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| - FACT CHECK: Does a Michigan Data Report Show Election Fraud Through Multiple Votes by a Single Voter?
Viral social media posts claim that a Michigan voter was recorded as having voted 29 times in the 2024 election.
After reviewing the Qualified Voter File (QVF) of votes actually cast as of yesterday, Oct 29, 2024, the database identifies 114,545 Michigan voters who have cast 279,113 ballots from multiple addresses across the state. This results in 164,568 excess ballots as of 10/29/2024.… pic.twitter.com/AJjsB7yVkK
— Matthew S. DePerno, Esq. (@mdeperno) October 30, 2024
Verdict: Misleading
Michigan election officials and the Republican National Committee (RNC) confirmed that the report displayed a formatting error, not voter fraud. The issue was corrected, and no extra votes were counted due to the glitch.
Fact Check:
Former President Donald Trump won the state of Michigan during the 2024 presidential election Nov. 5, being one of six states he flipped, according to The New York Times. Trump won the state by approximately 80,000 votes.
Matt DePerno, a former Michigan attorney general candidate alleged that the database duplications resulted in over 164,000 “excess ballots.” DePerno has previously faced legal issues related to election integrity, having been charged in 2023 with illegally accessing voting machines in Michigan.
The image shows Michigan’s Qualified Voter File (QVF) listing a single voter ID associated with multiple addresses, each marked as voting on October 25, 2024. The unusual format led some to believe the same voter cast multiple ballots.
However, Michigan election officials and the RNC have refuted this interpretation, stating that the numerous entries were due to a “data formatting error rather than actual voting irregularities.” On Oct. 30, the Michigan Secretary of State’s office responded to the circulating posts, clarifying their official website that the error stemmed from the data report’s export formatting, not multiple ballots cast.
“Each of these voters only had one vote recorded for this election,” the department clarified in an email to Reuters on November 6, confirming that the export issue had since been resolved. (RELATED: No, Folded Ballots Were Not Rendered Void in Wisconsin)
Lara Trump, co-chair of the RNC, also addressed the claims on X, confirming that their election integrity team had investigated the reports. She posted, “We immediately investigated and have CONFIRMED that it was a glitch in the system – these duplicates were not and WILL NOT BE COUNTED. We are on it and protecting the vote!”
In addition, Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson cautioned against “bad actors” using minor technical errors to spread misinformation. She noted, “Don’t buy into their attempts to create chaos, confusion, and fear.”
This is not the first time Check Your Fact has brought to attention misinformation circulating on social media regarding the elections.
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