Conservatives are falsely citing an apparent “black dot” on a ballot in Kentucky as evidence that the 2024 presidential election is being rigged.
Photos of the ballot, which show a purported dot in the checkbox next to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, have been spreading this week across multiple social media platforms.
Supporters of Republican nominee Donald Trump claim that any votes for the former president will be rendered invalid, given that the dot will be logged as a vote.
“Can someone explain to me why there’s a black dot on the Harris Walz box??” one user asked. “Is the fix already in?? Geez I hope not but this is bad!!”
The image quickly made its way to prominent right-wing figures, including self-described Christian nationalist Andrew Torba.
In a post on the matter, Torba, who runs the alternative social media website Gab and is known for espousing antisemitic views, warned his followers to be cautious when voting.
“Remember to check your ballots,” Torba wrote, saying voters should ask for another if the dot was present.
The popular X account Libs Of TikTok, which boasts more than 3.6 million followers, amplified the claim without fact-checking, too.
“Weird ballot shenanigans happening in Kentucky,” the account stated. “If your ballot has any markings in any other boxes, make sure to ask for a new ballot or it could potentially be deemed inadmissible.”
The image also went viral on Truth Social, where users similarly told their followers that the dot could invalidate any vote for Trump.
“Check Your Ballots, if there is a small black dot in the box for Kamala, it will kick back your ballot!!!” conservative commentator George Balloutine wrote.
The claim appears to have first arisen in a post on Facebook on Nov. 3, although it has since been deleted.
And while Trump fans are freaking out, given Trump’s strong support in Kentucky, which he won by 38% in 2020, any effort to invalidate a mass number of votes to artificially turn the state blue would… probably not secretly succeed.
Other versions of the claim have tied the image to other states, such as Alabama and Ohio, despite the ballot being from Kentucky.
Election officials respond
The Kentucky State Board of Elections responded quickly in a statement on Monday, saying neither it nor the Attorney General’s office received a single complaint about “mail-in absentee ballots having pre-printed marks in candidate selection fields.”
The statement also debunked claims that the purported dot would in any way alter an individual’s vote.
“Every mail-in absentee ballot is sent to a voter with an accompanying instruction sheet
that informs voters that if more than one candidate choice is marked in ink, the ballot will be counted if the voter circles their preferred choice,” the board added.
In regard to in-person voting, the statement also noted that any spoiled ballot could be exchanged for a “clean” one without issue.
“As no one has presented a pre-marked ballot to election administrators or law enforcement, the claim that at least one ballot may have had a pre-printed mark in Kentucky, currently only exists in the vacuum of social media,” the board concluded.
The false claim is just one of countless being spread by conspiratorial accounts on social media who believe the election will be rigged against Trump.
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