On June 11, a week after Puerto Rico’s primary election, the elections commission reported issues with Dominion Voting Systems, renewing concerns over election integrity. Hundreds of errors were noted by the commission just months before the United States’ presidential election, where 40% of Americans are expected to use Dominion machines.
According to the elections commission, Dominion voting machines produced inaccurate vote totals due to a “software issue.” These errors were seen in both gubernatorial and mayoral races. The machine-counted votes were lower than the paper ballot counts. Some machines reversed vote totals while others reported zero votes for certain candidates. The commission is reviewing its contract with Dominion, which ends this month, following these discrepancies.
Over 6,000 Dominion machines were used in the primary election and hundreds were audited after the reported software error.
Despite the errors, no official or politician is contesting the results, affirming their legitimacy. However, the vice president of Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives has called on the election commission’s president to address these issues publicly.
Additionally, prominent figures like Elon Musk and U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have expressed concerns. Kennedy tweeted about the need for paper ballots to avoid electronic interference, a sentiment Musk echoed, warning of the hacking risks associated with electronic voting machines.
Following the 2020 presidential election, Dominion was involved in high-profile defamation lawsuits against Fox News, Newsmax, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and others. The company said on its website that misinformation has severely damaged its reputation and the credibility of U.S. elections. Dominion continues to seek redress through the judicial system, as detailed on its website.
Public opinion on election security is divided along political lines. A recent poll from the University of South Florida shows 54% of Republicans have low confidence in the fairness of this year’s elections, while 90% of Democrats report having “some” or “a lot” of confidence
As the U.S. presidential election approaches, the integrity and reliability of voting systems remain a crucial issue, with ongoing debates about the best methods to ensure fair and secure elections.
