Sharpie pens invalidated Trump votes in Arizona
| Sharpie pens invalidated Trump votes in Arizona | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "Poll workers handed Trump voters Sharpies so their ballots would be rejected by the tabulators." | |
| Domain | Politics & Elections |
| Tactic | Conspiracy Theory Fabrication |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2020 |
| Origin | Social media posts and activists in Maricopa County, Arizona, November 2020 ("Sharpiegate") |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-03 |
| Further reading: books on Politics & Elections | |
The claim that Sharpie pens invalidated Trump votes in Arizona spread within days of the November 2020 election, alleging that Maricopa County voters were given felt-tip markers that the scanners could not read.
What the evidence shows
- Sharpies are permitted. Maricopa County election officials said the markers were fine to use and that the ballots were printed so ink would not bleed through to cause misreads.
- Ballots with marker ink were counted. Any ballot a machine could not read was sent to adjudication, where a bipartisan team determined the voter's intent.
- No disenfranchisement was found. The Arizona Attorney General's office reviewed hundreds of complaints about the pens and did not find voters had been disenfranchised.
Why it persists
The idea is concrete and easy to picture, and any real instance of a rejected ballot could be cited as proof.
Lessons for readers
- A specific, vivid object (a pen) makes a claim feel investigated even when it has not been.
- Ask what the official process is for a ballot the machine rejects.
See also
Sources
- Maricopa County Board of Supervisors statements, November 2020.
- Arizona Attorney General's Office, review of 2020 election complaints.