Starlink system is not connected to voting machines, Tulare County Elections Office says

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- An Action News interview last week was circulated online and has been seen by millions on TikTok, Instagram, and other social platforms.

That led to online conspiracy theories that Starlink Owner & CEO Elon Musk could have used the system to change votes or otherwise interfere with the election. Musk is a major supporter of President-Elect Donald Trump.

We took that concern to Tulare County and asked them if Starlink was connected to voting machines on Election Day. Tulare County says votes are never transmitted over the internet, no matter the service provider.

"In California. It's actually illegal for any part of the voting system to be connected to the internet. As such, our voting system operates within a fully air-gapped environment. Meaning it's completely isolated from the internet and any other network," said Stephanie Hill, the systems and procedures analyst for Tulare County Registrar of Voters.

She says Starlink was used to provide the internet to their laptops and connect to their database, allowing them to check voters in or check their registration status and nothing else.

"Those voting check-in laptops are in no way connected to the voting system. No way connected to the vote, tabulation or voting process other than making sure that that voter is a registered voter within our county," explained Hill.

Hill says that as these conspiracy theories spread, they received calls from across the nation and other parts of the world, including the B-B-C.

The registrar says they run a transparent, secure, and legally compliant voting process.

"We hope that offering this additional information and clarifying that this Starlink system is in no way, shape, or form connected to our voting system will help put voters' minds at ease so their vote was tabulated in the way that they voted. In no way, shape, or form did we ever use anything with a Starlink connection to be associated with or connected to our voting system," mentioned Hill.

They also invite anyone with questions to visit their office and have a behind-the-scenes look at how everything runs from beginning to end.

All counties in California will certify the election on December 3rd.

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