ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The election is in less than two weeks and there is a lot of concern about election integrity and whether your vote will be counted. Recently, we began seeing social media posts about using Sharpies to fill out your ballot. Will they nullify your vote?

When you go to the polls, you’ll need to fill in circles on your ballot when choosing a favored candidate. The voting machines then read those selections and tabulate your vote. But what kind of pen or pencil should you use? Does it matter?

Several people on social media are warning that if you use a Sharpie, it could bleed through the ballot and your vote won’t count. One post has been viewed almost 300,000 times.

“This friend of mine had her vote rejected three times after using a sharpie, and then while they were spoiling it, she had a whole bunch of different people looking at her ballot and looking at how she voted,” the post claims.

A lot of the posts originate in Arizona where there have been accusations of voting irregularities in the past. But one post said Sharpie pens provided in Upstate New York won’t count anything on the ballots.

So News10NBC’s Brett Davidsen reached out to the Monroe County Board of Elections for answers. Lisa Nicolay is the Republican Commissioner.

Brett Davidsen, News10NBC: “Can you use a Sharpie to fill out your ballot?”

Lisa Nicolay, Republican Commissioner: “Yes, you can. The preferred method would be a black or blue ink pen, but a Sharpie will work.”

Davidsen: “If you use a Sharpie, what happens if it bleeds through?”

Nicolay: “If it bleeds through, nothing. The voting machine can read it or the absentee counter can read it.”

Nicolay says they have only received one call asking if Sharpies are okay to use. But the claims are so widespread in other states, that some boards of elections, like Maricopa County Arizona, have posted videos debunking the claim.

“At the vote center, you may notice fine tip sharpies are used. That’s because it’s the fastest drying ink and works best on the tabulation equipment,” the video states.

So when you cast your vote, be assured that using a Sharpie won’t invalidate your vote. That claim is false.

Nicolay says they do provide black felt tip markers at the voting stations. But you are welcome to bring your own pen. She does, however, warn that red ink is harder for the machines to read.

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