Problems with vote-tabulation machines in New York and electronic voting machines in Florida fueled a surge of misleading voter-fraud claims during the early hours of Election Day. Social media posts using terms such as “cheating” and “stealing” rose to more than 100 per minute during early voting hours, even as officials described procedures for preserving ballots and addressing equipment failures.
Machine problems drive online fraud claims
According to an analysis by Audiense’s TweetBinder, a social media data company, posts mentioning terms such as “cheating” and “stealing” exceeded 100 per minute during early voting hours.
“In some places, these real problems and proposed remedies are framed in a conspiratorial framework that falsely suggests that the dysfunction is intentional,” disinformation researcher Kate Starbird, co-founder of the University of Washington Center for Information, wrote on social media.
New York tabulation machines affected
In Westchester County, New York, vote-tabulation machines designed to scan and record ballots were unable to accept ballots, according to Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins. “No ballots were accepted this morning,” he said.
Polling stations already have procedures for such situations, including placing completed ballots in designated bags or drop boxes so they can be counted later.
Claudia Tenney, a Republican representative from New York’s 24th Congressional District, described the incident on X as “not surprising.” She wrote, “Democrats in New York will do anything to deceive.”
Westchester County is heavily Democratic, meaning voting difficulties there are more likely to affect Democratic voters than Republican voters.
Electronic voting issues reported in Florida
In Broward County, Florida, which is also heavily Democratic, problems with electronic voting machines were reported just minutes after voting began. Local media reports said some voters were refused their votes.
“Why are so many states suddenly having vote-counting problems?” right-wing influencer and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer wrote to her nearly 2 million followers on X. “Broward County. Of course. Democrats love cheating.”
In the 2024 election, Broward County supported Democratic candidate Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by 17 percentage points.
Source: www.nytimes.com