Conservative and right-wing pundits on Twitter have a new reason why President Donald Trump is losing in Arizona to Democratic nominee Joe Biden: Sharpies. Yes, sharpies.
Unfortunately, the desperate play to save a state already called for former Vice President Joe Biden was debunked back in October.
Conservative pundit Matt Schlapp wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning, “Apparently the use of sharpie pens in GOP precincts is causing ballots to be invalidated. Could be huge numbers of mostly Trump supporters.”
Many other conservative pundits jumped in as well, saying that strategically placed Sharpies were given out in order to dupe Republicans into getting their vote canceled.
Evidence to suggest using Sharpies invalidates ballots is thin, while one county in Arizona has made clear such a claim is blatantly false.
Officials in Maricopa County, Arizona came out and said that the claim is false, adding that Sharpie markers can be used without any bleed-through concerns.
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs also said on Wednesday morning that ballots can be marked with Sharpie markers, and will be counted.
Maricopa County—where Trump surrogates are claiming late votes breaking for him will be invalidated because of ink—even put out a video.
On Oct. 24.
The video addressed the use of Sharpies and noted that bleed-through was not a concern given both the county’s scanners and the design of the ballot.
With tensions running high and vote totals close in the state, the rumor has been amplified on Twitter—with claims of Sharpies causing havoc spreading like wildfire.
Turning Point USA’s COO Tyler Bowyer even went as far as to say that the “entire AZ election is in question.”
It seems unlikely, though, this will be the decisive argument they are hoping for.
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