A viral video making the rounds on social media shows an apparent issue with a voting machine in Kentucky. 

In the video, a voter appears unable to select Donald Trump as their pick in the 2024 presidential race on a voting machine’s touchscreen. The person keeps tapping on the screen near Trump’s name before it selects Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. 

Some people online suggested the video is evidence of election interference, claiming the voting machines are switching votes. 

VERIFY reader Kris texted us to ask if these claims are true.

THE QUESTION

Is the viral video showing a Kentucky voting machine malfunctioning evidence of election interference?

THE SOURCES

• Laurel County Clerk Tony Brown
• Kentucky’s State Board of Elections 
• Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump
• Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams
• Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman
• James Young, former Elections Director for Jefferson County, Kentucky

THE ANSWER

No, the viral video showing a Kentucky voting machine malfunctioning isn’t evidence of election interference. 

WHAT WE FOUND

A voter in Laurel County, Kentucky, did report on Thursday, Oct. 31, that one of the touchscreen ballot marking devices was malfunctioning, County Clerk Tony Brown confirmed. But the issue with this ballot marking device isn’t proof of election interference in the state.

The voter was able to cast their ballot for the candidate of their choice, election officials confirmed. There’s no evidence of “vote switching” happening in Kentucky. 

The issue with the ballot marking device was an isolated incident in Laurel County. Kentucky’s State Board of Elections said in a statement that more than 1,700 voters in the county cast their ballots properly on Oct. 31, and there were no other reports of issues with the touchscreen ballot marking devices or any ballot scanners on that day. 

In response to the viral video, Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump confirmed in a post on X shared on Friday, Nov. 1, that election officials separated the machine seen in the video and did not find any errors after conducting tests. 

The voter in the video also “confirmed that her ballot was correctly printed as marked for the candidate of her choice,” Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams said on X. 

“There is no ‘vote switching,’” Adams said. Lara Trump added that election officials “confirmed that voters could cast their ballots properly.”

So what happened with the ballot marking device in Laurel County? 

In his initial post on Oct. 31, Brown said election officials checked the device and “couldn’t make it recreate the incident reported.” They took the machine out of service while they waited for a representative from the attorney general’s office to arrive, he said. 

Brown said in a follow-up post on the same day that election officials were eventually able to replicate the issue once after several minutes, but they couldn’t do it again. 

They replicated the issue “by hitting some area in between the boxes,” Brown said in the post, which includes a video of staff clicking between various candidates without issues. 

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said the state's Department of Criminal Investigations investigated the complaint and recommended the machine be switched out. He reaffirmed that Kentucky's elections are secure and said “any potential issues will be addressed quickly.”

The issue with the ballot marking device in Laurel County likely had to do with where the voter was tapping on the touchscreen. 

These devices “are set for a voter to touch inside the whole box with the name of the candidates,” Brown said. 

In the viral video, the voter presses their finger on the thin border on the left-hand side between boxes, “which at times can cause an adjacent text box to highlight instead of their intended choice,” James Young, former Elections Director for Jefferson County, Kentucky, said on X.

“Had the voter pressed the center of the text box, this would not have occurred,” Young added. 

The State Board of Elections also said it encourages voters using the touchscreen ballot marking devices to “use their finger or a stylus to firmly make their chosen selections within the middle of the field allocated for that candidate or response.” 

According to Brown, the voter who posted the video was able to cast her ballot, “which she said was correct.” There were no claims about any issues with the ballot marking machine prior to the voter’s report and no issues since it went back into service, he said. 

The ballot marking devices don’t immediately submit your vote, either. There are extra steps voters take before printing the ballot and placing it into a scanner for counting.

According to Brown, voters insert a blank ballot into the machine and select candidates for various races. 

“It shows you who you have chosen for each race and notifies you if you didn't make a selection," Brown explained in the Facebook post. "When you come to the end of the ballot it shows you how you voted in every race and issue. It confirms with each voter that they are satisfied with their selections twice before printing the ballot."

If a voter makes a mistake on the printed ballot, they are allowed to "spoil" it and receive another one. Under Kentucky law, voters can only have two spoiled ballots, Brown said. 

A voter who is satisfied with their ballot can place it into the scanner, which verifies that it has been counted. 

A video shared by Brown’s office on Facebook further explains how the ballot marking devices work. 

Joseph Garcia with VERIFY partner station WHAS11 contributed to this report.

MAINE, USA — On Tuesday, voters across Maine will have a chance to weigh in on a longtime debate: changing the design of the state’s flag. 

Among bond issues and limits on political action committee contributions, Question 5 on the ballot will ask if residents want to replace the current flag with a more historical version, commonly known as the "pine tree" flag.

The current flag design, in place for over a century, is blue and features the state seal at the center, showcasing a farmer and sailor representing Maine’s heritage. 

Voter Ricky Conant shared his preference for keeping the existing flag, saying, "I like the state flag that we currently have today."

However, not everyone feels the same. Some Mainers, like Jose Peralta, are eager for a return to tradition. Peralta voted early in support of the pine tree flag, noting his fondness for its simplicity and historic ties. 

The pine tree flag, which features a green pine tree and the north star on a tan background, was Maine's original state flag when it was adopted in 1901. It was replaced a few years later by the current design but has seen a resurgence in recent years, appearing on everything from storefronts and front porches to t-shirts and other merchandise.

"I guess I’m a little bit of a history buff," Peralta said.

The proposed pine tree flag design to be voted on was chosen from more than 400 submissions in a contest hosted by the Secretary of State’s Office.

For some, the decision on the flag's design also provides a learning opportunity. Voter Erik Thomas used the choice as a chance to teach his kids about the voting process, letting them decide which flag design to support. Thomas shared that both of his children chose to keep the current flag, though he said they didn’t offer specific reasons for their choice.

If Maine voters approve the flag change, the transition to the pine tree flag would likely be measured. According to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office, the cost of switching to the new design could be absorbed by existing state budgets if done gradually.

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ELLSWORTH, Maine — Ellsworth will soon add over 150 new trees to its urban landscape, thanks to $193,000 in grants awarded to the Ellsworth Arbor Commission to expand green spaces and increase the city’s climate resilience.

“This is a huge opportunity for the City of Ellsworth,” Mary Blackstone, Arbor Commission Vice Chair and Green Ellsworth Community Liaison said.

The project’s funding includes a $20,000 grant from the Maine Forest Service to develop a comprehensive forest management plan. Additionally, a $173,000 federal grant will support tree planting along High Street, stretching down to the Union River.

“It's the first time, at least in recent history, that so much money has been allocated to trees in Ellsworth, so we're really excited,” Tabatha White, Arbor Commission Chair, said.

Leaders said adding more tree canopy to the urban downtown area of Ellsworth will help it better match the scenic areas of the city.

“Not just for the 4 million people that pass through that corridor on their way to Acadia National Park, but also for the residents who live here day in day out, and travel to work, either in Ellsworth or elsewhere, that they can have a more beautified High Street corridor,” City Manager Charlie Pearce said.

According to Blackstone, the tree plantings will also help mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly during more extreme weather events. “Those storms are harder for man-made infrastructure to manage, so if you plant trees, it helps moderate the extreme flooding that can happen,” she said.

Areas like High Street have a lot of paved surfaces, making it hotter than anywhere else in the city. “Those temperatures are also moderated by the more trees you plant,” she said.

Blackstone also said that adding more green infrastructure will also improve air quality in the area. “There's a lot of people in low-cost housing and folks in workforce housing there. Their lives are going to be improved because we're planting trees,” she said.

The Ellsworth Arbor Commission is seeking volunteers for the first tree planting on November 14 near Goodwill on High Street at 9 a.m. Anyone interested can join the team that morning to help make Ellsworth a little greener.

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PORTLAND, Maine — What are the specific issues driving younger voters to the polls? 

One day out from the 2024 presidential election, NEWS CENTER Maine asked five students at the University of Southern Maine what's fueling them this Election Day. 

All but one mentioned reproductive rights as a big factor. 

"I've had a couple of friends who have needed life-saving abortions and if they hadn't gotten that, who knows where they might be," Aydan Rudolph said.

For many of them, the issues they care about are based on personal connection, which brings us to the leading topic: the cost of living. Every single student mentioned either that or the economy as one of their biggest concerns.

Madison Strout said the only reason she's not homeless right now is because she gets free housing on campus in return for working as an RA, or resident assistant. 

"I am legally homeless. Not being able to go anywhere after this because of the housing prices is scary," Strout said. 

"I think everyone just wants to see it go way down," Don Goff added. 

The cost of living has not just been part of the campaign for this year's presidential candidates, but for many local candidates as well. Although, some students say that's not where their focus lies.

"I just haven't had the time to read too much into that – I just look at the bigger picture," Goff said.

Rudolph plans to vote on the state referendum but will be leaving the Portland section blank. 

"I'm not from this city, so I don't know enough about local government to vote on it," she said. 

On the other hand, two of the student voters are prioritizing the bottom of the ballot. 

"That's really where change happens," Julian Parker said. 

Parker said he might consider the local elections some of the most important. Trevor Cook agreed, especially when it comes to addressing the cost of living. 

"There's a lot more that the Portland City Council can do about the current economic issues in Portland itself than the president of the United States ever could," Cook said. 

It's clear no matter what angle the students are taking toward achieving what they hope for, one thing they can all agree on is that voting is the best way to have a say.

"It's one of the only ways that people outside of office and outside of politics can have any amount of influence," Strout said.

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