Is voter fraud a problem in the US?

Short answer: Voter fraud exists in the U.S., but rigorous studies and official reviews find it is rare and not widespread. It can matter in very close, local contests, which is why it’s investigated and prosecuted, but there’s no evidence it routinely changes major election outcomes.

What the evidence shows

•Multiple academic and policy reviews find extremely low rates of fraud such as double voting or in‑person impersonation. For example, one peer‑reviewed study estimated about 1 in 4,000 voters might have cast two ballots in 2012—and even that upper bound likely reflects data errors; other work has found only dozens of credible impersonation cases across more than a billion ballots over many years.[1]

•After 2020, federal and state officials (including CISA and state election authorities) reported no evidence of widespread fraud; Georgia’s hand and machine recounts and a signature audit affirmed its results, and Arizona’s high‑profile Maricopa County reviews ultimately confirmed the certified outcome.[2]

•Journalistic reviews also found too few potential fraud cases to change results in contested states in 2020.[3]

Where problems tend to occur

•The small number of proven cases more often involve absentee/mail ballots or registration schemes (not in‑person voting). Notable examples include North Carolina’s 2018 Ninth Congressional District race (new election ordered over an absentee‑ballot scheme) and prosecutions stemming from Paterson, New Jersey’s 2020 municipal election.[4]

Safeguards

•U.S. elections use layers of protection (voter registration checks, signature/ID verification where required, paper ballots in most places, audits and recounts), which make large conspiracies hard to execute and easier to detect. Research syntheses from nonpartisan labs and universities describe intentional voter fraud today as very rare and detail how officials catch it.[5]

Bottom line: Voter fraud is a real but infrequent crime in the United States. It is pursued when it happens, and available evidence to date indicates it has not been widespread enough to systematically alter major election results. If you want, tell me your state and I can summarize recent safeguards and any notable cases there.

2.[19

We improved the security of systems, scanning](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-116shrg43071/pdf/CHRG-116shrg43071.pdf?utm_source=openai)

Citations (5)

15harad.comNot yet classified
American Political Science Review (2020) 114, 2, 456–469
Backs: “For example, one peer‑reviewed study estimated about 1 in 4,000 voters might have cast two ballots in 2012—and even that upper bound likely reflects data errors; other work has found only dozens of credible impersonation cases across more than a billion ballots over many years.”
2govinfo.govGovernment
19 We improved the security of systems, scanning
Backs: “Georgia’s hand and machine recounts and a signature audit affirmed its results, and Arizona’s high‑profile Maricopa County reviews ultimately confirmed the certified outcome.”
3pbs.orgNews and mediaquality 0.87
AP review finds far too little vote fraud to tip 2020 election to Trump | PBS News
Backs: “Journalistic reviews also found too few potential fraud cases to change results in contested states in 2020.”
4ncsbe.govGovernment
I. INTRODUCTION
Backs: “Notable examples include North Carolina’s 2018 Ninth Congressional District race (new election ordered over an absentee‑ballot scheme) and prosecutions stemming from Paterson, New Jersey’s 2020 municipal election.”
5caltech.eduAcademic
Voter-Registration Fraud: How Election Officials Find and Prevent It - Caltech Science Exchange
Backs: “Research syntheses from nonpartisan labs and universities describe intentional voter fraud today as very rare and detail how officials catch it.”