Marsha Blackburn

By NATASHA ANDERSON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Published: 08:39 EDT, 23 October 2026 | Updated: 10:52 EDT, 23 October 2026

Dolly Parton's sister Stella claims a Tennessee voting machine repeatedly switched her ballot to a Republican candidate who she would never want to vote for.

The country singer-songwriter, 77, went to the Hermitage branch of the Nashville Public Library last week to cast her ballot in the midterm elections, she revealed.

She alleged she had to correct her vote three times after it was erroneously cast for Republican gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn.

'In Tennessee last week at the Hermitage Library where I voted, I had to go back three times and correct my vote because it kept defaulting to Marsha Blackburn,' Parton posted to Facebook on Wednesday. 'I would never vote for her for anything.

Parton did not say who she voted for, but has repeatedly attacked Republicans on social media and suggested her politics are liberal.

Jerri Green is the Democrats' gubernatorial candidate in Tennessee, although there are also 12 other people running as independents.

'I'm putting this out here because when we vote, we take it seriously but we try not to hold up the long lines. Do it anyway. Don't let them rig this election,' Parton added.

She went on to share how she is 'frightened and frustrated' by the alleged injustice, before peddling baseless accusations of voter fraud against Russia and Elon Musk.

'This is so sad and heartbreaking but to think this is what it's come to makes me angry for every good and innocent person in this country,' she wrote.

'To think people like Elon Musk and Russian bots may be upended another election makes my skin crawl. May they all die and worms eat them.'

No credible evidence has suggested that Russia or the tech mogul have been tampering with Tennessee's election operations.

Stella Parton, 77, (pictured) claims the voting machines at her local Tennessee polling station switched her ballot to a Republican candidate that she would 'never vote for'

Parton alleged she had to correct her vote three times after it was erroneously cast for Republican gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn (pictured)

State election officials, in a statement to The Tennessean, denied Parton's allegations, saying: 'Tennessee's voting systems are designed with multiple safeguards to help ensure that ballots are recorded consistent with voter intent.'

But Parton's Facebook post was met with several comments from voters who claimed to have experienced similar tech issues at polling stations across the state.

'That happened to me too in Brentwood, at the Holt Library. Luckily I caught it!' one commenter wrote.

'Mine did the same but I made sure it was on Jerri Green before we printed the ballot,' said another.

One user, who says they also voted at the Hermitage library, added: 'That's where I voted on the second day. I had to hit the button for Jerri three times before it took. I did look at the printout to make sure that is exactly who it said I voted for.'

Tennessee Elections Coordinator Mark Goins told WSMV that the issues reported in his area were 'not a vote-flipping situation.'

'It's more like an unintended touch that they may not even realize,' he said.

Chad Gray, election administrator in Williamson County, just outside of Nashville, said officials there had found no discrepancies in the voting equipment.

If problems or questions do arise, he said, people from each party will examine the devices and make sure they are working properly.

In an angry social media tirade, Stella claimed her sister, Dolly Parton, (right) would be heartbroken over the situation and the alleged death threats she claims to have received

Stella Parton claimed the voting error occurred last week at the Hermitage branch of the Nashville Public Library

Parton's post prompted comments from other Tennessee voters who claim they experienced similar issues at the polls. One commentor said they had to select Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerri Green, pictured, on the machine three times before the selection stuck

Regardless, Parton was outraged by all the voting machine 'hiccups' experienced by her fans and penned several posts Thursday calling for 'accountability' from lawmakers.

'When you are an honest person like most of us are, we try to trust the process but I'm livid over this, not only for myself but for every other voter in this country,' she wrote.

Her angry tirade saw her blame the GOP and President Donald Trump for the 'division in our country' and alleged that MAGA allies will ignore the issue at hand.

'This voting issue will turn out like everything else they stick their noses into, a freaking disaster,' Parton added.

In a series of follow-up posts, Parton claimed that her post prompted an influx of hateful commentary from Republicans who 'think my voice should be silenced.'

She says she received death threats over her remarks and that critics have accused the Democratic Party of having paid her to 'lie about the voting machines.'

Parton denied being paid by any political party for her commentary, although the Daily Mail was unable to independently verify this claim, or her allegations of being threatened.

The musician concluded her rant with an apparent ode to her late sister, Dolly, who died aged 80 on August 25, 2026 after a battle with cancer.

Parton baselessly blamed Elon Musk, President Donald Trump and Russian bots for the alleged election interference. No credible evidence has suggested there has been any tampering with Tennessee's election operations

'I can't believe in my last years of life we have such horrible people in charge of this beautiful experiment called; The United States of America,' she wrote.

'My big sister's heart was broken over it but she respected my work. We just worked differently. She would be concerned about me today, when my life was threatened, just like she used to be concerned when I raced cars in celebrity races.'

Dolly was famously private about politics and never revealed who she voted for.

She was hailed as one of the few celebrities equally loved by American liberals and conservatives in the wake of her death.