No evidence voting machines are purposely ‘flipping’ votes, it’s usually user error and can be fixed

Claims about voting machines swapping or “flipping” voters’ choices are again going viral as early voting continues during the 2026 midterm elections.

The claims have surfaced in multiple states.

“There is a very disturbing trend being seen in early voting,” read a Facebook post from the liberal group “The Other 98%.” “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.”

Similar claims also circulated on X and TikTok.

Vote flipping or swapping claims have become a recurring theme since the 2020 election, but there is no evidence of voting machines deliberately designed with such flaws or that it is happening on a wide scale. Election officials have said it often is attributable to user error on touch screens.

Tennessee, Texas voters’ concerns likely related to user error or screen calibration

Dolly Parton’s sister Stella Parton posted Oct. 21 on Facebook that she voted at Hermitage Library in Nashville and her ballot “kept flipping to the wrong candidate.”

“I had to go back three times and correct my vote because it kept defaulting to Marsha Blackburn,” she said.

WSMV-TV reported that some Tennessee voters picked a candidate on the voting machine and saw a different candidate selected on the screen. They voted in Franklin, Spring Hill or Nolensville, all in Williamson County. Similar complaints were reported in Madison County.

Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins told WSMV that it “appears to be a voter error,” and could have happened because of an unintended touch on the screen. He said voting equipment is tested before elections. Voters were advised that styluses are available by request to help with the touch screens. 

The Tennessee Secretary of State told news outlets that among around 400,000 voters who have cast their ballots, the office has received one complaint of that nature.

In Texas, KSAT-TV reported that in Bexar County, three voters said voting machines changed or removed their choices. They were able to check their ballots before finalizing them.

Michele Carew, Bexar County Elections Administrator, said in a press release, “Reports of mismatched selections are almost always due to user touchscreen sensitivity, not machine malfunction. Touchscreens require a firm, direct tap, and poll workers are trained to assist as needed.”

She said the county tests machines for security and accuracy, and voting machines are never connected to the internet.

One man in Kendall County said on social media that his mother-in-law had tapped on Democratic candidates but the machine repeatedly switched her choice to Republican candidates.

Alicia Pierce, Texas Assistant Secretary of State for Communications, said she is unaware of anyone reporting such issues.

Pierce said during this election, Texas is not using machines that directly store voting selections in computer memory, except in rare cases such as to accommodate voters with disabilities. The counties with reported issues use machines that generate a paper ballot and do not store voters’ selections.

“Any machines must produce a human-readable paper ballot that a voter can review before casting. We encourage all voters to review their choices before finally casting their ballot,” she said.

Williamson County, Davidson County and Madison County in Tennessee, where issues were reported, and Bexar County, Williamson County and Kendall County in Texas use the ExpressVote machines, manufactured by ES&S.

ES&S spokesperson Katina Granger told PolitiFact the company has not received widespread reports from election officials about voting technology issues.“Most commonly, reported instances stem from a voter not touching the text box in the correct place. They can touch anywhere inside the large box containing the candidate’s name,” she said.

Old videos resurface on social media 

As new claims are surfacing, old video is being misleadingly reshared, too. 

An X video posted Oct. 23 shows a person tapping the box next to one candidate, but the screen marking the candidate above. 

“Can you say national emergency?” the caption reads. “Electronic voting machine will not let voter select the Republican candidate that they want to vote for and automatically selects the Democrat candidate instead.”

That video is from 2019. The people on screen are Tate Reeves and Bill Waller Jr., who were then primary candidates for the Republican nomination for Mississippi governor. PolitiFact explained that video in 2019, too.

Another video posted Oct. 22 shows a voting machine not accurately marking the candidate the person is selecting. Other X posts reshared it too as if it’s happening now.  

But the video is from 2018, not the 2026 midterm election. The candidates on the screen are Jim Baird and Tobi Beck, who ran for U.S. House in Indiana.

What voters should know about touch screen voting

Issues involving incorrect choices on a touch screen are “rare,” Granger said.

“Statewide and local officials have both repeatedly affirmed that nearly every case comes back to the screen calibration on older touchscreen machines, not a change to anyone’s vote,” Kristin Miles, president of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, said in a statement to PolitiFact.

If you encounter an issue with your ballot, you can ask a poll worker for help before casting your vote. 

Granger and election officials encouraged voters to verify their choices before casting their ballots. There are multiple opportunities to review your vote. Voting selections are displayed on the voting machine screen, on a review screen at the end of the voting session and on a paper ballot generated by the system to confirm your choices.

If your printed ballot does not reflect your desired choices, you may notify a poll worker.

“There is no scenario in which a voter would be forced to cast a ballot that they believe did not reflect their intentions,” Granger said.