Did using Sharpie pens invalidate Illinois voters’ ballots on Election Day? Multiple posts circulating on Twitter and Instagram claim that’s the case.
"Election Alerts: LaGrange Precinct 89 voters report sharpies being used on ballots, which isn't allowed," tweeted conservative Twitter account Awake Illinois. "NO SHARPIES ON BALLOTS."
LaGrange is a Chicago suburb in Cook County.
In a separate video that's part of a Nov. 7 Instagram post, a woman also argues against using Sharpie pens when voting.
The Instagram post was flagged as part of Instagram’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
People pushing the claim that permanent markers (Sharpie namely) are not permitted in the voting booth say that the ink sometimes bleeds through the paper ballot and renders it invalid.
Not so, Illinois elections officials said.
Cook County Clerk’s Office Communications Director Frank Herrera told PolitiFact that not only are Sharpie markers acceptable to use when casting ballots, they’re largely the preferred means for filling in ballots during in-person voting.
"Sharpie markers are the industry-recommended ballot marking devices that are used across the nation for purposes of ballot machine scans because they dry almost instantly, while ballpoint pens and pencils may smear on the ballot or the optical ballot scanner," Herrera said.
Herrera added: "If there is...
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