Voter Fraud Is a Proven Election Manipulation Tactic

False ballots have tipped races across the country, so we must ensure the integrity of our election process

Reader Comments
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Ok... I still don't see any explanation of how requiring a photo ID (the god-sent answer to Republicans to fight voter fraud) would curb ANY of the instances you mentioned. Additionally, I find it just a little suspect when the overwhelming majority of those who would be affected by new voter ID laws just so happen to be Democratic minded individuals.

You know what would likely put an end to a lot of your concerns? DOCUMENTING THE 11 MILLION ILLEGAL ALIENS IN THE US! How interesting that the Republicans are so much against it! I wonder if it's because they too overwhelmingly vote Democrat, and just 26% side with the current Republican nominee.

detroit james of AZ 10:58PM September 03, 2012

Most states do not have the first element for assessing voter fraud prevention in place. The attempted submission of KNOWN fraudulent ballots at all stations and measurement of subsequent detection. Of course each FRAUD agent must have his get out of jail ID or partner with ID for detection before balloting is done. Of course agents must generally match the demographics of the polling station and blend with the crowd. No passing predominately rich white polling stations because every agent was poor dressed Hispanic.

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I do not know the actual level of voter fraud in the US. Though I am pretty sure its neither rampant

(Republican) nor unimportant (Democrat).

However, I do know those often quoted 85-85 voter fraud conviction cases are more like class action lawsuits and are generally only against enabling voting officials - not individual voters.

Those cases DO NOT represent 85-86 fraudulent votes or people. Most of those cases represent scores to thousands of bad votes.

Also the climate of the US does not support prosecution of voter fraud at the individual, actual voter level. Nor is it legally practical to convict individuals since attempted fraudulent voting may a slap wrist crime at best and once votes are cast its illegal for anyone to associate a specific ballot with an individual.

Worse even corruption at the polls is often NOT pursued beyond invalidating that that polling stations results. If the incumbent wins it would be embarrassing admission and if they lose its often seen as pointless icing on the cake.

Well-Duh of TX 11:52PM August 30, 2012

Still absurd, not sure how hundreds of cases of voter fraud justifies disenfranchising hundreds of thousands. Mass disenfranchisement would seem to have a bigger impact on the results of an election than a couple hundred cases of voter fraud.

cdkrist23 of TX 9:24PM August 27, 2012

You who say NO are nothing but leftist ideologs who support this communist administration and are full of _it_.

Paul of CA 11:54AM August 05, 2012

The only identification of people engaging in fraud are Democrats. I guess Republicans don't do that sort of thing.

paul of FL 3:25PM July 29, 2012

Turzai finally admitted the truth: voter fraud isn't a smokescreen for trying to win elections. Racism anyone?

Ben of PA 10:31PM June 26, 2012

Despite every argument to the contrary, I can see only one reason for eliminating voter identification prior to voting, and that is to commit fraud.

We must challenge every argument against voter ID proposals on that basis. And that includes getting in the faces of Obama and Holder and accusing them of promoting fraudulent elections. And keep it up and keep it up!

John J Hilferty of VT 4:18PM June 26, 2012

what is amazing to me is that people site statistics of only charges or convictions in voter fraud as the rate for voter fraud. That would be tantamount to saying that the number of people breaking the speed limit is only equal to the number of people who received tickets for breaking the speed limit.

terry w of FL 12:38PM June 22, 2012

That is funny, because I was aproached by a voter registration worker at the DMV in Henderson ,NV not too long ago to register. I proceeded to explain to the worker that I was not a citizen and not eligable to vote. I explained to her that there is jailtime involved if someone with a green card registers to vote or votes. Her response to me was " But you can register to vote." I wonder how many illegals she has approached like that and if anyone is checking their eligebility?

chris of NV 3:07AM June 19, 2012

What Mr. von Spakovsky does is an equivocation. He implies that Voter ID laws are needed to prevent voter fraud and that voter fraud is real.

Voter ID laws are intended to prevent individuals from committing voter fraud (voting more than once, voting under an assumed identity, voting when one does not have the right to vote). The cases of voter fraud he describes can only be conducted by insiders (election officials or elected officials stuffing ballot boxes) colluding outside of the voting process. That type of voter fraud, while still considered voter fraud can not be prevented by photo ID because the officials making those determinations are in on the fraud.

In reality, there are very few instances of voter fraud of the type that could be prevented by the photo voter ID laws. For instance, according to the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, 4 people were convicted of voter fraud in the 2008 and 2010 elections. In those same elections, at least 9,991,058 people voted (total of votes for President in 2008 and Senate in 2010). This makes the instance of actual voter fraud in PA about 0.2 per million votes per year. More people are diagnosed with leprosy per million per year than commit voter fraud in Pennsylvania.

Here's a link to the Pennsylvania Independent citing the statistics:

http://tinyurl.com/3bpdjtt

Voter totals can be retrieved from the Secretary of State's Web site.

Our position in PA is that the previous voter ID law (which allowed for some non-photo IDs) was sufficient to prevent all but a few cases of voter fraud.

Jim Leous of PA 12:20AM June 19, 2012

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