Is voter fraud a problem in the US?

I'll examine current data on voter fraud in the US — how often it occurs and experts' assessments of the risk.

Voter fraud occurs in the United States, but research and government investigations consistently find it is very rare and not on a scale that affects election outcomes.

The consensus from credible research is that the rate of illegal voting is extremely rare, and the incidence of certain types of fraud – such as impersonating another voter – is virtually nonexistent.

Research has been consistent over time that voter fraud is infinitesimally rare and almost never occurs on a scale that would affect an election outcome. Courts, commissions and prosecutorial offices have looked at the issue and concluded it is extremely rare.

Studies agree impersonation fraud very rarely happens:

State-level investigations find similar small numbers:

An analysis of the conservative Heritage Foundation's Election Fraud Database — often cited as evidence that fraud is a problem — also shows small rates when put in context. The database has grown over time, documenting 581 cases of proven voter fraud and 848 criminal convictions at one point, later 1,088 proven instances including 949 cases that have resulted in criminal convictions, and more recently 1,302 cases and 1,165 proven cases spanning 47 states, with Heritage noting it has documented proof in 47 states.

A Brookings Institution analysis of that same Heritage data found:

A Brennan Center analysis of the Heritage database concluded the numbers confirm what numerous studies have consistently shown: Voter fraud is vanishingly rare, and impersonating a voter at the polls is less common than being struck by lightning.

Types of fraud where cases have been confirmed are different from in-person impersonation. There have been confirmed examples of fraudulent activity involving absentee ballots, including schemes to submit multiple fraudulent absentee ballots. Other categories tracked include false registration, duplicate voting, fraudulent use of absentee ballots, and vote buying.

Federal agencies and election officials point to safeguards to prevent fraud. Election infrastructure has never been more secure according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) director. States, by law, are required to routinely remove ineligible or deceased voters from rolls and use tools like the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) to share voter data, plus signature matching, drop box surveillance and poll worker training depending on voting type.

Public perception is divided. Polling shows Americans are almost evenly divided on whether people committing voter fraud (26%) or eligible voters being prevented from voting (30%) is a more widespread problem.

In summary, credible studies indicate voter fraud is not a widespread problem that changes election results, but isolated cases do occur and are prosecuted when found.