Fact check: No, the US Senate race in Illinois wasn’t swayed by 'corrupt' voting machines

Chris Mueller, USA TODAY
·5 min read
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The claim: 'Corrupt electronic voting machines'gave Tammy Duckworth a vote spike, helping her win reelection

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth prevailed in her midterm race in Illinois, defeating Republican Kathy Salvi. Some social media users, though, are claiming the incumbent Duckworth was aided by a sudden surge of votes from "corrupt" voting machines.

"BREAKING! Million vote spike and the only explanation is corrupt electronic voting machines," reads a Nov. 8 Facebook post by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has been a frequent purveyor of baseless voter fraud claims.

The post was shared more than 200 times in less than a day, while an identical Instagram post accumulated nearly 15,000 likes.

But Lindell is wrong.

An Illinois election official said there is no evidence any voting machines were compromised. All of the state's election equipment is tested for accuracy before the election, and there are strict security protocols for that equipment and the ballots.

During the vote-counting process, election officials typically release unofficial results to the media periodically in batches, which can create sudden shifts in vote counts. But a USA TODAY review of election night tallies from the Associated Press shows no such voting spike in the Illinois senate race.

USA TODAY reached out to Lindell for comment.

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AP election data shows no 'million vote spike'

The chart displayed alongside Lindell in the post shows Duckworth’s vote count suddenly increasing for about 30 minutes before dropping back down. But AP election data used by media outlets around the country show no such spike occurred.

The AP data captured at 15-minute intervals by USA TODAY on election night shows a steady increase in Duckworth’s tally, and at no point does her tally drop. There’s also no “million vote spike,” as the largest change over any 15-minute span is 359,000 votes.

Matt Dietrich, a spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Elections, told USA TODAY he had "no idea" where Lindell’s chart came from.

"There is no credibility to any claim of 'corrupt' voting machines in Illinois," he said.

Dietrich said that all the election equipment used in Illinois is required by law to undergo pre-election testing, including a public test to ensure every ballot is counted accurately.

There is more testing after the election when the state conducts a 5% statewide random recount to check the accuracy of the vote count, Dietrich said. There are strict security protocols for the handling of all ballots and voting equipment.

Duckworth's race was called minutes after the polls closed, and Salvi, a personal injury attorney, has conceded.

While there was no "million vote spike" in Duckworth's race, it isn't unusual for there to be sudden changes in unofficial vote totals as election officials finish tallying large blocks of ballots.

Kristen Muthig, director of communications for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, told Reuters that unofficial election results are "typically reported in batches" and can include ballots from early voting, mail-in or absentee voting, in-person voting and more.

Similar 'vote spike' claims debunked after 2020 election

The claim that electronic machines gave Duckworth a "vote spike" is similar to debunked claims of fraudulent vote spikes during ballot counting for the 2020 election.

In 2020, Wisconsin’s vote tally jumped overnight when officials finished counting the city of Milwaukee’s absentee ballots, flipping the state in President Joe Biden’s favor. The increase led to baseless claims of fraud, but it was the result of legitimate votes being counted late into the night, as election officials had predicted before the election.

There were similar claims made that year in Georgia, where a burst pipe briefly interrupted vote counting, prompting false claims that a large dump of votes for Biden took place while officials were evacuated.

In Michigan, a typographical error at the county level in 2020 led to a sudden increase in votes for Biden. The mistake was quickly corrected but still led to false claims of fraud.

Lead Stories has also debunked the claim.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that "corrupt electronic voting machines" gave Duckworth a vote spike, helping her win reelection. A review of Associated Press election data showed no such vote spike took place. An Illinois election official said there was “no credibility” to the claim about the state’s voting machines. The unofficial results of races are typically reported in batches, which can lead to sudden changes in vote tallies as ballots are counted.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, Illinois race not swayed by ‘corrupt’ voting machines