False and misleading claims about the voting process are spreading online as voters cast their ballots in the 2026 midterms, with less than a week until Election Day.
The messages often focus on allegations of voter fraud or voter fraud. However, a closer look at the claim usually reveals a logical explanation.
Here’s a closer look at the facts.
Holes in California ballots are not bad
CLAIM: A hole punched in a Ventura County, Calif., ballot return envelope is evidence of voter fraud.
THE FACTS: This is false. Ballot return envelopes have two holes, according to election officials. They help election workers confirm that the ballot has been removed and act as an accessibility feature.
A video posted online shows the front of a Ventura County return envelope that has a hole on one side. One man explains that if ballots are inserted with a certain side facing the front of the envelope, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra’s bubble is visible through the hole.
The man warns: “Be very careful how you place your ballot in your California envelope. » A popular X-post claimed that “California was rigging the election,” using the video as alleged proof.
Simone Seydoux, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Clerk and Registrar of Voters’ office, explained that the envelopes follow a design standard recommended by the California Secretary of State. The two holes are visible from the back of the envelope. They appear on either side of the spot that voters must sign, serving as a guide for visually impaired people. One of these holes goes through the entire envelope so election workers can ensure it is empty once the ballot is removed. Workers also secure stacks of emptied envelopes for storage by inserting zip ties through this hole.
“The holes are NOT positioned to view voting on any particular contest,” Seydoux wrote in an email. “The envelopes are ordered in advance and used if possible from one election to the next. »
The ballot for the 2026 general election in Ventura County consists of three double-sided ballots, according to Seydoux. She added that “voters are welcome to fold the ballot and place it in the envelope in any order.”
The California Secretary of State’s office confirmed earlier this month that there was nothing untoward about such holes.
“The small holes on some county ballot return envelopes are an accessibility feature to help visually impaired voters orient themselves to where they should sign the envelope,” the office wrote in a statement. Instagram post. “If a voter is concerned about their voting choices being visible through these holes, they can insert their ballot into the return envelope in a variety of ways where all choices are hidden.”
New York City ballots have no shortage of candidates and can be more than one page
CLAIM: A New York City polling place gave a voter two ballots, one of which was missing conservative candidates.
THE FACTS: This claim was originally made in a TikTok video by a user who said in the comments that she voted at Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York. A sample ballot for this location shows that it consists of two double-sided pages. One side of the second page includes judicial elections in which no conservative candidates are running.
“They’re betting on your stupidity and ignorance so that you won’t see that they’re giving you a ballot with half the candidates missing,” the woman says in the video. “This is actually some real madness and deception right there. So honestly, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up.”
There are four judicial races on the ballot. Democratic candidates are running in all of them and Working Families Party candidates are running in only one. There are no Republican or Conservative candidates listed as there are none in the race.
“The only reason there would be no party-line candidate in a ballot election is because no individual has been nominated by that party for this particular position,” Kathleen McGrath, a spokeswoman for the New York State Board of Elections, wrote in an email. “Of course, all contests provide voters with space for write-in candidates, so voters can write in another person if they don’t like the choices printed on the ballot.”
She added that New York City has had multi-page ballots for many years.
The woman in the video also highlights the fact that she was told she did not need to show her ID before voting. In New YorkVoters provide their Department of Motor Vehicles number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote. They can also use another form of valid photo ID or a government document that shows their name and address, such as a utility bill or bank statement. Voters will be asked for ID at the polling place if their identity cannot be verified before Election Day, according to the state polling station. registration form.
McGrath explained that voters should only verify their identity at the signature polling location if an additional form of identification, such as a photo ID, has already been verified. Their signature is reviewed and approved by two bipartisan election officials on site to ensure it matches what is in their election record.
“Unfortunately, a lot of misinformation about elections and voting spreads quickly online,” she wrote. “Even worse, many social media posts are made solely for the purpose of trolling or getting clicks (with little regard for truth or impact). Sometimes, it’s simply the individual who doesn’t understand the process – which is run securely, transparently, and always by bipartisan New York State officials. Election boards remain the trusted sources of accurate information.”
Alleged vote flip attributed to user error
CLAIM: Touchscreen voting machines in several states switch votes from Democrats to Republicans.
THE FACTS: Election officials say Touchscreen issues are almost always the result of user error or easily corrected screen miscalibration, and say the number of complaints this year is no higher than in previous years, despite the inordinate attention on social media. They emphasize that voters can select a candidate as many times as necessary, consult an election official for assistance and review their selections before submitting their ballot.
“Almost all allegations of vote flipping are understandable human error,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, who noted that purveyors of disinformation often take advantage of well-intentioned concerns to sow doubt in the voting process. “Is there anyone among us who didn’t have a phone number or mistyped something on their phone? It’s not bad.”
Voters across the country cast ballots in a variety of ways, including with ballot marking devices that print a paper statement or with paper ballots that they fill out by hand.
Counties where most of the recent social media reports of vote reversals are focused use ExpressVote Ballot Marking Devices from a company called Election Systems & Software. The machines allow voters to make their choices on a touch screen. Then, a paper report is usually printed for review before the votes are counted.
Katina Granger, senior director of public relations for Nebraska-based ES&S, said the company works closely with election officials and provides technical support when needed, but has not been informed of any widespread problems with voting machines this cycle.
She said when a voter is having difficulty, they should seek help from a poll worker. If they have already printed a ballot that does not reflect their intended choices, “they should notify an election official rather than dropping it off so that the jurisdiction can follow its procedures for replacing the ballot.”
Marking ballots is a normal procedure in many jurisdictions
CLAIM: Ballots marked by election officials will be disqualified in the 2026 midterm elections.
THE FACTS: Voting procedures vary by jurisdiction, but it’s not uncommon for election officials to mark ballots as part of the process. There are many reasons why an election official might write on a ballot, according to election officials in several states. Experts advise voters to check what the rules are in place in their constituency and avoid leaving their own traces.
In many North Carolina counties, for example, poll workers write “P” for provisional or “A” for absentee in a box in the upper left corner of a ballot so that they can be identified if they are placed in a tabulator instead of sealed in an envelope like they are supposed to be. In Illinois, ballots are initialed before being given to voters.
“I always like to say: Get your information straight from the source, and the source is your local election official,” said Pamela Smith, president and CEO of Verified Voting, a nonpartisan group focused on election technology. “Not your friends, cousin, uncle, on Facebook.”
Smith encouraged voters to look for information on these officials’ websites or social media accounts. She also suggested asking a poll worker who marks a ballot why they did so if a voter has concerns.
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Find AP fact checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
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