Starlink did not impact voting machines in 2024 U.S. election, experts say

Context

Following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, social media posts have circulated false claims that Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by SpaceX and led by Elon Musk, was linked to voting tabulation machines.

The claims suggested that Starlink's involvement might have compromised vote counts and jeopardized election security. The assertion quickly gained traction online, with many users implying that this connection presented a possible avenue for election manipulation.

One example includes a TikTok video (archived here) that received over 40,000 likes and more than 3,100 shares. The video asserts that Starlink was used to upload election results to the main election board.

Additionally, a widely circulated tweet (archived here), which received over 2.2 million views, speculated that Starlink was connected to voting machines in California and swing states, suggesting potential election interference.

In fact

While Starlink did improve communication capabilities in some areas of the United States during the election, there is no evidence it has compromised the integrity of voting processes. Importantly, the use of Starlink does not imply that U.S. voting systems used for casting or counting votes were connected to the internet.

During the 2024 presidential election, California's Tulare County experienced significant improvements in connectivity thanks to Starlink. In an ABC30 article, the registrar of Voters, Michelle Baldwin, noted, "We purchased Starlink for our sites, so as far as the connectivity, that worked was awesome."

Similarly, Arizona's Secretary of State's office piloted Starlink systems in Coconino, Apache, and Navajo Counties to support electronic poll book (ePollbook) synchronization, enhancing connectivity in underserved regions and ensuring efficient voter check-ins.

"Starlink is a low-earth orbiting group of thousands of communications satellites, providing internet access to those who have the necessary receiver kit. Other means of internet communication include wired such as cable networks, other satellite networks, and mobile networks, to name a few. Starlink provided connectivity in a number of jurisdictions for electronic poll books (EPBs) in this election," a representative for Verified Voting, a nonprofit organization that promotes the responsible use of technology in U.S. elections, explained to Logically Facts.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission defines ePollbooks as tools used for automating voter check-in, assigning correct ballot styles, and marking voters who have received a ballot. These systems streamline the voting process and maintain accurate records but do not handle vote transmission or counting.

The Verified Voting representative emphasized, "Most votes are tallied on scanners that don't have internet connections, and then election officials use memory cards to transfer the results to the central tabulator. The scanners also produce printed records of their vote totals prior to transmittal. Most states, including all the so-called swing states, use paper ballots or records that voters can verify and routinely examine some of these ballots by hand to check the counts."

"Our elections produce huge quantities of physical evidence. A satellite system like Starlink cannot steal that," he added.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) also confirmed that most U.S. voting systems are not connected to the internet during elections. This safeguard is specifically designed to prevent remote tampering or external interference.

Misinformation surrounding voting technology is not a new phenomenon. Similar claims have been debunked following past elections. For example, after the 2020 U.S. presidential election, conspiracy theories alleged that Dominion Voting Systems' machines were manipulated to favor Joe Biden. These claims were thoroughly investigated and found to be baseless. CISA stated at the time, "There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised."

Logically Facts contacted Starlink to address these allegations but has not yet received a response.

The verdict

The claim that Starlink was used to compromise the 2024 U.S. presidential election by connecting to voting tabulation machines is false. Election officials and independent experts confirm that U.S. voting systems are not connected to the internet, and there is no credible evidence that Starlink had any role in vote counting or transmission.

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