Michigan Warns of Issue With Some Dominion Voting Machines

The Michigan Department of State is warning a programming issue with some machines made by Dominion Voting Systems will make casting a ballot “more inconvenient” for some voters.
Voters with disabilities and others in the battleground state can use Dominion Voter Assist Terminals (VATs) to help them mark their ballots.
People using the machines will have to carefully follow instructions to verify their ballot selections or they will receive an error message, the department said in a press release.
The error message comes up if a voter selects the “straight party” option at the start of the process but then casts their vote for candidates of different parties later on.
“Although the issue will not stop people from voting or making their preferred selections, and it will not change anyone’s votes, it will make the process more inconvenient for some voters using the VATs,” the department said.
The issue only affects voters in Michigan counties that use equipment from Dominion Voting Systems, the release said. Each early voting site and polling place in those counties has at least one VAT. A list of the voting equipment by county can be viewed on the department’s website here.
Newsweek has contacted the Michigan Department of State and Dominion for further comment via email.
Voters using VAT machines “will have to select either the ‘straight party’ option if they wish to vote straight ticket or vote for each race on the partisan selection of the ballot if they wish to split their ticket,” the department said.
“While this is the process used in some other states, it is not the standard in Michigan, where voters have the option to vote straight party but then override their party selection for individual races. If a voter using the Dominion VAT votes straight party but then splits their ticket, the voter will receive an error message,” it continued.
In that situation, they will “need to go back and deselect their straight-party selection and vote for candidates in the races individually or vote straight party without splitting their ticket. As is always the case, the VAT will allow voters to review their selections before printing the ballot,” the department said.
It added that it was not possible to fix the programming issue for the affected machines so close to Election Day, but that it would be corrected for future elections.
Dominion Voting Systems said in a statement on Wednesday that the Michigan Department of State “has confirmed there is no issue preventing any voters from voting or making their preferred selections and casting their paper ballot.”
At a press conference on Monday, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the issue was affecting Dominion VAT machines “nationwide.”
“I think all of us that use Dominion machines were unhappy to learn about this during the testing period and as early voting began,” she told reporters.
“We’re working with Dominion to seek accountability on that front and also are working with our clerks to ensure voters are aware of this programming issue that will require them to ensure they are voting every section on the ballot.”
But Dominion’s statement on Wednesday said Benson’s comment that there was a “nationwide issue” was a “false and misleading statement.”
The company “made multiple requests for corrective action from the Michigan Secretary of State’s office,” the statement said.
Dominion “has no machines in any other states that offer straight party voting options like the State of Michigan does, as referenced in [a] resource list issued by the National Conference of State Legislatures,” it added.
The company said that the Michigan Department of State and Bureau of Elections had since updated its website to affirm the issue only affects Michigan.
“Dominion has explained that this programming issue only affects Dominion VAT users in Michigan,” the department’s website says.
Dominion filed several defamation lawsuits against those who promoted conspiracy theories blaming the company’s equipment for Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.
Fox News agreed to settle the most prominent of these cases for $787 million last year.