correct information, per state officials. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on November…

Were ballots marked with Sharpie pens invalidated in Arizona on Election Day? No, that's not true. Sharpies are preferred, said election officials. A claim has gone viral that people who voted in Maricopa County, Arizona, using Sharpie pens had their ballots invalidated and that only ballots marked with ballpoint pens were counted. "Maricopa County uses Sharpies on election day, because…

Is a super-secret super-computer stealing votes for Joe Biden in eight states via a state contractor called VR Systems? No, that's not true: The claimed point of theft -- VR Systems -- says it isn't involved in vote-recording or vote-counting and doesn't even do business in most of the states where conspiracy theorists say "The Hammer" super-computer is purported to…

Are Democrats colluding with the CIA to alter votings machines in key swing states to help Joe Biden? No, there is no evidence to support this. The source of the claim is a retired U.S. Air Force general, whose description as a "high-level intelligence official," is misleading. Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney was banned from appearances on FOX News in 2018…

Did a Bon Jovi performance at a Biden campaign event in Dallas, Pennsylvania draw a mere 12 people? No, that's not true: There were far more than 12 people in attendence. The exact crowd size is hard to discern because people attended the event from their cars, but 232 cars were counted at the event, according to the Times Leader,…

Are there 9,871,525 registered voters in Arizona, a state of only 7.279 million? No, that's not true: This is a false claim that has been circulating on Facebook. The number 9,871,525 actually refers to the total number of people in the U.S. who shared on Facebook that they were registered to vote at one point in late September. The claim…

Do images from the September 29, 2020, presidential debate show that Joe Biden was wearing a communications device, perhaps to receive tips on what to say? No, that is not true. Social media posts are making this claim after a rosary, worn by Biden around his wrist in remembrance of his son, was seen poking from his sleeve -- and…