Social media posts claim to show an image of a Kentucky ballot with a potentially pre-printed mark in the box next to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. But local officials say they have received no such complaints and anyone can request a replacement ballot.
The state’s top election official, Republican Michael Adams, addressed the issue.
"The little speck on the ballot that Libs of TikTok put out. We don't know if it's legitimate or not. Assume for the moment that it is. 800,000 people voted. We had no report on a single one here or my office or the Attorney General or otherwise that any other ballot had any sort of speck on it," Adams said. "So the notion that there's election rigging is just ridiculous."
Social media "influencers" are interested in eyeballs, not facts. https://t.co/zBz6NrYDy5
— Michael Adams, KY Secretary of State (@KYSecState) November 4, 2024
The account that promoted the image, Libs of TikTok, has previously shared misinformation. The same claim has been amplified across social media channels – including by actress Roseanne Barr.
On November 1, a TikTok video showed a Kentucky ballot machine appearing to malfunction with a voter repeatedly touching Donald Trump’s name but it failing to register. The Attorney General’s office immediately came to investigate.
"There was a process, but the county clerk and the detective attempted to replicate what we all saw on on that social media platform. That machine was then taken offline. It wasn't used any further and the Department of Criminal Investigations, the Attorney General's Office took possession of that machine. For chain of custody purposes, that machine is in our possession for further investigation," Attorney General Russell Coleman, a Republican, said.
Adams added that the situation was resolved to the voter's satisfaction.
"The Laurel County situation of someone taking a video of her pushing the wrong place on the ballot marking device and circulating — as of Friday, that had 19 million views, maybe 100 million by now, I don't know. But those things spread quick," Adams said. "That video didn't include the fact that she actually got it figured out that she printed a ballot that matched her choice for president and it was counted, and she left a happy person and told the poll workers that."
Voting machines are open in Kentucky until 6 p.m. local time today.
