Election Officials Address Concerns Over Touchscreen Voting Machine Reports

Reports of touchscreen voting machines registering incorrect selections have resurfaced on social media as early voting begins for midterm elections. While these anecdotal issues often lead to accusations of election rigging, officials and election experts state they are overwhelmingly attributable to user error or easily correctable technical issues.

These concerns frequently appear during election seasons, with voters in various states, including Kansas, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, documenting difficulties with ballot marking devices. Some voters interpret these challenges as attempts to manipulate election outcomes, particularly favoring Republicans. These claims emerge as polls indicate a decline in trust in election results among many Democrats over the past four years, with concerns about presidential interference in voting being a significant worry.

Election officials nationwide assert that touchscreen challenges are almost always the result of a voter inadvertently touching the screen incorrectly or a minor screen miscalibration. They emphasize that the frequency of these complaints has not increased compared to previous years, despite their amplified attention online. Voters are consistently reminded that they can re-select candidates as needed, seek assistance from poll workers, and review their ballot choices before submission.

Because elections in the U.S. are decentralized, with thousands of jurisdictions operating under varying state and local rules, the voting process is inherently complex. This structure, however, serves to protect against widespread fraud. David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, stated that "almost all of the claims of vote flipping are understandable human error." He likened these occurrences to accidental phone inputs, stressing that they are "not nefarious."

Specific instances have gained traction online. In Tennessee, Stella Parton reported having to correct her ballot multiple times, stating it kept defaulting to Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn. Williamson County Election Administrator Chad Gray confirmed no discrepancies were found with voting equipment, and Mark Goins, Tennessee Elections Coordinator, described the issues as "more like an unintended touch that they may not even realize."

In Kendall County, Texas, election administrator Staci Decker attributed 100% of similar issues to voters touching the screen improperly or too forcefully, leading to miscalibration. She stated that election equipment undergoes testing before use and that her office recalibrates screens regularly. Decker noted that such claims are part of an effort to "scare voters away."

State election officials in South Carolina and Bexar County, Texas, have not observed an unusual increase in reports, with local officials suggesting user error as a likely cause. Kristin Miles, president of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, reiterated that "vote-switching" claims are common and usually related to screen calibration rather than actual vote changes.

Officials consistently highlight that voting machines are tested prior to each election, and many jurisdictions conduct post-election audits involving manual counts of paper ballots. The machines in question in many of these reports are ExpressVote ballot marking devices from Election Systems & Software (ES&S). These devices allow voters to make selections on a touchscreen, which then prints a paper record for review. ES&S has stated it has not been made aware of any widespread issues with its machines this cycle and advises voters to notify poll workers if they have trouble with their ballot before casting it.