Dolly Parton’s younger sister, Stella Parton, is sounding the alarm over a troubling experience at a Tennessee polling place, claiming her voting machine repeatedly selected a Republican candidate despite her attempts to vote otherwise.
The country singer’s explosive allegations come just days before the November 3 midterm elections, as other Tennessee voters report similar problems and election officials face questions about the accuracy of touchscreen voting machines.
Stella, 77, described the ordeal in a Facebook post this week, revealing that she encountered the problem while voting early at the Hermitage Library near Nashville.
According to Stella, she had to correct her selection three separate times because the machine kept displaying Republican gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn instead of her intended choice.
She made it clear that voting for Blackburn was never her intention.
“I would never vote for her for anything,” Stella declared.
The singer said she decided to speak publicly because voters sometimes feel pressured to move quickly when long lines form at polling locations. She urged Americans to take whatever time they need to make sure their ballots accurately reflect their choices.
“Don’t let them rig this election,” she warned.
Stella later acknowledged that the experience left her feeling more frightened and frustrated than angry, expressing concern about what other voters might encounter without realizing something was wrong.
Her allegations quickly attracted attention online, where several people shared accounts of similar difficulties with voting machines.
And Stella isn’t the only Tennessee voter raising concerns.
According to Nashville television station WSMV, voter Jackie Herrud reported a nearly identical experience while casting her ballot at the Longview Recreation Center in Spring Hill.
Herrud said she repeatedly attempted to select Democrat Jerri Green in Tennessee’s governor’s race, only for the machine to display Blackburn instead.
She described becoming increasingly frustrated and nervous about whether her vote would ultimately be recorded correctly.
Another voter, Toni Fitzgerald, reported encountering a similar problem at a separate Williamson County polling location. Fitzgerald said she initially assumed she had pressed the wrong part of the screen but continued experiencing difficulty getting the machine to register her intended choice.
The reports have raised particular concerns about older voters who might not notice an incorrect selection before submitting their ballots.
However, Tennessee election officials have pushed back against suggestions of widespread problems.
The Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office told WSMV that it had received just one formal complaint matching these reports among approximately 400,000 voters who had already cast ballots during the election period.
Officials also emphasized that the state’s voting systems include several safeguards designed to prevent mistakes from affecting the final vote count.
Voters can review their choices on the selection screen, examine a final summary of their selections and check the printed paper ballot or voting record before submitting it.
Anyone who notices a discrepancy is encouraged to immediately alert a poll worker before casting their ballot.
Importantly, Stella said she was able to correct her selection before completing the voting process. The reported incidents have not established that any votes were deliberately changed or that election fraud occurred.
The controversy comes amid heightened interest in Tennessee’s closely watched political races, particularly the contest to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Bill Lee.
Blackburn, a Republican U.S. senator, is facing Democrat Jerri Green in the race for governor.
Voter enthusiasm has already produced striking numbers in Nashville. According to public radio station WPLN, first-day early voting turnout jumped nearly 1,400 percent compared with the 2022 midterms, although turnout was approximately 20 percent lower than in 2018, the last election featuring an open governor’s seat.
Early voting in Tennessee continues through October 29, with Election Day scheduled for November 3.
For Stella, the experience has become a warning to other Americans heading to the polls: carefully review every selection before submitting a ballot, even if doing so takes extra time.
Whether the reported problems were caused by touchscreen errors, voter input mistakes or another technical issue remains unclear. What is certain is that Stella’s public warning has intensified attention on the importance of verifying every vote before it is cast
