by WorldTribune Staff, November 3, 2024 Contract With Our Readers
An X user with the handle “Darth Caul” on Oct. 30 posted what was said to be a screenshot from a voting machine in Los Angeles County, California which did not list Donald Trump among the top four options for presidential candidates.
The screen showed the top four were Democrat Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz followed by independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein and their running mates.
The X user wrote: “If you wanted to vote [red] you had to click an extra button to even select the candidate on the Republican ticket.”
The post went viral on X, receiving over 7 million views.
“Darth Caul” also noted that he was not looked on kindly by workers at the polling station when he asked if he needed to show ID in order to vote.
The post was shared by Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who added: “In California, Trump/Vance is not on the first page of the ballot, but RFK still is even though he dropped out months ago!! CA voters have to click to move on to multiple pages to vote for Trump. This is ridiculous!!”
X user “American AF” also shared the photograph, commenting: “Donald Trump’s name doesn’t appear on the first screen as an option, on voting machines in California. You have to click ‘more’ options to be able to vote for him.” This post accumulated more than and 12 million views.
Urgent: Support Free Press Foundation
What does California have to say about it?
Don’t blame us, it’s all random.
According to the website of California Secretary of State Shirly Weber, who is responsible for overseeing the state’s elections, the ballot order is determined by letters being selected at random.
The website states: “On the 82nd day before an election, the Secretary of State conducts a randomized drawing of letters of the alphabet pursuant to California Elections Code section 13112. The resulting order of letters constitutes the ‘randomized alphabet’ to be used for determining the order of candidates’ names on the ballot.”
Uh-huh.
Weber’s office told Newsweek: “Misinformation has circulated on social media suggesting that Los Angeles County is making it difficult for voters to select Republican candidates. This claim is false. Los Angeles County’s Ballot Marking Devices are designed to display four selections per screen. If a contest has more than four candidates, voters are prompted to click ‘MORE’ to view all options. This feature ensures that all candidates are presented fairly and equally.
“The order of candidates on the ballot rotates by Assembly District based on random alphabetical draw. There are no issues with the Ballot Marking Devices or the ballot order.”
Just voted in California. Got dirty looks by the organizers when i asked if i needed to show my ID. If you wanted to vote 🔴 you had to click an extra button to even select the candidates on the Republican ticket, you had to click “more” to do so… pic.twitter.com/A9y8tHXAyU
— Darth Caul (@DarthCaul) October 30, 2024