Hand-counting ballots is not more accurate than machine counts

Questions about voting machines’ accuracy are common during election season, and the 2024 election reignited calls for ballots to be counted by hand. 

One post from the Diamond and Silk Instagram account claimed our elections would be better off if only paper ballots were cast and if they were counted by hand.

"Paper ballots and hand counting never breaks down," the post said. 

The post also questioned the use of voting machines, saying, "they always break down on Election Day." 

Diamond and Silk — sisters Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson — became well known for their pro-Donald Trump social media commentary before Hardaway, known as Diamond, died in January 2023.

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Studies have consistently shown that ballot tabulating machines — the machines that receive paper ballots and electronically count the votes — are more accurate than hand-counting in large numbers. The machines are tested for accuracy before the election, and results are audited in nearly every state. 

What’s more, most voters in the U.S. already use hand-marked paper ballots to cast their votes. 

The Diamond and Silk account didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Hand-counting paper ballots is tedious, time-consuming and prone to human error. 

A 2004 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study examined the variance in vote totals in New Hampshire recounts between hand-counting and machine tabulating. The study found that machine tabulation had a significantly lower variance between the initial count and the recount than hand-counting, meaning the machines were more accurate. 

A 2007 Rice University study tested the accuracy of hand-counting 120 ballots in two races with predetermined results. The participants accurately counted the two races 58% of the time. 

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Hand-counting ballots is also expensive and time-constraining for local election officials, especially when ballots can include dozens of races. 

A 2023 study by Arizona’s Mohave County Elections Department found that hand-counting the 2024 general election results would require 245 people working 19 eight-hour days, which would cost about $521,000. Accounting for other expenses such as security guards, cameras and additional staff, the study estimated hand-counts for both the 2024 primary and general elections would cost the county $1.1 million. 

When accounting for human error, it’s wrong to say that hand-counting "never breaks down," as it’s shown to be less reliable than machine counting.

Voting systems are tested stringently before they’re used in elections. Election officials use test ballots to ensure machine counts are accurate and to identify errors. 

It’s an exaggeration to say voting machines "always break down" on Election Day, even if some counties run into errors. Each of the more than 3,000 counties in the U.S. has its own set of laws and voting systems to conduct elections, meaning errors sometimes happen. 

But voting in the 2024 election went relatively smoothly, and most counties used ballot tabulating machines problem-free.

The machine-counted results are also often verified after the election through audits. Every state but Alabama conducts some type of postelection audit, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most often, this involves hand-counting a small percentage of the ballots to compare them with the machine-tabulated results. 

The post also ignores that paper ballots are widely used in U.S. elections; most U.S. voters already mark candidate preferences using paper ballots, which machine tabulators then count.

Verified Voting, a nonpartisan organization focused on election technology, said close to 70% of U.S. voters live in jurisdictions in which hand-marked paper ballots are the norm. An extra 25% use electronic ballot marking devices, in which voters mark their choices on a machine that prints a paper ballot. And 5% use direct recording electronic systems, which record selections directly into computer memory.

A Diamond and Silk Instagram post said "paper ballots and hand counting never breaks down." 

Hand-counting is prone to human error, as ballot counters can misread choices or accidentally record the wrong result. Ballot tabulating machines are tested for high accuracy and have a far lower error rate than hand-counting. 

Although there were isolated incidents of machine malfunctions during the 2024 election, the vast majority of voting systems worked as intended. 

We rate the claim False.

CORRECTION, Nov. 13, 2024: Lynnette Hardaway died in January 2023. An earlier version of this fact-check was incorrect on the date.