Are the ballots of early voters in Florida, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and other states being switched after they vote? Here's what we know so far: Some social media posts leading up to the November 2026 midterm elections included claims that votes were being switched in states across the country. States reached by Lead Stories said there were no widespread reports of votes being switched, and at least one described the claim as a social media rumor. Elections expert David Becker told Lead Stories that "Almost all of the claims of vote flipping are understandable human error" and "don't reflect what's actually going on."
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by actor Telvin Griffin (@TelvinGriffin) on X on Oct. 20, 2026. It read:
I can confirm this from family in Texas that went to early vote @jamestalarico @TeamTalaricoHQ . People are voting and when they're finished some of their votes are changing on their own. Most don't even know it. I think this is something to look into.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @TelvinGriffin on X.)
The Griffin post also embedded a similar claim (archived here) posted by the @lisapease account on X on Oct. 19, 2026, involving a race in South Carolina. It read:
Dear @AnnieAndrewsMD: I just voted for you, but when I went to check the ballot, your name had been switched with the libertarian candidate. I don't think it was user error, but I can't prove it. I was able to go back and change it after that. But keep an ear out, because if other people are having a similar experience, it's not an accident.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @lisapease on X.)
Another claim about Texas came from a post (archived here) by the @climatepaige account on X on Oct. 19, 2026. It read:
My electronic ballot machine flipped my vote to a Republican candidate three times. I clicked on Jon Rosenthal, but then the machine switched it to Bo French. I had to click Jon's name three times to successfully check out with a blue ballot.
Reported it, but WTF!
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @climatepaige on X.)
A claim about Tennessee voting appeared in a post (archived here) by the @Suzierizzo1 account on X on Oct. 21, 2026. It read:
There have been tons of voters in Tennessee that have come forward complaining about how when they went to vote & pushed the button to vote for Jerri Green & Marsha Blackburn's name came up instead & if you weren't watching closely you would have voted for the wrong person.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @Suzierizzo1 on X.)
Another claim that included Florida, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas appeared in a post (archived here) by the @DaizyZeeX account on X on Oct. 21, 2026. It read:
There is a very disturbing trend being seen in early voting. Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio are reporting difficulties getting the machines to accept democratic votes. The machines change them back to Republican unless the voter persists, pressing several times to get the correct vote to go through.
Check your machine, check to see that it accepted the correct vote. Make sure your voice counts.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @DaizyZeeX on X.)
How states responded
Lead Stories contacted the state election offices in Texas, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Ohio about claims of vote switching. Their responses are below:
Texas
Alicia Pierce, spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State's Office, responded in an Oct. 21, 2026, email. She wrote:
We have not heard of any similar issues this election. As a note, Texas no longer uses the type of machines that seem to be referenced here. We encourage voters to always review the final selections before casting their ballot as a way to double-check that their selections are correct.
South Carolina
Sydni Bain, a public information officer for the South Carolina Election Commission, provided a statement for the agency. She wrote:
We are not seeing an unusual increase in reports of voters having trouble making selections on touchscreens. We commonly receive some of these reports during elections, particularly statewide elections with high turnout. We encourage all voters to be careful in making their selections and to review their ballot before it is cast.
When a selection is made, it is very apparent. The box beside the selection is checked and the block containing the selection is highlighted. Voters should pay attention to ensure these selections reflect their wishes. Voters should also carefully review their selections on the ballot review screen before printing their ballot to confirm their choices are accurately reflected. If a selection is not correct, the voter can navigate back through the ballot at any time to change selections. After printing the ballot, the voter should carefully review their paper ballot before putting it in the ballot scanner. Once a ballot has [been] placed in the scanner, it is cast and cannot be changed. If the voter needs to make a change after printing their ballot, they should notify a poll manager. The ballot will be spoiled, and the voter will restart the voting process with a blank ballot. If a voter experiences an issue with the ballot-marking device (BMD), they should notify a poll manager for assistance before casting their ballot.
Florida
No immediate response.
Tennessee
No immediate response.
Ohio
Dan Lusheck, communications director for the Office of the Ohio Secretary of State, called the claim "a social media rumor and nothing more so far as we can tell," in an Oct. 22, 2026, email.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose also addressed the claim in a post (archived here) on his @FrankLaRose account on X on Oct. 21, 2026. It read:
The leaves are turning, pumpkin spice is back, and there is a chill in the air; it must be time for dumb rumors about election administration to start making the rounds from suspicious-looking social media accounts 🙄
Never fear, @VerifyOhio is here to set the record straight and serve as your official source of trusted information, powered by the rapid response team at @OhSecofState .
LaRose's post (archived here) embedded a statement from the @VerifyOhio account on X, which addresses claims like this. It read:
Be on the lookout for intentional election disinformation. Claims like these are NOT TRUE.
✅ Ohio law requires that EVERY piece of voting equipment is tested before the election to ensure it is working properly.
✅ EVERY vote cast in Ohio is recorded on a hand-marked or voter-verified paper ballot.
✅ Results are subjected to a bipartisan post-election audit.
If any Ohioan is concerned about voting, please reach out to your board of elections or email us at [email protected].
This is what the Verify Ohio post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @VerifyOhio on X.)
The Center for Election Innovation and Research
David Becker, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR), briefed reporters on Oct. 22, 2026, about false claims about vote flipping circulating online. Such claims resurface each election cycle, he said:
Every election we get [this] smattering of vote-flipping claims ...
These are much more modern touchscreen devices, and almost all of the claims of vote flipping are understandable human error. And I say understandable because is there one of us who hasn't had a butt dial or mistyped something on our phones? That happens all the time. It's not nefarious. It is human error often, and these machines are very well designed to be resilient against that ...
The reason we know about these alleged claims of vote flipping, at least the good-faith ones, is because the checks and balances in the process made clear to someone that it didn't work, and these usually take on some kind of partisan [tone], as people are concerned about things. Oh, it's, you know, Republicans not being allowed to vote for Democrats ... or Republicans being pushed to vote for Democrats, or vice versa, Democrats being pushed to vote for Republicans. There's never any evidence to support that ...
But these vote-flipping claims are going to come out a lot. They're often amplified by disinformation purveyors, and they don't reflect what's actually going on. They're almost always just very understandable human errors. I just want to make that clear.
As a nonprofit, CEIR's goals are stated on the group's website (archived here). It says:
CEIR's two specific goals are to restore trust in the American election system and promote election procedures that encourage greater voter participation while ensuring election integrity and security.
