A TikTok viewed millions of times by a voter who said her ballot was rejected in her “first year voting Republican” has led to misleading claims in a series of viral social media posts.
The video, taken from the TikTok account @herembodiedlove and shared widely on X, formerly Twitter, showed a woman saying their mail-in ballot was rejected, adding that she found out “because the Democratic Party called me.” The video included the subtitle “I’m actually scared,” with some versions of the clip showing her saying, “OK, well, the fix is in.”
Conservative social media accounts began sharing the video on Tuesday, attracting millions of views.
Entrepreneur Mario Nawfal, who has shared other misleading claims investigated by Newsweek, wrote on X, “NEVADA DEM VOTER REVEALS BALLOT REJECTED AFTER SWITCHING TO REPUBLICAN.”
Another post by the account Insurrection Barbie, viewed 15.7 million times, said: “She has always voted by mail in Nevada as a Democrat and has never had a single problem. This year she mailed in her ballot, but voted Republican for the first time ever, and her ballot was rejected.”
A similar post by Collin Rugg, the founder of the conservative outlet Trending Politics, was viewed 290,000 times.
Hannah Beier/Getty Images
Comments under the video accused the Democrats of cheating, but as Newsweek discovered, the situation appears to have been resolved, and some of its allegations questioned.
As could be seen in the video by @herembodiedlove, who said on TikTok they were based in California, not Nevada, their ballot was listed as “Curable,” meaning it had “been rejected due to missing signature or signature mismatch.”
While the original TikTok is no longer on the platform, @herembodiedlove posted a follow-up explaining how the issue has been dealt with since.
In the follow-up, she said she had contacted local election officials who told her to “come down to the county right now and…sign that form in person with a wet signature.”
After seeing their original, she said she noticed “a slight mismatch” and hoped the change “takes care of the situation.”
Newsweek reached out to @herembodiedlove via a website form attached to her TikTok account for comment.
A spokesperson for the California secretary of state told Newsweek that if voters receive notifications about an issue with their ballot, such as a missing or incomparable signature, they can correct or “cure” their ballot to ensure it’s counted.
Guidance provided to Newsweek by the spokesperson said voters in this situation should take the following steps:
1. Review the Notification: If you receive a notice from your county elections office regarding a problem with your ballot, carefully read the instructions provided.
2. Complete the Required Form: Fill out the form provided, which allows you to verify your identity and confirm your ballot.
3. Return Promptly: Submit the completed form to your county elections office by the deadline specified in the notification. This can often be done by mail, in person, or electronically, depending on your county’s procedures.”
A step-by-step guide to the procedure can be found on the California Secretary of State’s website.
However, the claim from the woman in the video that she was contacted by the Democrats has been brought into question.
Robin Swanson, spokesperson for the California Democratic Party, told Newsweek “Local county election officials are responsible for processing ballots and reporting results.
“The California Democratic Party has no role in this process.”
The video arguably hinted at a connection between voting Republican and a ballot being rejected, which may have been why it attracted as many views as it did in just over a day. The other social media posts have not been altered or updated to reflect the follow-up on TikTok.
Conservatives have been vigilant about election processes in this year’s election after years of former President Donald Trump falsely claiming that he lost the 2020 presidential race. Trump supporters have filed challenges in Pennsylvania targeting individuals who forwarded their mail without updating voter registration and U.S. citizens overseas who, under federal law, are limited to voting in federal races, such as those for president and Congress.
Election officials will now have to decide on each voter’s eligibility during hearings that could extend well past Election Day.