US Elections: Illegal Voters To Ballot Markings, 4 Viral Fraud Claims Fact Checked

Last Updated:November 05, 2024, 19:06 IST

In 2024, there are voting fraud claims floating on the internet while Donald Trump’s cheating allegations from 2020 remain intact. Election officials, however, said these claims are baseless

As American voters headed to cast their ballot on Election Day on Tuesday, poll officials urged people not to be misled by conspiracy theories about voter fraud.

False claims of voter fraud made by Republic former president Donald Trump in 2020 means that there will be close scrutiny on voter eligibility, logistical issues like long lines, ballot functionality and vote counting. This will especially be true for key battleground states.

But, in 2024, viral claims floating around on the internet as well as Trump’s allegations have stayed intact. Other Republicans have also accused the vote of being “rigged”. Election officials, however, said these claims are baseless.

Twisting isolated problems with voting, the Republican presidential nominee has primed his supporters into believing that the election is not legitimate if he loses. He has made claims ranging from illegal voting and no verification for overseas or military ballots, to fraud in early voting and illegitimate mail-in ballots.

Here are are four such claims fact-checked by BBC Verify:

Ballot Markings

According to BBC Verify, an image is doing the rounds on social media showing a person holding a mail-in ballot paper, which already had a mark next to Kamala Harris’s name. A post on X viewed more than 3 million times said this picture meant “weird ballot shenanigans happening” and would render voting for another person void.

The Kentucky Board of Elections rejected the allegation. It told the BBC that it had mailed 1,30,000 ballots so far and had not received any complaint about pre-printed markings.

“As no one has presented a pre-marked ballot to election administrators or law enforcement, the claim that at least one ballot may have had a pre-printed mark in Kentucky, currently only exists in the vacuum of social media,” it was quoted.

The election board further said if more than one candidate name is marked in ink on mail-in ballots, they will still be considered if the voter circles their preferred choice.

Absentee Ballots For The Military

BBC Verify said a post on X, claiming that “the Pentagon reportedly failed to send absentee ballots to active military service members before the election”, was viewed more than 28 million times. The post refers to a letter by Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, written by three Republican members of congress, expressing “grave concern” over the matter.

But, this letter does not accuse the Pentagon of failing to send absentee ballots for overseas military personnel, who can vote abroad through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). Election officials then send them the ballots from where they are registered in the US, and it is not the Pentagon’s job to do so.

While the Department of Defense did not give details on personnel affected by issues related to ballots not arriving on time, it told the BBC that it had trained 3,000 voting assistance officers for personnel support.

‘Illegal Voters’ In Pennsylvania

Trump and his Republican colleagues have repeatedly alleged that the Democracts are making it possible for illegal immigrants to vote in the US elections. Similar claims floating on the internet about the US state of Pennsylvania were rejected by election officials.

A number of social media posts claimed that “illegal voters” were able to apply for ballots and vote at an election office in Allegheny County. Images on X of “illegal voters” being guided past US voters waiting in line, were widely shared, but officials told the BBC that this group was there to apply for mail-in ballots.

Location :

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)