Misleading claims about ballot invalidation spread online

As some US states open polling places for early voting in the country's November 5 presidential election, social media users have claimed that a poll worker marking or initialing a ballot could void it. This is misleading; while some states only allow voters to write on ballot papers, others require authorities to mark them for the paper to be counted.

"A very reliable good friend of mine just finished pollworker training and she texted me this.....Just finished Poll Manager training! I passed all the classes. I want you all to know something...if you are checking in at the polls and they happen to write anything on your ballot before they give it to you to put in the voting machine... a letter, a checkmark, a star, an R or a D any writing of any kind... please request a new ballot," says a September 9, 2024 post on TikTok with thousands of interactions.

"Your ballot could be disqualified if it is written on. Please be on the lookout for this type of behavior."

The same claim has circulated elsewhere on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and X.

Several states have scheduled some form of early or in-person absentee voting starting in September 2024, ahead of the November 5 polling day. In the US, state and local governments dictate many of the rules about how presidential elections are run, including whether voters have to present identification, how ballots are cast, and how election results are determined.

Officials in Virginia, South Dakota and Minnesota opened in-person early voting on September 20, allowing voters to choose between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to serve as their country's next commander-in-chief.

Required to mark ballots

Some US states train election authorities to write their initials or otherwise mark physical ballot papers to track the number of votes cast and verify their authenticity when the ballots are counted.

In Minnesota, state law requires at least two election judges to count all of the ballots at a polling location and initial the backs of the papers before voting starts, but they are prohibited from otherwise writing on them. Once the polling location closes, the election judges track each initial ballot to ensure no papers were lost (archived here and here).

Other states such as Illinois, which was to open early voting in some counties on September 26, instruct election administrators to write their initials on the front of the ballot once they have been checked in (archived here).

Similarly, Mississippi and Missouri -- which started allowing some voters to cast absentee ballots in person on September 23 and 24, respectively -- instruct poll officers to initial blank ballots (archived here and here). 

While South Dakota law does not ask poll workers to initial or sign ballots, voters can only cast their vote once their paper is affixed with an official ballot stamp (archived here and here).

No marks necessary

Other states do not ask election officials to write on or ink ballot papers and only allow verified voters to write on them.

In Virginia, ballots may be invalidated by markings in some cases. Poll workers can only write on ballots when voters need assistance because they have a physical disability or cannot read or write. If the ballot is accidentally defaced, Virginia voters can get a new paper, and the election officer will mark the old ballot as "spoiled" (archived here and here).

Pennsylvania, which was to allow counties to open early voting on September 16 but delayed this due to multiple lawsuits about the ballot, does require poll check-in officials to initial their poll book if they have verified the voter's identity, but not the ballot itself (archived here).

States have different rules about what causes a ballot to be "spoiled" or unusable, but most state laws give voters at least a couple of opportunities to replace their ballot papers if they make a mistake or feel has been marked inappropriately.

AFP has debunked other misleading claims about the 2024 US general election here.