Kentucky officials rebuff viral voter machine error video
Kentucky lawmakers are working to reassure voters that election machines are free of error after a Thursday viral video from a Laurel County resident recorded a device that allegedly did not allow him to cast a ballot for former President Trump.
“Detectives have been in touch with the county clerk and recommended they change out the voting machine,” the state’s Attorney General Russell Coleman wrote in a post on X. “All Kentucky voters can have confidence that our elections are secure and any potential issues will be addressed quickly.”
The county clerk, Tony Brown, posted a tutorial to Facebook explaining how ballot machine’s work and demonstrating how they can be used properly. Officials from the county told ABC News that the "error" is preventable and did not impact the voter casting their ballot.
"Most commonly, reported instances stem from a voter not touching the text box in the correct place. In this case, you can see the voter is attempting to touch the tiny check box. They can touch anywhere inside the large box containing the candidate’s name," Election Systems and Software said in a statement to The Hill.
They added that voters can review their ballot before the final submission for count.
"Actual confirmed cases of voters having issues in touching the correct place on a touch screen are, in fact, rare. Voters can select and re-select candidates at any time prior to printing their ballot," the company wrote.
Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, also responded to the video assuring voters that the GOP had also investigated the resident’s claims.
“The legal team at @GOP immediately investigated a voter’s report of a machine malfunction that wouldn’t select President Trump in Kentucky,” she wrote on the social media platform X. “We called election officials directly. They separated the machine, conducted proper testing, didn’t find any errors, and confirmed that voters could cast their ballots properly.”
Trump then encouraged any citizens to report issues at ProtectTheVote.com.
In recent weeks, officials have flagged videos on social media for falsely depicting voter fraud in Georgia. The FBI reported efforts were tied to “Russian influence actors.”
Authorities requested the post be removed and are keeping a close eye on false narratives being spread on social platforms.
Updated at 8:15 p.m. EDT