Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Monday issued a warning that voters using Dominion voting terminals on Election Day should be prepared to experience glitches when casting their ballots.
Benson said that split-ticket voters — those who vote for candidates from different political parties in the same election — using a Dominion ICX Voter Assist Terminal (VAT) on Election Day should be prepared for straight-ticket/split-ticket programming glitches when marking their ballot.
“Yeah, this is a nationwide issue with Dominion voter access terminals in, in the counties that use them in the voter access terminals,” Benson said during a press conference. “Of course, not all the machines, just the ones that are accessible, have an issue. With the straight-party voting and a programming issue, that’s again affected the machines nationwide.”
DOMINION.🚨
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) October 30, 2024
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announces a *NATIONWIDE* issue affecting certain Dominion voting machines.
Benson said that split-ticket voters using a Dominion ICX Voter Assist Terminal (VAT) on Election Day should "be prepared for straight-ticket/split-ticket… pic.twitter.com/QGIVCHt8w6
Benson then said she was “unhappy” to learn that the Dominion voting machines actually contained flaws.
“I think all of us who used Dominion machines were unhappy to learn about this during the testing period and as early voting began, so we’re working with Dominion to seek accountability on that front, and also are working with our clerks to ensure voters are aware of this programming issue that will require them to ensure they are voting every section on the ballot,” she said.
A VAT is a special type of device that people with disabilities may use to assist with marking their ballot, which is then printed from the machine and put through the tabulator.
“If a VAT user votes straight party and then splits their ticket, they will receive an error message, but will have the chance to fix it and still cast a ballot,” WOOD TV 8 reported.
The Department of State said the problem cannot be fixed in time for Election Day, but will be corrected for future elections.
This comes a week after Dominion Voting Systems issued a post on X threatening legal action against anybody who questions the accuracy of its equipment regarding the 2024 election.
“Dominion is closely monitoring claims around the Nov. 2024 election and strongly encourages use of verified, credible sources of info. We remain fully prepared to defend our company and our customers against lies and those who spread them.”
Dominion is closely monitoring claims around the Nov. 2024 election and strongly encourages use of verified, credible sources of info. We remain fully prepared to defend our company & our customers against lies and those who spread them. Get the facts: https://t.co/5EzrG8vIlT.
— Dominion Voting (@dominionvoting) October 19, 2024
It remains to be seen if the company will sue Sec. Benson in light of her remarks.
In other Michigan news, thousands of ballots from overseas voters will arrive 6 days after the polls close Nov. 5 and be counted in Michigan, provided they are postmarked before Election Day, raising concerns over election integrity in the crucial swing state.
The Democratic National Committee estimates there are more than 1.6 million Americans living abroad eligible to vote in swing states this cycle.
Watch Mich. Sec. of State Benson’s press conference:
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