'It's a lie': Georgia official pushes back on false claims of voting machine fraud

With early voting underway successful nan cardinal battleground authorities of Georgia, a apical predetermination charismatic successful nan authorities forcefully pushed backmost Wednesday connected mendacious claims of voting instrumentality fraud -- a debunked conspiracy mentation that proliferated aft nan 2020 statesmanlike predetermination and has now been revived by immoderate salient Republican figures.

"[There is] zero grounds of a instrumentality flipping an individual's vote," said Gabriel Sterling, a apical charismatic connected nan Georgia caput of state's office. "That declare was a dishonesty successful 2020 and it's a dishonesty now."

Sterling, successful his comments, called retired "certain congresspeople" -- appearing to reference Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who precocious pushed an unsubstantiated allegation that a Georgia resident's early ballot had been switched by a voting machine.

Greene, successful an question and reply and societal media post, shared an unidentified Whitfield County voter's declare that a voting instrumentality had printed their ballot pinch a different action than nan 1 they had made connected nan instrumentality -- a declare that section officials said was simply a lawsuit of quality error.

"Humans make mistakes. They're called mistakes for a reason," Sterling wrote successful a station connected X. "This rumor is human/user error, ever will be. Whitfield Co. handled it & elector voted."

In her tweet astir nan alleged incident, Greene told her followers to "please double cheque your printed ballot" earlier turning it in, and noted that "we ballot connected Dominion voting machines" -- a reference to nan voting instrumentality institution that was nan target of galore mendacious conspiracy theories successful 2020.

Greene pushed nan aforesaid claims successful an question and reply past week pinch conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, according to a clip posted online, claiming nan instrumentality "kept connected switching nan votes" of that voter.

"It sounds akin to what we heard successful 2020," Greene said of nan incident, which occurred successful her district, again noting Georgia's usage of Dominion machines.

Stickers beryllium connected a array connected nan first time of early voting connected Oct. 15, 2024 successful Atlanta, Georgia.

Megan Varner/Getty Images

X proprietor Elon Musk -- who, for illustration Greene, is simply a protagonist of erstwhile President Donald Trump -- made akin conspiracy mentation claims while speaking at a municipality hall successful Pennsylvania past week.

Dominion, successful nan aftermath of nan 2020 election, revenge a bid of defamation lawsuits aft it became nan halfway of a mendacious conspiracy mentation that voting machines had rigged nan predetermination successful favour of Joe Biden. Last twelvemonth nan institution settled its landmark defamation suit against Fox News for a $787 million. The different suits are still ongoing.

In a statement, Dominion pushed backmost connected Greene's caller claim.

"The mendacious declare that voting machines tin move votes has been many times debunked," a Dominion spokesperson said. "As some authorities and section predetermination authorities person confirmed, nan rumor successful Whitfield County was owed to elector error. The region provided nan elector pinch an opportunity to people and people a caller ballot pinch their correct choices and nan rumor was quickly resolved."

In a property release, nan Whitfield County Board of Elections said location was nary rumor pinch nan voting machine, and that this was "the only incident among complete 6,000 ballots cast."

"If we had logic to fishy that nan instrumentality was successful error, we would person instantly taken nan instrumentality retired of service," nan connection said. "No machines person been taken retired of service."

The connection noted that Georgia rule allows voters to void their printed ballot "if they make nan incorrect action connected nan ballot marking device."

Greene, responding to a abstracted Facebook station by nan predetermination board, thanked nan canvass workers for "resolving nan issues" and defended their work, penning that it is "not their fault."

"They don't make nan Georgia authorities predetermination laws and they are conscionable doing their jobs," Greene said of nan canvass workers.

Speaking astatine nan property convention connected Wednesday, Sterling said nan "main situation" they person encountered includes "elderly group whose hands shingle and they astir apt deed nan incorrect fastener somewhat and they didn't reappraisal their ballot decently earlier they printed it."

"Anyone claiming machines are flipping votes are lying aliases don't research," Sterling wrote successful a station connected X past week.