Dan Patrick debunks claims about Texas voting machines switching votes

Polling equipment during a public testing event at the Hays County election office on Sept. 18, 2024. (Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune)

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​Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick publicly debunked claims that voting machines in the state are changing the selections voters make.

Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump, whose father-in-law is GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, posted on social media that Texas had looked into claims about voting machines in Tarrant County switching voters' selections and the "error has been corrected with the voting machines."

[Here’s your ballot for the Nov. 5 Texas elections]

But Patrick, who is also a Republican, quickly corrected the national party leader on social media. The lieutenant governor said fewer than 10 people out of the nearly 7 million Texans who had already cast ballots across the state claimed that their selections were changed, but officials could not confirm a single instance of that happening.

"There were actually no errors to correct once we investigated those few cases," Patrick wrote on X.

Election Day is Tuesday.

One person out of 591,885 who had already cast ballots in Tarrant County claimed that the voting machine switched his selection for president from Donald Trump to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Tarrant is Texas’ most populous battleground county.

Tarrant County officials believe the man made the wrong selection while using the machine. His original ballot was canceled and he was allowed to cast a new one.

Lara Trump reposted Patrick's statement debunking claims about switched votes.

"We will keep a watchful eye on our elections," Patrick wrote in his post. "If you see anything concerning, call the Secretary of State office overseeing our elections."

The Secretary of State’s Office can be reached at 800-252-8683 or online.

​Disclosure: Texas Secretary of State has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.