Fact Check: Viral Voting Fraud Claims Dispelled in U.S. Election

(Washington D.C.) – As millions cast their ballots in the U.S. election, several viral claims on social media have questioned the credibility of the voting process. However, election officials have swiftly countered these claims, dismissing allegations of fraud while clarifying isolated issues that have been misrepresented. BBC Verify has investigated four of the most widely shared claims to separate fact from fiction.

A viral image on social media suggested mail-in ballots were being tampered with to favor a candidate. A picture showed a person holding a mail-in ballot with a mark next to Kamala Harris’s name, and posts implied that this was intentional, warning that attempting to vote for anyone else could invalidate the ballot. The post was viewed over three million times and claimed “weird ballot shenanigans” were at play.

Upon investigation, the Kentucky Board of Elections, responsible for overseeing this voting process, refuted the claim, noting no reports or evidence of pre-marked ballots. Kentucky officials clarified that no such ballots had been identified or reported to law enforcement. Furthermore, they confirmed that if voters accidentally mark more than one candidate, they can still indicate their choice by circling it, ensuring their vote is counted.

Another viral claim alleged that the Pentagon failed to provide absentee ballots to active military personnel. The post, which gained traction with over 28 million views, cited a letter from three Republican Congress members expressing concern over voting deficiencies for overseas military members. However, the claim misinterpreted the letter, which did not accuse the Pentagon of failing to send ballots.

In fact, the Department of Defense clarified that while it does not directly manage absentee ballots, military personnel can vote through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). Additionally, if any delay occurs, a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) can be submitted. The Department also trained 3,000 Voting Assistance Officers to assist military personnel with voting, though it declined to comment on specific cases of service members encountering ballot shortages.

A third claim involved allegations of “illegal voters” casting ballots in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Viral posts claimed non-citizens were being permitted to vote, purportedly bypassing others in line. However, county officials clarified that the group seen in the footage was merely there to apply for mail-in ballots and were not voting. U.S. law prohibits non-citizens from participating in federal elections, and studies show incidents of non-citizen voting are rare.

The fourth claim centered on a video showing an apparent voting machine malfunction in Laurel County, Kentucky. The video, which quickly went viral, showed a voter repeatedly attempting to select Donald Trump, only for the machine to appear to switch the selection to Kamala Harris. The post was widely circulated, with millions of views and claims of “election interference” in Kentucky.

Election officials verified that the machine had indeed malfunctioned, but after investigating, they determined it was an isolated incident. Officials demonstrated that the issue could only be recreated when pressing a specific area between the candidate selection boxes, and once the machine was recalibrated, it worked as intended. The machine was temporarily removed for inspection to ensure no further issues occurred.

According to Joseph Greaney, a voting expert from Ballotpedia, isolated incidents like these can occur in any large-scale election. However, he stressed that such cases are rare and typically quickly resolved. Greaney noted, “It’s easy for one or two instances to be exaggerated on social media, but the broader system remains reliable.”