Why reported challenges with touchscreen voting machines don't signal election rigging

Voters in several states, especially Democrats, have been posting online that touchscreen ballot machines marked a different candidate than the one they tapped, and some have called it evidence of an effort to help Republicans. Election officials say the glitches are ordinary and that complaint volumes are no higher than in earlier years. The posts have multiplied as early voting for the midterms opens, with strong turnout in many states and with an AP-NORC poll finding that many Democrats have lost confidence in election results, according to ABC News.

Officials point to accidental touches or screens that have drifted out of calibration, and note that voters can re-select a candidate repeatedly, ask a poll worker for help and review choices before submitting. Stella Parton posted that her Nashville-area machine kept defaulting to Sen. Marsha Blackburn. Williamson County administrator Chad Gray said no equipment discrepancies turned up, and Tennessee Elections Coordinator Mark Goins described an unintended touch. Kendall County, Texas, administrator Staci Decker blamed heavy tapping or misplaced taps and said screens are recalibrated every few days. Bexar County officials could not confirm any equipment problem, and South Carolina's election commission reported no unusual rise in complaints.

Summarized by PolitiKool from ABC News’s reporting. Read the full story at ABC News →