Elections · Nevada
No, 56,000 Votes Did Not Vanish From a Nevada Republican's Total on Election Night, Fact Check Finds
The Nevada Independent found David Flippo's vote count never dropped. A brief spike in AP results was a vote-entry error, and he lost Nevada's 2nd District race by more than 20,000 votes.
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What happened
Right-wing commentators have claimed that David Flippo, the Republican candidate in Nevada's 2nd Congressional District, saw his vote total fall by more than 56,000 on election night. The Nevada Independent reviewed the claim and found it was not accurate. According to the outlet, Flippo's actual vote totals never went down.
The Nevada Independent also reported that Flippo lost the race to Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson by more than 20,000 votes. The outlet published its review as a short fact brief responding to conversations about the claim.
Where the 56,000 number came from
A brief spike in AP results
The Nevada Independent reported that, for a short time on election night, The Associated Press showed a surge in votes for Flippo. That figure then dropped soon after. The fact check centers on that brief rise and fall in the numbers AP displayed.
AP calls it a vote-entry error
An AP spokesperson described the episode as a "vote-entry error" that "caused an incorrect vote total to briefly appear" in AP's results for the district race, according to The Nevada Independent. In other words, the higher number was a mistake in AP's posted results, not a count of real ballots that were later taken away.
How election results reach the public
Reporters at local election offices
According to The Nevada Independent, the AP relies on reporters stationed at local election offices to report vote totals. The outlet noted that this is because elections are administered at the local level, not the state level. The numbers AP posts on election night depend on the figures its reporters gather and enter from those offices.
State says votes are not removed
The Nevada Secretary of State's Office also addressed the claim. The office said that "under no circumstances are votes removed from a candidate's totals," The Nevada Independent reported. That statement, together with AP's explanation, supports the fact check's finding that the 56,000-vote drop did not happen.
The final result
Flippo, the Republican, lost to Benitez-Thompson, the Democrat, by more than 20,000 votes, according to The Nevada Independent. The AP spokesperson said the surge that briefly appeared in AP's results was an incorrect vote total caused by a vote-entry error.
The Nevada Independent produced the review through its partnership with Gigafact, which produces short fact briefs that check trending claims. More on this year's voting is available in our elections coverage, including reporting on why some Clark County voters waited hours to cast ballots.
What to watch next
- Online conversations repeating the 56,000-vote claim, which The Nevada Independent's fact brief responded to and found does not match Flippo's actual vote totals.
- The Nevada Secretary of State's Office position, as reported by The Nevada Independent, that under no circumstances are votes removed from a candidate's totals.
