No, small dot next to Kamala Harris’ name on ballot does not void the vote

Context

As voting began in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, a screenshot of a ballot showing a small dot inside the selection box next to Vice President Kamala Harris' name is circulating online. Some X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok users claim the dot is evidence of foul play or that using the dotted ballot means the vote could be void. 

Archived versions of the post can be found here, here, here, and here. 

Although many of the posts do not show the location of the incident, the screenshot shared in the posts cites Laurel County, which is located in Kentucky. The screenshot claims that voters have reported several incidents where the dot appears on in-person and mail-in ballots. Earlier posts sharing the screenshot also specify the location as Kentucky. 

An X user shared the image with the caption, "Kentucky are trying to hijack the election results by adding small dots in the Kamala box. If you select Trump, this will make your vote invalid. But if you select Kamala, this will make the dots irrelevant." Another X user shared the screenshot with the caption, "Weird ballot shenanigans happening in Kentucky." An archive version of the post can be found here. The post has reached over five million X users. 

However, the Kentucky Board of Elections has not filed any incidents of pre-printed dots in the ballots, and a pre-dotted ballot would not make the vote invalid.  

In fact

We contacted the Kentucky State Board of Elections, which directed us to its statement from November 4 addressing the online claims.

According to the statement, "As of today, the State Board of Elections, nor the Attorney General's office, has been made aware of any complaints from Kentucky voters regarding mail-in absentee ballots having pre-printed marks in candidate selection fields."

In addition, Kentucky officials have not found any evidence to support the claim that a small dot would have been pre-printed on the ballot. "As no one has presented a pre-marked ballot to election administrators or law enforcement, the claim that at least one ballot may have had a pre-printed mark in Kentucky, currently only exists in the vacuum of social media," the Kentucky State Board of Elections affirmed in its statement. Michael Adams, the Kentucky Secretary of State, also refuted the claim in his X post. 

Moreover, the Kentucky State Board of Elections refuted claims that a dot next to the selection box would void the vote or turn it in favor of another candidate. The board said, "Whether they are using a paper mail-in absentee ballot or an in-person paper ballot, Kentucky law allows voters to register their vote should a situation like the one alleged on social media involving a pre-marked ballot actually exist."

Our Google search of pre-printed dots in ballots yielded no results from reputable sources. 

Upon request, the Kentucky State Board of Elections sent us the instructions to mail-in absentee voters, also cited in the statement. 

Screenshot of the instructions sent to mail-in absentee voters in Kentucky. (Source: The Kentucky State Board of Elections/Modified by Logically Facts)

According to these instructions, voters are informed that "if more than one candidate choice is marked in ink, the ballot will be counted if the voter circles their preferred choice." If a "pre-printed mark" is inside the candidate selection field during in-person voting, the voter is entitled to spoil the ballot and receive a new one. 

Therefore, even if a dot appeared next to the ballot's selection box, it would not mean the vote was void. 

The claim appears to originate from a Facebook post published on November 3. The post does not offer any further information as to the location of the ballots beyond what was already shared by other online users. The post has since been deleted but is available on AFP's fact-check of the same claim. 

The verdict

Local officials in Kentucky found no evidence of pre-printed dots in ballots; neither would such pre-marked ballots lead to the vote being void. Voters are entitled to a new ballot if they received one with an error. Therefore, we marked the claim as misleading. 

Follow Logically Facts' coverage and fact-checking of the U.S. Election 2024 here.