Misinformation about Lee County voting machines is spreading across social media, causing some people to be concerned that their votes may not count.
With just two weeks to go until the election, a Facebook post claims that touch screens at polling locations are glitching and not recording intended votes.
NBC2 Chief Political Correspondent Dave Elias put the machines to the test, and he debunked the claims.
We were asked to choose a random touchscreen machine in operation at a busy polling location. Election officials set up the machine and provided a sample paper ballot, which was placed into the machine. A ballot style was chosen, and random candidates were chosen to see if the machine was working accurately. The claim on social media was that the machines weren't recognizing when someone selected certain races.
Although NBC2 did not encounter such an incident, Lee County Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle explained that the machines do contain a privacy screen that prevents anyone nearby from seeing the screen except the person using it, similar to a privacy screen protector some people place on their phones.
"That means you really have to be aggressive when you make your marks or punch your choice," Doyle said.
He was aware of social media claims about the machines not working properly, but he insisted there had not been one single official complaint brought to his attention.
"The end result is everybody got to vote the way they wanted to vote," Doyle stated.
Voters who used the machines said they had no problems.
"I had no issue whatsoever," Darrell Wilder said.
"I didn't have any problems. This was just an amazing experience," insisted republican voter Neil Volz.
While voters can make a mistake on their ballot, Florida law allows up to three ballots to get it right. The other two ballots containing mistakes are destroyed, and the third ballot is counted.
An NBC2 investigation reveals the machines are working accurately.