Is voter fraud a problem in the US?
Is Voter Fraud a Problem in the US?
Based on extensive research from academics, government audits, fact-checkers, and even conservative organizations, the overwhelming body of evidence shows that voter fraud is extremely rare in the United States and does not occur at a scale that affects election outcomes.
What the Research Shows
Multiple independent studies find vanishingly low rates:
State-Level Audits Confirm This Pattern
Looking at specific states with large vote totals:
Even Conservative Sources Confirm Low Rates
Notably, data from the right-leaning Heritage Foundation—which actively tracks fraud cases—still shows tiny numbers relative to votes cast. Heritage's "Election Fraud Database" found 1,561 instances of voter fraud resulting in 1,325 convictions, with only 20 cases brought in 2024. In Texas specifically, Heritage found 103 cases of confirmed election fraud ranging from 2005 to 2022, during which time over 107 million ballots were cast.
Non-Citizen Voting (A Frequently Raised Concern)
This has been a particular focus of recent political attention:
The 2020 Election Specifically
A major academic analysis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examined statistical claims of fraud following the 2020 election and found no evidence of systematic fraud, building on prior research assessing fraud prevalence in earlier U.S. elections.
Perception vs. Reality Gap
There's a significant disconnect between public belief and documented evidence. Despite the fact election fraud is extremely rare, six in ten U.S. adults were concerned about it ahead of the 2024 presidential election, with this fear particularly pronounced among Republican-leaning voters at 86 percent, versus 33 percent of Democratic-leaning voters.
Bottom Line
Voter fraud does occur occasionally, but it happens at such minuscule rates (typically a few dozen cases out of tens of millions of votes in any given state) that it has no meaningful impact on election outcomes. The much larger and more documented problems with U.S. elections tend to involve things like outdated voting systems, registration errors, and administrative issues rather than individual voter fraud—issues that affect election administration rather than reflecting fraudulent intent by voters.
Citations (13)
- Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth
Source excerpt: “ A comprehensive 2014 study published in *The Washington Post* found 31 credible instances of impersonation fraud from 2000 to 2014, out of more tha...”
- Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth
Source excerpt: “ Two studies done at Arizona State University, one in 2012 and another in 2016, found similarly negligible rates of impersonation fraud. The proje...”
- Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth
Source excerpt: “ A 2016 working paper concluded that the upper limit on double voting in the 2012 election was 0.02%. The paper noted that the incident rate was lik...”
- Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth
Source excerpt: “ A 2014 paper concluded that “the likely percent of non-citizen voters in recent US elections is 0.” ”
- Voter Fraud in US Elections? What the Data and Research Shows - Newsweek
Source excerpt: “In the case of Arizona—one of the states most closely watched following the 2020 election—that meant around 42.6 million votes cast with only 36 cases...”
- Election fraud rare in US elections, despite persistent claims otherwise
Source excerpt: “In Pennsylvania, for example, the Heritage Foundation analyzed 30 years of data, across which 32 elections were held. Just 39 cases of voter fraud wer...”
- Voter Fraud in US Elections? What the Data and Research Shows - Newsweek
Source excerpt: “Heritage laid out cases in every state, creating the "Election Fraud Database," which found 1,561 instances of voter fraud that resulted in 1,325 conv...”
- Widespread election fraud claims by Republicans don't match the evidence
Source excerpt: “For instance, in Texas, Heritage found 103 cases of confirmed election fraud. However, those 103 ranged from 2005 to 2022 during which time over 107 m...”
- What Trump's Intensifying Hunt for Non-Citizen Voters Is Showing
Source excerpt: “## What data shows about non-citizen voting A 2025 Michigan Department of State audit, for instance, found only 15 credible cases of individuals who a...”
- What Trump's Intensifying Hunt for Non-Citizen Voters Is Showing
Source excerpt: “In October 2024, Georgia officials reported that a similar audit had “conclusively” identified 20 non-citizens on the state’s voter rolls out of 8.2 m...”
- What Trump's Intensifying Hunt for Non-Citizen Voters Is Showing
Source excerpt: “And the rare instances when non-citizens do vote have no bearing on the outcomes of elections, Richer emphasizes. “The electoral impact on this is ne...”
- 2024 Presidential Election
Source excerpt: “2024 Presidential Election Despite Lack of Evidence, Americans Fear Voter Fraud Despite the fact election fraud is extremely rare, six in ten U.S. a...”
- 2024 Presidential Election
Source excerpt: “When looking along party lines, this fear was particularly pronounced among Republican-leaning voters at 86 percent, versus 55 percent of Independents...”