Ron DeSantis said Florida won't use Dominion voting machines? Not true | Fact check
The claim: Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Florida will not use Dominion voting machines
An Oct. 21 Threads post (direct link, archive link) claims to share news of a change one state purportedly made before the election.
“BREAKING: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says Dominion voting systems will NOT operate in the state of Florida,” reads the post.
The post received more than 1,000 likes in four days. The claim also circulated on Facebook.
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Our rating: False
A Dominion spokesperson said the claim is false. There is no record of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis making the announcement attributed to him. Dominion remains one of Florida's approved vendors for voting systems, and its machines are being used in 18 counties, according to state websites.
No evidence of announcement from DeSantis
Dominion Voting Systems is an electronic voting company that was targeted by a series of baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. In the wake of those claims, the company filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News in 2021 that it settled two years later for $787.5 million.
Fact check: Dominion, election officials refute claims that Georgia machines flip votes
The claim that the systems will no longer be used in Florida is false, Dominion spokesperson Stephanie Walstrom said.
“Dominion systems are being used by voters across the state of Florida for the November 2024 election,” Walstrom said in an email to USA TODAY.
There is also no credible evidence that DeSantis said its machines will not be used in the state.
Such an announcement from DeSantis surely would have generated significant coverage from legitimate media outlets, but there are no credible reports about such a development. There is no record of it on the websites where statements from the governor’s office or the Department of State’s office are posted, and no such announcement appears on any of DeSantis’ official social media accounts.
USA TODAY reached out to spokespeople for DeSantis and for the Florida Department of State but did not immediately receive any responses.
Dominion remains one of two vendors certified to provide voting systems in the state, according to the state Division of Elections website. While that list was most recently updated in March, there is no credible evidence of a change since then. A map from the Florida Department of State shows 18 counties in the state that use Dominion’s machines.
USA TODAY previously debunked false claims that the wife of a participant in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots worked for Dominion and the company’s machines failed in a recount in Colorado in a 2022 primary election.
USA TODAY reached out to the Threads user who shared the post but did not immediately receive a response.
Reuters and PolitiFact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
Stephanie Walstrom, Oct. 24, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Ron DeSantis, accessed Oct. 24, News Releases
Florida Department of State, accessed Oct. 24, Press Releases
Ron DeSantis, accessed Oct. 24, X profile
Ron DeSantis, accessed Oct. 24, Facebook profile
Ron DeSantis, accessed Oct. 24, Instagram profile
Florida Division of Elections, March 4, Certified Voting Systems and Vendors
Florida Department of State, accessed Oct. 24, Voting Systems in Florida by Vendor
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No proof of Ron DeSantis announcement about Dominion | Fact check