Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson confirmed today that if you used a sharpie at the polls on November 3, your vote will count.
"Blue or black sharpie is perfectly acceptable," the office of Benson told Fox 17's Ryan Cummings via email. "Those ballots will be counted."
Social media posts suggested that the felt-tipped pens at voting precincts somehow caused votes to not be counted.
Those pens are called 'The Flair Marker', made by Papermate.
Those pens have been used for almost four years in some parts of Michigan, including during the 2016 general election and the 2018 mid-terms.
Walker City Clerk Sarah Bydalek said the flair pens are actually recommended by the company that makes their ballot counters, and they aren't the only pens that are accepted at the polls.
"It’s also tested on our ballots before the election day," Bydalek said. "It says on the instructions… like for absentee voting… a blue or a black ink pen. That’s because we can’t ship everybody a papermate flair pen. So yes, a blue or a black ink pen is also very acceptable."
