FACT BRIEFDid 56,000 votes for a Nevada Republican congressional candidate disappear on election night?
No.
The Republican running for Nevada's 2nd Congressional District did not have votes disappear on election night.
Right-wing commentators have claimed David Flippo saw his vote total decrease by more than 56,000 on election night. But his actual vote totals never went down.
Briefly on election night, The Associated Press showed a surge in votes for Flippo, only for that to decrease soon after. A spokesperson said this was a "vote-entry error" that "caused an incorrect vote total to briefly appear in AP's results for Nevada's 2nd Congressional District race." The AP relies on reporters stationed at local election offices to report vote totals because elections are administered at the local, not state, level.
The Nevada Secretary of State's Office also said that "under no circumstances are votes removed from a candidate's totals."
Flippo ultimately lost to Teresa Benitez-Thompson (D) by more than 20,000 votes.
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Sources
- Nevada Secretary of State's Office: Statement on vote decreases
- Associated Press: Statement on vote count error
- Associated Press: Vote count process
- Nevada Secretary of State's Office: Congressional District 2 results
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