A widespread issue exists where ballot machines made by Dominion Voting Systems are telling voters in Cook County, Illinois, who choose Republican candidates in the 2026 midterm elections that “people are not typically choosing this person.”
- Social media users are circulating a TikTok video featuring a Cook County, Illinois resident who alleged she saw a prompt reading, “People are not typically voting for this person,” while selecting a Republican judicial candidate.
- Although online posts imply this is a widespread phenomenon, no other voters have reported a similar experience, and official records show zero Republican judicial candidates on the 2026 Cook County ballot.
- Bipartisan local election officials have strongly dismissed the allegations, with the Cook County Clerk’s Office confirming that—out of more than 54,000 early votes already cast—no other complaints regarding this supposed glitch have been filed.
- In a subsequent video, the woman stated she would remove her initial post to prevent the spread of misinformation, admitting that she was mistaken about the presence of judicial candidates, though she maintained she saw a notification labeling her chosen candidate as unpopular.
- Evidence suggests the voter likely misinterpreted a standard “undervote” warning designed to alert users when they have skipped available candidate selections. Investigators have reached out to the individual for further comment.
As early voting kicked off for the 2026 midterms, online rumors began swirling about alleged voter interference in Cook County, Illinois.
Platforms like Facebook, X, and YouTube shared a TikTok clip of a local woman claiming that a voting machine generated a pop-up warning stating, “People are not typically choosing this person!” when she tried to vote for a Republican judicial candidate. The equipment involved was manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems—a company that has previously faced unfounded accusations regarding vote manipulation. (The firm was later acquired by a former Republican official.)
Public candidate lists confirm that there are no Republican judicial candidates running in heavily Democratic Cook County this cycle. Local officials from both major parties have firmly debunked the assertions made in the viral video.
Because there is no proof of widespread interference matching the user’s account, investigators have rated the claim
The user subsequently posted a lower-profile follow-up video (archived) under her account name, @bauerbabe21, stating she “wasn’t trying to be deceitful” and would delete the original post to halt the spread of misinformation. While she conceded error regarding the judicial contest, she insisted the notification had appeared during a different candidate selection.
Industry context reveals that former Republican election official Scott Leiendecker purchased Dominion Voting Systems in 2025, rebranding it as “Liberty Vote.” A Liberty Vote representative pointed inquiries toward the Cook County Clerk’s official statement, which characterized the viral video as “false and misleading.”
Bipartisan Officials Respond to Allegations
Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon, a Democrat, addressed the situation directly in a Facebook post, clarifying how the voting systems operate:
The facts: Voting equipment does not tell voters which candidates are more popular, nor does it discourage voters from selecting any particular candidate.
The equipment may display a notification if a voter leaves a contest blank or does not make all available selections (an undervote).
This standard ballot-review feature gives voters an opportunity to review their ballot and confirm that it reflects their intentions before casting it.
The choice is always yours. Voters are free to select the candidates of their choice or leave any individual contest blank.
The Cook County Clerk’s Office takes election integrity seriously. Claims that voting equipment attempts to influence voters are false and misleading.
Frank Herrera, a representative for the Clerk’s Office, reinforced these points in an email:
“This is the only report of this type that has been brought to the Clerk’s Office attention in a jurisdiction with nearly 1.8 million registered voters,” Herrera stated. “With more than 54,000 Early Voting ballots already cast, the Clerk’s Office has received no similar reports. The absence of any similar reports further undermines this false claim.”
The individual in the original video identified herself as a resident of Streamwood, a Cook County township. Aris Garcia, the Streamwood
I am aware of the claims circulating regarding an alleged message displayed on a voting machine in Streamwood.
We have attempted to recreate the reported message and were unable to reproduce the experience described. It is also important to clarify that there are no Republican judicial candidates on the ballot in Cook County for the November 3, 2026 election. Therefore, the claim that she selected a Republican judicial candidate is inconsistent with the ballot.
The integrity of our elections is fundamental, and it is important that concerns regarding election procedures are taken seriously.
I encourage anyone who experiences an issue while voting to report it immediately to an election judge or the Cook County Clerk’s Election Division.
Voter Acknowledges Misstatements
In her subsequent video, the woman shared communication from an anonymous Streamwood Township worker who suggested she may have seen a prompt while voting for Republican candidates running for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board of Commissioners, which oversees local wastewater and flood management.
While the insider reiterated that systems trigger “undervote” alerts when users fail to maximize their selections, the voter disputed that explanation.
“I feel guilty that I said the wrong thing,” she remarked in the clip (at 3:42). “Even though I know I was wrong, I know for a fact that message still appeared…my kids were moving around, there was an election judge trying to talk to my kids, I was super haywire. I read it though, and it said, ‘fewer people’ or ‘less people’ voted for this candidate.”
However, her initial footage shows the notification disappearing once she checked all three Republican options—consistent with behavior triggered by an undervote warning, which she likely misinterpreted amidst a distracting environment (at 1:15).
Cook County Equipment Verification Protocols
Skepticism surrounding voting hardware frequently overlooks the rigorous validation processes mandated by authorities at every level of government.
Across Illinois, all voting systems must be “tested and approved by both an independent voting system testing laboratory (VSTL) and by the State Board of Elections’ team of election specialists.” Additionally, state law requires public trials of voting equipment at least five days prior to Election Day, offering access to “representatives of the political parties, the press, representatives of the State Board and the public.”
For the upcoming general election, Cook County’s public testing sessions are scheduled for October 27.
For further analysis on machine-related conspiracy theories, consult our previous reporting addressing false claims that tabulation devices intentionally alter candidate choices.