As early voting for the 2026 midterm elections continues, a handful of voters in Texas and Tennessee have reported that touchscreen voting machines appeared to change their selections. State and county election officials say the incidents are isolated and stem from user error or screen calibration, not from any built‑in flaw in the equipment.
Texas incidents
In Bexar County, three voters told KSAT‑TV that the machine altered or removed their choices. Michele Carew, the Bexar County Elections Administrator, explained that “reports of mismatched selections are almost always due to user touchscreen sensitivity, not machine malfunction. Touchscreens require a firm, direct tap, and poll workers are trained to assist as needed.”
Carew added that the county tests its machines for security and accuracy and that the equipment is never connected to the internet. The county uses ExpressVote machines from ES&S, which generate a paper ballot that voters can review before casting.
A separate complaint came from a man in Kendall County who said his mother‑in‑law’s taps on Democratic candidates were repeatedly switched to Republican candidates. Texas Assistant Secretary of State for Communications Alicia Pierce said she is unaware of any widespread reports and noted that Texas is not using machines that store votes directly in computer memory, except in rare cases for voters with disabilities.
Tennessee incidents
In Williamson County, Franklin, Spring Hill and Nolensville, several voters reported that the machine displayed a different candidate than the one they selected. Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins told WSMV that the situation “appears to be a voter error” and could be caused by an unintended touch on the screen. The state provides styluses on request to help voters with touchscreen sensitivity.
The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office said that among roughly 400,000 ballots cast, only one formal complaint of this nature has been received.
Manufacturer response
ES&S spokesperson Katina Granger told PolitiFact that the company has not received widespread reports of voting‑technology failures. She said most incidents “stem from a voter not touching the text box in the correct place. They can touch anywhere inside the large box containing the candidate’s name.”
Granger emphasized that the machines produce a human‑readable paper ballot that voters can review before finalizing their vote. If the printed ballot does not match the voter’s intent, the voter can notify a poll worker for correction.
What voters should do
Election officials across both states urge voters to verify their selections on the review screen and on the paper ballot before casting. Poll workers are available to assist with touchscreen sensitivity, and styluses can be requested where needed.
Kristin Miles, president of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, reiterated that “nearly every case comes back to the screen calibration on older touchscreen machines, not a change to anyone’s vote.” She encouraged voters to take advantage of the multiple verification steps built into the voting process.
While social‑media posts continue to circulate old videos purporting to show machines flipping votes, fact‑checkers have identified those clips as dating back to 2018 and 2019, unrelated to the current election cycle.
Overall, officials stress that there is no evidence of deliberate vote‑flipping and that the voting systems in use are designed to provide a paper trail for audit and verification.
Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
