Voter Fraud and Election Integrity

All contemporary evidence suggests that individual voter fraud is rare and that the source of voters' election concerns lie elsewhere. Nevertheless, opponents of election reform manipulate the fear of fraud to defeat reform proposals and to introduce new obstacles to voting.

Demos aims to set the record straight on voter fraud.

Demos Resources

Lori Minnite's Voter Suppression Testimony Before the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary
- February 26, 2007

Election Day Registration: A Study of Voter Fraud Allegations and Findings on Voter Roll Security - Senior Fellow Lori Minnite finds that unfounded allegations of voter fraud are often used to resist EDR reform
 - November 18, 2007

Amicus Brief in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board and Indiana Democratic Party v. Rokita
- November 13, 2007

An Analysis of Voter Fraud in the United States Adapted from the 2003 Report, Securing The Vote November 18, 2007 By Lori Minnite (Barnard College)

Challenges to Fair Elections 1 Voter ID / proof of citizenship requirements for voting and registration October 16, 2006 Voter ID laws risk preventing upwards of 20 million Americans without government-issued identification from meeting the most fundamental responsibility of citizenship - exercising the right to vote.

Challenges to Fair Elections 7 Voter Intimidation and Vote Suppression November 1, 2006 Voter intimidation and vote suppression campaigns are often mounted in communities of color, where voter participation is more tenuous. Few states have enacted clear and effective prohibitions against these abuses.

Other Resources

• National Network Statement Opposing National Voter ID - a number of national organizations drafted a statement urging the Commission on Federal Election Reform to foreswear consideration of a National Voter ID.
• Where's the Voter Fraud? - The Century Foundation's Tova Wang writes on perceived, and overstated, voter fraud.
• Best Practices to Improve Voter Identification Requirements - In a report to the Election Assistance Committee, the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University uses a thorough statistical methodology to analyze the effects of voter ID on voter turnout.
• The Truth About Fraud - the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU aims to "get to the truth behind the claims" of voter fraud.