Report Concludes that Incidence of Voter Fraud is Minimal

(New York, NY)  Available evidence suggests that election fraud is at most a minor problem across the 50 U.S. states, and does not affect election outcomes, according to a study released by Demos, titled Securing the Vote: An Analysis on Election Fraud.

Securing the Vote also provides the first documentation that reforms aimed at making voting easier and more accessible can broaden participation without  risking increased fraud.  In fact, the study finds that in many instances these reforms make voter fraud much less likely.

Grounded in strong empirical research, the report is the most in-depth examination of election fraud issues to date. The study's extensive data analysis was conducted by Demos, a New York City-based, public policy and advocacy organization.

"Too often, hearsay and anecdotal tales of voter fraud drive opposition to reforms aimed at addressing low voter participation - one of the most challenging issues facing our democracy," according to Miles Rapoport, President of Demos, and former Secretary of State of Connecticut.  "This report brings much needed analysis to the debate and provides the data to make informed decisions about election reform."

The report's release coincides with state-level implementation of the 2002 federal election reform bill, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). While election reform advocates see HAVA as a major step forward in advancing election administration, many are alarmed by HAVA's new voter ID requirements - adopted to address what some see as a system dangerously susceptible to voter fraud - which they call a setback for electoral reform.

HAVA requires that first-time voters who register by mail provide  identification, either attached to their mail registration forms or at the polls on election day. States like Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts and Mississippi are using HAVA as an opportunity to introduce even more rigid identification requirements, such as requiring that all voters show ID in order  to cast a ballot.

"As states move forward in implementing the new election law,  their mandate is to remove the barriers and inefficiencies that deny qualified voters their right to cast a ballot.  Instead, some states are using HAVA to enact onerous ID requirements that threaten to exclude voters," says Steven Carbó, Director of the Democracy Program at Demos.  "The ID requirements would have the harshest impact on poor voters, voters of color, young people and new citizens."

"The reports central findings make it clear that overstated allegations of election fraud should not be used to unnecessarily restrict access and make voting more difficult," says David Callahan, Research Director of Demos, and co-author of the report. "In fact, the report makes a compelling case that we can implement reforms that make registering and voting as accessible as possible to all Americans with great confidence in the outcome."

A central conclusion of Securing the Vote is that, "Efforts to make it easier to register and vote are compatible with the prevention of election fraud.  Fears of fraud should not inhibit electoral reform efforts aimed at addressing the problem of low voter participation."

The report found that:

• There is little available evidence that election reforms such as the National Voter Registration Act, election day registration and mail-in voting have resulted in increases in election fraud.
• The disenfranchisement of voters through antiquated voting systems, system error and improper management of registration databases, as occurred in Florida in the 2000 election, is a far bigger problem than traditional forms of election fraud.

"The 2000 election reflects abuses in the electoral process that go beyond the traditional definition of fraud that we address in our report," says Lori Minnete, co-author of Securing the Vote.  "Those abuses have been widely studied and documented and call for important consideration to ensure that such a debacle can never happen again."

Other findings include:

• State adoption of computerizing state voter registration records, as mandated by the new federal election law, will measurably reduce the already minimal potential of voter fraud. This same innovation should also reduce problems at the polls and make registration and voting easier.
• Election manipulation can be further reduced by requiring nonpartisan election boards, as a number of states now do.  Nonpartisanship also helps professionalize election administration. 
• Election day registration (EDR), which is proven to increase voter participation, also reduces the possibility for fraud, as more registrations are processed in person by election officials.  
• Vigorous signature-matching procedures can prevent fraud under mail-in voting election systems.
• Properly administered, identification provisions broad enough to encompass a number of different types of I.D. can prevent fraud without undue burdens to voters.

"The report's findings support democracy reform efforts that work to bring every member of society into the fullest possible participation," says Miles Rapoport.

Securing the Vote includes the following policy recommendations:

• Upgrade Technology in the States. The new Help America Vote Act, which mandates the creation of state-wide computerized registration systems and also aims to provide states with money to upgrade voting machines, should be fully funded and effectively implemented in a uniform and nondiscriminatory manner. It is especially important that new state-of-the-art registration systems allow for inter-agency networking (for prompt and proper transmittal of registration information under the National Voter Registration Act) and local polling place access to systems (through laptops or other means).   
• Implement I.D. requirements that do not burden voters. The new federal election law puts undue burdens on voters to prove their identity at the polls. The law should be modified to expand the list of acceptable identifying documents and allow state or local officials discretion to incorporate or expand forms of identification currently in use. State officials should ensure the equal and non-discriminatory application of requirements. 
• Reduce partisan control of elections. Important election administration positions should only be filled by nonpartisan professionals. Regular training and exchanges with elections administrators from other jurisdictions can increase officials´  commitment to the professional administration of the democratic process itself, as opposed to party loyalty.
• Establish election day registration (EDR). EDR usually requires voter identification and authorization in person before a trained election worker, which reduces the opportunity for registration error or fraud.
• Ensure adequate funding and authority for offices responsible for detecting and prosecuting fraud.
  

Publications

Placebo Ballots
Will "Fail-Safe" Provisional Voting Fail?
October 28, 2004
Demos' Ari Weisbard examines the practice of provisional balloting after the implementation of the Help America Vote Act.

Purged!
Will Eligible Voters Be Purged From Election Rolls?
October 27, 2004
Purged! provides an in-depth analysis of the confusing, disorganized and often partisan process used to "purge" voter rolls and deny eligible Americans the right to vote.

Divided Citizens
How Inequality Undermines Trust in America
May 1, 2004
An exploration of the importance of social trust in U.S. society and troubling ways in which rising economic inequality since the 1970s has helped to decrease trust between Americans.

Democracy Denied
The Racial History and Impact of Disenfranchisement Laws in the United States
February 26, 2004
This brief examines the relationship between criminal justice practices that disproportionately target people of color, and disenfranchisement laws that deprive citizens convicted of felonies of their right to vote.

Punishing at the Polls
The Case Against Disenfranchising Citizens With Felony Convictions
November 24, 2003
Political scientist Alec Ewald sheds new light on the fundamentally undemocratic nature of felony disenfranchisement laws. Tracing the history of these laws from ancient Europe to their racist application in the post Civil War U.S., Ewald concludes that felony disenfranchisement laws are in profound conflict with America's best ideals of fairness and traditions of democracy.

Securing the Vote
An Analysis of Election Fraud
April 14, 2003
An in-depth study of election fraud issues and the policy requirements of the Help America Vote Act.