Is voter fraud a problem in the US?
Short answer: Voter fraud exists but is extremely rare in the United States, and there’s no credible evidence of it being widespread enough to change national election outcomes. Multiple studies that examined past elections found incident rates on the order of thousandths of a percent, and one widely cited review found just 31 credible cases of in‑person impersonation among more than 1 billion ballots cast from 2000–2014.[1]
After the 2020 election, the nation’s election‑security agencies said the contest was the most secure in American history, and courts rejected the vast majority of post‑election lawsuits for lack of evidence; a congressional report tallied 62 such cases with only one minor win that didn’t affect outcomes.[2]
That said, isolated cases do occur and are investigated, and on rare occasions a local race has been rerun. For example, in 2023 a Connecticut judge ordered a new Bridgeport mayoral primary after evidence of mishandled absentee ballots surfaced.[3]
Bottom line: The U.S. has safeguards (voter roll maintenance, signature/ID checks that vary by state, audits, and criminal penalties) that keep fraud rates very low. If you want, tell me your state and I can summarize its specific protections and any recent cases.
Citations (3)
- Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth | Brennan Center for Justice
Backs: “Multiple studies that examined past elections found incident rates on the order of thousandths of a percent, and one widely cited review found just 31 credible cases of in‑person impersonation among more than 1 billion ballots cast from 2000–2014.”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: Studies found fraud rates in thousandths of a percent; 31 credible impersonation cases among over 1 billion ballots from 2000–2014.
- News | CISA
Backs: “After the 2020 election, the nation’s election‑security agencies said the contest was the most secure in American history, and courts rejected the vast majority of post‑election lawsuits for lack of evidence; a congressional report tallied 62 such cases with only one minor win that didn’t affect outcomes.”
evidence, home page, points to no. Claim: Election security agencies called 2020 the most secure in American history; courts rejected nearly all post-election lawsuits for lack of evidence.
- Judge orders new Bridgeport mayoral primary after surveillance videos show possible ballot stuffing – NBC Connecticut
Backs: “For example, in 2023 a Connecticut judge ordered a new Bridgeport mayoral primary after evidence of mishandled absentee ballots surfaced.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: In 2023 a Connecticut judge ordered a new Bridgeport mayoral primary after evidence of mishandled absentee ballots surfaced.