Voting goes mostly smoothly on Election Day as baseless fraud claims swirl

State and local elections officials said Tuesday’s voting in the midterm elections went smoothly overall, with a few isolated problems reported, including in the key swing state of Arizona where issues with voting machines sparked baseless claims about fraud.

In Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous, Republicans filed a lawsuit seeking to keep polls open three hours after they were scheduled to close, claiming there were excessive delays and long lines due to ballot tabulator malfunctions. A county judge, however, denied the request, saying that while some voters may have been confused or faced difficulties, he “does not have any evidence” voters were unable to vote.

Maricopa County officials said tabulators had tech issues in about 20% of its voting locations. Maricopa County chairman Bill Gates and recorder Stephen Richer advised voters experiencing issues to put their ballots inside a secure box attached to the tabulators and assured they would be counted by bipartisan vote counters after polls close.

“There was no one who came today with a valid ID who was turned away from the polls,” Gates told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “Even when we had this [issue] and we hadn’t figured out the solution, people were still able to vote. It was just a matter of maybe not voting in the way they wanted to.”

But the tabulator problems were baselessly played up as signs of voter fraud in right-wing media, including by Donald Trump Jr., after a post showed an election worker in the Phoenix suburb of Anthem explaining the problem to voters.

Election officials have particularly faced newfound pressures from the conspiratorial right. Led by former President Donald Trump, a growing number of Republican politicians have attacked the legitimacy of the vote and repeated false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. On Tuesday, Trump and his allies were quick to launch similar baseless attacks.

“Same thing is happening with Voter Fraud as happened in 2020???” Trump wrote Tuesday afternoon on his Truth Social platform. Trump also amplified a false claim about voter fraud in Michigan through his social media.

There was no evidence of widespread or outcome-changing voter fraud in the 2020 election, and there was no early sign on Tuesday of any significant voter fraud in the 2022 midterms. Voter fraud typically represents a tiny fraction of ballots cast in US elections.

In addition to the conspiracies about vote tabulators in Maricopa County, Charlie Kirk, the founder of right-wing group Turning Point USA, falsely tweeted there was a “2 hour wait minimum” at most polling places in the county. Maricopa County debunked the claim, and the county’s online wait-time tracker showed dozens of polling locations had waits of under five minutes.

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 03: Voters fill out mail-in ballots at the Board of Elections office in the Allegheny County Office Building on November 3, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania voters will be going to the polls on November 9 to decide on a new governor and US Senator to represent the state. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

2022 midterm election results

State and local officials and voting rights advocates have raised the alarm that the political attacks, including a marked rise in threats of violence against election workers, have sparked an exodus of local elections officials in charge of the vote.

Among the most serious issues was in a suburb of Milwaukee, where a 38-year-old man was arrested after threatening voters with a knife, briefly forcing one polling place to close.

The man demanded that staff “stop the voting,” the West Bend Police Department said in a statement. He was arrested without incident and no injuries were reported, police said.

Despite these concerns, the vast majority of the tens of millions who cast ballots on Tuesday will do so without issue, in an election where early voting has been ahead of 2018 levels. Roughly 8 in 10 of voters in this year’s midterms said they were at least somewhat confident that elections in their state are being conducted fairly and accurately, according to the preliminary national results of the exit poll conducted for CNN and other news networks by Edison Research.

While multiple states reported attempted cyberattacks on their websites on Election Day – including a “sustained outage” of a website in Mississippi – none of the hacks have prevented anyone from voting, federal officials told reporters Tuesday evening.

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis celebrates onstage during his 2022 U.S. midterm elections night party in Tampa, Florida, U.S., November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello

Takeaways from the 2022 midterm elections

“What we are seeing are things that we usually see on Election Day,” said Susannah Goodman, director of election security at Common Cause. “Sometimes voters are going in and one of the voting machines isn’t working, or lines are a little longer.”

Secretaries of state reported few problems. “I would say this was a very smooth election,” Virginia Elections Commissioner Susan Beals told reporters Tuesday evening.

Michigan Department of State spokesperson Jake Rollow said Tuesday that “things are going smoothly” with elections in the state. Pennsylvania’s acting Democratic secretary of state, Leigh Chapman, said Tuesday that while it would take “a few days” for the state to finish counting its results, as expected, there were just “a handful of typical Election Day incidents,” including a few polling places opening late, power outages and a gas leak.

“All were quickly handled,” she said.

Cynthia Nogar, who voted for Democratic candidates in Rochester, Minnesota, told CNN her voting location at a local church was organized and went smoothly despite her own concerns.

“I couldn’t help but be a little concerned about what might happen … but it was just as quiet as usual,” she said. “That was really nice. It was kind of a relief, you know?”

Handful of polls to stay open late

Supporters of US Sen. Raphael Warnock react during his election night party in Atlanta on Tuesday, December 6. Warnock will win Georgia's runoff election, CNN projects, defeating Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

Warnock walks onto the stage to speak at his election night party in Atlanta on Tuesday.

President Biden posted a photo of his congratulatory call to Warnock on Tuesday. "Tonight Georgia voters stood up for our democracy, rejected Ultra MAGAism, and most importantly: sent a good man back to the Senate," Biden wrote on Twitter. "Here's to six more years."

Walker concedes the race during a speech Tuesday night in Atlanta.

Election workers process ballots Tuesday at the Cobb County Elections and Registration Center in Marietta, Georgia.

People in Atlanta watch as results come in Tuesday night for the Senate runoff in Georgia.

Election workers unload ballots in Marietta after polls closed on Tuesday night.

Walker supporters pray at his election night party in Atlanta.

An election worker replaces a voting sticker at a polling location in Atlanta on Tuesday.

A voter checks in at a polling location in Atlanta on Tuesday.

A line of early voters stretches outside the City Services Center in Columbus, Georgia, on November 26. About 300,000 Georgians voted early each day that week, setting records for early voting turnout in the state.

Kevin McCarthy talks with reporters after the House Republican caucus leadership elections on November 15. He won the GOP nomination for speaker the day before CNN projected Republicans would control the House.

US Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, surrounded by supporters from local unions, celebrates her reelection at a news conference in Las Vegas on November 13. Her projected win meant that the Democratic Party would maintain control of the Senate.

An election worker boxes tabulated ballots November 9 inside the Maricopa County Recorders Office in Phoenix. Election workers were still tabulating ballots in key states.

President Joe Biden speaks to the media during a news conference at the White House. "We had an election yesterday," Biden said on November 9. "And it was a good day, I think, for democracy." He said that "while the press and the pundits are predicting a giant red wave, it didn't happen."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is joined by his wife, Casey, and their children at an election night party in Tampa. CNN projected that DeSantis would defeat Democratic challenger Charlie Crist to win a second term.

Wes Moore, the Democratic Party's gubernatorial candidate in Maryland, rehearses a speech with his son, Jamie, as they wait for Election Day results in Baltimore. CNN projected that Moore would be the winner in his race against Dan Cox. That makes Moore the first Black governor in Maryland's history. It also makes him just the third Black American to be elected governor in US history, after Virginia's Douglas Wilder, who was elected to a term in 1989, and Massachusetts' Deval Patrick, who was first elected in 2006 and served two terms.

Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman is joined by his wife, Gisele, and their children as he addresses supporters at his election night party in Pittsburgh. Fetterman defeated Mehmet Oz, CNN projected, picking up a seat for Democrats after the retirement of Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

A supporter of Virginia state Sen. Jen Kiggans watches news coverage during an election night event in Virginia Beach. CNN projected Kiggans would defeat US Rep. Elaine Luria in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District, a big win for Republicans as they looked to take back control of the House.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, second from right, prepares to leave after addressing a crowd at an election night watch party in Washington, DC.

Democrat Stacey Abrams, who was running for governor in Georgia, gives a speech during her election night party in Atlanta. CNN projected that Abrams would lose her race to incumbent Brian Kemp.

Supporters of Fetterman and Josh Shapiro, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Pennsylvania, react in Pittsburgh as they watch news of Shapiro's projected victory.

J.D. Vance, a Republican who CNN projected would win the open Senate seat in Ohio, speaks at an election night party in Columbus. Vance's win over Tim Ryan is a boon for Republicans and a victory for former President Donald Trump, whose endorsement in the Republican primary helped Vance emerge from a contentious intraparty fight.

Workers process absentee ballots in Detroit on Election Day.

Maxwell Frost poses with supporters during a victory party in Orlando. Frost, a 25-year-old Democrat, was projected to win the open House seat in Florida's 10th Congressional District. That would make him the first member of Generation Z elected to Congress. Members of Gen Z — those born after 1996 — are now old enough to be elected to the House.

Patrons participate in election night trivia as early results come in at a bar in Washington, DC.

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley hugs supporters during an election night watch party in Dayton. Whaley, a Democrat, lost to Gov. Mike DeWine, CNN projected.

Lucy Grimes, 15 months old, plays in front of the stage at Ryan's watch party in Boardman, Ohio.

US Sen. Ron Johnson wishes his granddaughter Marit a happy seventh birthday during an election night party in Neenah, Wisconsin.

A supporter of Lee Zeldin, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in New York, reacts Tuesday after it was projected that Zeldin would lose to Kathy Hochul.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the one-time press secretary and communications director for former President Donald Trump, speaks during her election night party in Little Rock, Arkansas. CNN projected that she would win Arkansas' gubernatorial race, becoming the first woman elected governor of Arkansas.

Abrams supporters in Atlanta watch results come in on election night.

Trump talks to the press on the grounds of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Election Day. Earlier in the day he predicted a "great night" for Republicans and confirmed that he voted for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A worker uses a steamer to get the wrinkles out of an American flag before the start of at an election night watch party in Los Angeles.

Zachary Valles-Perez waits as his parents, Antonio Perez and Christina Valle-Perez, vote at a laundromat in Chicago on Election Day.

A voter drops off a ballot outside the American Fork Library in American Fork, Utah.

An election official arranges voting stickers at a polling location in Atlanta on Election Day.

Voters cast their ballots at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York.

Rabbi Alana Alpert rides to a polling site in Detroit with her children Ne'ilah and Zohar on Election Day.

A line of voters stretches into the lobby at the Irvine Civic Center in Irvine, California.

Matt Koenen plays pinball at West County Lanes in Ellisville, Missouri, as voters cast their ballots in the bowling alley's party room on Election Day.

Kash Strong, 3, peeks out from under the curtain of a voting booth as his mother, Sophia Amacker, casts her vote in New Orleans.

People move campaign signs outside a polling station in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, on Election Day.

Visitors take photos inside the US Capitol Rotunda on Election Day.

Poll worker Ron Betz grabs a provisional ballot for a voter at a polling location in Columbus, Ohio.

People vote at a church in Boise, Idaho.

A man wears an "I voted" sticker on his shirt in Fort Myers, Florida.

Voters line up to cast their ballots at the Aspray Boat House in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Donkey-shaped cookies are laid out by members of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party outside a polling location in Bryn Athyn.

Allegheny County polling coordinator Bob Henrich, left, inspects a polling location in a private resident's garage in Pittsburgh.

Poll workers are reflected by a piece of glass as people collect their ballot papers in Brooklyn, New York.

A poll worker in Atlanta wears a "vote" mask while checking in voters on Election Day.

Andre Villasenor fills out his ballot while voting at the Randall Museum in San Francisco.

Moderator Andrew Williamson marks a campaign boundary line outside the Aspray Boat House in Warwick.

The first voters of the day begin filling out their ballots at the Brooklyn Museum in New York.

A clerk hands a ballot to a voter in Lewiston, Maine.

Voters arrive to cast their ballot in Philadelphia.

A full lunar eclipse is seen behind the US Capitol early on Election Day.

People cast ballots inside the Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex in Los Angeles on November 7.

Mail-in ballots are processed in Salt Lake City on November 7.

Voters wait in line November 7 to make corrections to their ballots at City Hall in Philadelphia. Thousands of mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania were at risk of being rejected because of missing or incorrect dates, missing signatures, or missing secrecy envelopes.

An election worker collects an absentee ballot from a car in Detroit on November 6.

Voters in Milwaukee fill out their absentee ballots at the Madison Central Public Library on November 6.

An election worker inspects a mail-in ballot in Phoenix on November 6.

People wait in line to cast their ballots in Columbus on November 5.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson signs his ballot envelope with his twin daughters on November 5.

A voter uses his own magnifying glass while casting his ballot in Los Angeles on November 5.

Joy Mahoney votes in Cincinnati as her daughter plays below her on November 4.

Voters line up outside a polling place in Cedar Park, Texas, on November 4.

Election workers Greg Petty, left, and Richard Conklin close down a voting station in Central City, Colorado, at the end of the day on November 4.

Clark County poll workers usher in long lines of voters in Las Vegas on November 4.

People wait in line to cast their ballots in Mableton, Georgia, on November 4.

Election workers move voting machines onto trucks before their delivery to polling sites in Warrington, Pennsylvania.

A "Vote NYC" sign is displayed at a polling station in Brooklyn on October 29.

President Joe Biden and his granddaughter Natalie, a first-time voter, prepare to cast their ballots in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 29.

A ballot drop box is seen outside a polling place in Silver Spring, Maryland, on October 28.

A poll worker in Silver Spring puts out stickers for voters on October 28.

Cornelius Whiting fills out his ballot September 26 at an early voting location in Alexandria, Virginia.

The best photos from the 2022 midterm elections

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The vast majority of voting issues were decidedly minor and small scale, such as long lines, bad weather or tech glitches.

In a handful of counties across the country, there were problems that prompted precincts to stay open later.

Six precincts across Georgia were ordered to remain open later because they opened late Tuesday morning, according to Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s acting Deputy Secretary of State.

Left to right: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Maxwell Frost and Wes Moore

Meet the history-makers of the 2022 midterm elections

In Bell County, Texas, polls were kept open an additional hour after some check-in machines at voting centers were not working Tuesday morning due to synchronization issues tied to the switch from Daylight Saving Time. A judge in Houston ordered voting locations in Harris County to stay open for an additional hour after several polling locations didn’t open on time.

The North Carolina Board of Elections voted unanimously to allow three polling precincts to close an hour later in North Carolina after their opening was delayed.

And in Pennsylvania, approximately 44 polling places were impacted by a paper shortage in Luzerne County, prompting an extension of in-person voting, according to a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Further, an extra verification process to ensure voters didn’t vote both by mail and in person could delay counting ballots and getting election results in Philadelphia, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia City Commissioners told CNN on Tuesday.

Cornelius Whiting fills out his ballot at an early voting location in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday, September 26.

In Florida’s Palm Beach County, officials are vowing to keep their main elections office open “as long as we possibly can” to count ballots with Tropical Storm Nicole expected to make landfall late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. The storm is currently expected to become a hurricane and remain a hurricane when it reaches Florida.

“At this point, we’re thinking we can make it through without a big effect on the election,” the county’s Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link told CNN on Tuesday, while noting that worsening road conditions could cause some delays as officials retrieve ballot drop boxes.

Intimidation issues

In North Carolina, roughly 15 incidents of alleged intimidation have been reported to the state Board of Elections since the start of early in-person voting.

Incidents included some individuals outside of a county board of elections shooting video of an election worker’s license plate and one situation where an election worker was followed from the voting site to the elections office and then followed to their neighborhood.

In Arizona, the secretary of state’s office has sent 18 referrals to law enforcement related to drop-box intimidation, including a threatening message toward a government worker and several voters reporting being filmed at drop box locations in Maricopa County last week.

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Judge restricts how right-wing group can patrol drop boxes

04:13 - Source: CNN

A federal judge earlier this month imposed new restrictions against a right-wing group in the state following complaints about aggressive patrols of ballot boxes in the state, including blocking the members from openly carrying guns or wearing body armor.

In Beaumont, Texas, a federal judge barred poll workers at an election site from engaging in conduct that Black voters said was intimidating.

US District Judge Michael J. Truncale issued the temporary restraining order Monday in a case brought by Beaumont’s chapter of the NAACP, which alleged that White poll workers spoke aggressively to Black voters, hovered too close behind them while voting and declined to help them cast their ballots.

Federal officials have warned that domestic violent extremists pose a heightened threat to the 2022 midterms.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Nicki Brown, Zachary Cohen, Daniel Dale, Ariel Edwards-Levy, Scott Glover, Ali Gordon, Annie Grayer, Holmes Lybrand, Sean Lyngaas, Christina Maxouris, Jason Morris, Ella Nilsen, Bob Ortega, Kara Scannell, Jessica Schneider, Sara Smart, Tierney Sneed, Casey Tolan and Christina Zdanowicz contributed to this report.