March 6, 2007

New Report Examines Politics of Voter Fraud

The Politics of Voter Fraud, a new report written by Columbia University Professor Lorraine Minnite and released by Project Vote, shows that voter fraud is extremely rare, and has long been a tool used to restrict the historically disenfranchised from taking part in the election process.

According to the report, on the federal level, records show that only 24 people were convicted of or pleaded guilty to illegal voting between 2002-2005. Given the precision with which states have criminalized voter and election fraud, the lack of arrests, indictments of convictions for any of the practices defined as voter fraud mean very little fraud is being committed. Moreover, a review of news stories over a recent two year period found that most voter fraud allegations turn out to be something other than fraud.

The report also finds that there is a 200-year history in America of elites using voter fraud allegations to restrict and shape the electorate. The report then goes on to show that it is historically disenfranchised populations, including urban dwellers, immigrants, Blacks, and lower status voters, that are often the target of today’s voter fraud allegations.

Finally, the report calls for better data collections and election administration, which will improve the public discussion of voter fraud and lead to more appropriate policies. This will help ensure that new laws and rules to prevent fraud are narrowly targeted to solve legitimate problems rather than used as a strategy to shape the electorate for partisan advantage.  

To read the report, please click here.

For more information please contact Michael Slater, Project Vote’s Deputy Director, at mslater@igc.org or 503.375.9377.