Dolly Parton's sister alleges Nashville voting machine errors
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The gist
Country singer Stella Parton says a Hermitage Library voting machine defaulted to Marsha Blackburn three times.
Tennessee officials call it unintended touches, not vote flipping, out of about 400,000 ballots.
Background
Stella Parton is Dolly Parton's younger sister, a country singer and vocal Democrat from Sevierville, Tennessee. She posted on Facebook that while early voting at the Hermitage Library in Nashville she had to correct her selection three times because it kept defaulting to Marsha Blackburn, the Republican candidate for governor running against Democrat Jerri Green, a Memphis City Councilmember. The post spread as Nashville sees turnout 15 times higher than the 2022 midterms, and other voters in nearby Williamson County reported similar selection problems.
How it unfolded
- Oct 14, 2026Early voting began in Tennessee for governor, U.S. Congress, the Tennessee General Assembly and three proposed constitutional amendments.
- Oct 20, 2026Stella Parton shared a Facebook post saying she had to correct her vote three times at Hermitage Library because it kept defaulting to Marsha Blackburn.
- Oct 20, 2026WSMV Nashville reported at least two other people in nearby Williamson County experienced similar issues while voting.
- Oct 21, 2026Parton urged voters to double-check ballots before printing and submitting, saying she alerted a poll worker on her third attempt.
- Oct 21, 2026The Secretary of State's Office said it had received one complaint of this nature this election period, out of about 400,000 ballots cast.
- Nov 3, 2026Tennessee's general election date.
Who’s saying what
- Party
- Stella Parton said she is "more frightened and frustrated than angry" and told voters "Don't let them rig this election."
- Official
- Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins said the systems have multiple safeguards and that it is "not a vote flipping situation" but normally an unintended touch.
- Public
- Williamson County voter Toni Fitzgerald said that when you push the button for your candidate, "it goes to another candidate."
Still unverified
Reports did not establish that votes were deliberately changed or that election interference took place, and election officials have not established what caused the incidents.