FACT CHECK: Viral Instagram Video Claims Schaumburg, Illinois Is Not Recording Votes

A viral video shared on Instagram claims Schaumburg, Illinois is not recording votes.

Verdict: False

According to the Daily Herald, a ballot scanner in Schaumburg, Illinois temporarily broke, and ballots were placed in a locked box, as is proper protocol, until the scanner was restored.

Fact Check:

More registered Republicans than registered Democrats have voted in Arizona, Nevada, and North Carolina, according to Bloomberg, which cited publicly available state data. Ahead of the Nov. 5 election, the polls show a tight race between 2024 Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and 2024 Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump, the outlet reported.

The Instagram video, which has received over 3,000 likes as of writing, claims Schaumburg, Illinois is not recording votes.

“Well, so much for early voting,” the man featured in the Instagram video says. “Their scanner’s broken, and they said, don’t worry. We’ll just put it in the box, and we’ll make sure we scan them all tonight, uh, when everybody leaves. And I said, ‘No, I’ll come back another day,’” he adds.

“Here We Go Again Schaumburg, Illinois Not Recording Votes, Just putting votes ‘in a box,’” the video’s caption reads in part.

The claim is false. Citing the Cook County Clerk’s Office, the Daily Herald reported that a scanner temporarily broke at an early voting site in Schaumburg but was restored by the afternoon. The ballots were stored in a locked box, according to protocol, while the scanner was down, the outlet indicated.

Frank Herrera, director of communications at the Cook County Clerk’s Office, told the Daily Herald that “voting was not affected by the issue.” Herrera also explained more about the protocol that is followed when a ballot scanner is not working properly.

“As is protocol when there is an issue with the ballot scanner, all ballots are placed in the Alternate Ballot Box — a locked box within the VSC (Voter Supply Carrier) where ballots are stored — until the scanner can be fixed,” Herrera said, the outlet indicated.

Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting Schaumburg, Illinois is not recording votes. In fact, the opposite is true. On Oct. 24, PolitiFact debunked the claim, referencing the same article from the Daily Herald. According to Politifact, the claim originally circulated on TikTok. (RELATED: Video Showing Bucks County Election Worker Ripping Up Ballots Is Fake)

Check Your Fact has contacted the Cook County Clerk’s Office for comment.

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