Fact Check: Will ballots marked by poll workers be disqualified in 2026 midterm elections?

WASHINGTON, DC: As early voting begins for the 2026 midterm elections, social media users are claiming that poll workers can disqualify ballots by marking them. However, some jurisdictions require poll workers to make certain marks on ballots, and election officials say these marks do not disqualify them.

Let's fact-check the viral claim and examine what election officials say about the practice.

Claim: Ballots marked by poll workers will be disqualified

Although the origin of the rumor remains unclear, posts claiming that poll workers can disqualify ballots by marking them have gone viral across social media platforms.

One X user shared a message allegedly received from a friend who had completed poll worker training. The post began, "A very reliable good friend of mine just finished the pollworker training, and she texted this to me ....."

The user then shared the alleged message, which stated, "Just finished Poll Manager training! I passed all the classes. I want you all to know something...when you are checking in at the polls and they happen to write anything on"

The post continued by warning voters about marks made on their ballots before they put them into voting machines. It listed examples such as letters, checkmarks, stars, or the letters "R" and "D" and advised voters to request a new ballot if they noticed any such marks.

The message claimed, "Your ballot will be disqualified if it is written on. Please be on the look out. Make sure poll workers."

The X user shared the rest of the message, which urged people to spread the warning.

It stated, "Do not write on your ballot. It will cause your ballot to be disqualified. Please forward this to everyone you know🙏🏾. Make sure poll workers do not write on your ballot. It will cause your ballot to be disqualified.😕 PassOn!"

Fact Check: False

The claim is false. Election officials say these marks help them process and identify ballots and do not automatically disqualify them.

Experts advise voters to check their local election rules and avoid making unnecessary marks on their ballots.

Pamela Smith, president and CEO of Verified Voting, a nonpartisan organization focused on election technology, urged voters to rely on official sources for accurate information.

She said, “I always like to say, get your facts straight from the source, and the source is your local election official,” adding, “Not your friends, cousin, uncle, on Facebook.”

Smith encouraged voters to check their local election officials' websites and social media accounts for guidance. She also suggested that voters ask poll workers why they made a particular mark if they have concerns.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections explains on its website that election workers may mark ballots for several reasons required by law.

The agency states that “election workers write on ballots for different reasons as required by law” and that “this in no way affects whether your ballot will be counted.”

For example, most counties instruct poll workers to write “P” for provisional or “A” for absentee in a box in the upper-left corner of a ballot. These markings help officials identify ballots that workers should place in sealed envelopes rather than feed into tabulators.

Officials may also add numbers to mail-in or early voting ballots so they can retrieve them if someone challenges them later. In some jurisdictions, poll workers write precinct names on ballots to help officials sort them after the election. Tennessee

Secretary of State Tre Hargett also addressed the viral claim in a statement. He clarified that “in Tennessee, a ballot is not disqualified simply because an election official or poll worker makes an administrative notation on it.” Hargett called the claim circulating online “incorrect.”