Is voter fraud a problem in the US?

Curious about voter fraud in the US — I'll look at the latest evidence and data to give you a balanced answer.

In the United States voter fraud is defined as intentional illegal conduct involving voter registration, casting a ballot, or handling a ballot, which is narrower than broader election fraud that can include misconduct by officials or campaigns. Fraud requires intentional unlawful conduct, not just confusion, administrative error, or imperfection.

How common is it?

Research consistently shows that voter fraud is rare in the United States.

One widely cited Brennan Center for Justice analysis found that voter impersonation occurs at a rate between 0.0003% and 0.0025%.

That analysis concluded that evidence does not support sweeping claims that it is widespread or common enough to regularly decide election outcomes on a large scale.

The Brennan Center's assessment of the Heritage Foundation's voter fraud database - often cited by those concerned about fraud - also concluded voter fraud is vanishingly rare, and impersonating a voter at the polls is less common a phenomenon than being struck by lightning.

The database includes an assortment of cases, many unrelated or tangentially related, going back decades, with only a handful pertaining to non-citizens voting or impersonation at the polls.

Other estimates also find microscopic rates. Depending on source and timeframe, documented rates range from roughly 0.00000017 percent up through numbers like 0.0000845 percent, all describing fractions of a percent.

What types of voter fraud exist?

Common categories discussed in studies include:

•Impersonation fraud - when a person tries to vote using someone else's identity, usually at a polling place. Research has repeatedly found that it is extremely rare.

•Double voting - when someone attempts to vote more than once in the same election, such as in more than one jurisdiction.

•Registration fraud - knowingly false information used during voter registration, such as fabricated names, addresses, or eligibility claims.

•Vote buying and ballot collection abuse also appear in typologies.

Under federal definitions, fraud by the voter includes giving false information when registering to vote (such as false citizenship claims), voting when ineligible, or voting more than once or using someone else's name to vote.

Fraud by an elections/campaign official or other individual includes changing a ballot tally, providing money for a vote, or threatening a voter.

Do prosecutions happen?

Yes, but in relatively small numbers compared to total votes cast.

The Heritage Foundation's Election Fraud Database is the most-cited public compilation and it lists roughly 1,561 "proven instances" yielding about 1,325 convictions across its time window.

One tally of federal prosecutions noted 53 criminal convictions for voter fraud since the 2020 Election cycle began.

Those cases span activities such as double voting, impersonation, false citizenship claims, fraudulent registration, and noncitizen voting.

Voter fraud is real in the sense that it can happen and does happen in isolated cases. But the evidence available from major studies shows it is rare, especially in the broad, sweeping form often claimed in political rhetoric.

Why is there disagreement about whether it is a "problem"?

•Those who view it as a significant problem argue that even small numbers of illegal votes can affect close local races, undermine confidence, and justify tighter safeguards such as voter ID requirements, stricter registration checks, and limits on mail voting or ballot collection. They point to documented prosecutions as evidence that enforcement and prevention are needed.

•Those who view it as not a systemic problem point to the extremely low rates found across decades of research, the billions of votes cast compared to a few thousand documented cases over many decades, and court and audit findings that no rigorous body of research has shown fraud at the scale necessary to flip major U.S. elections. They argue perception can shape policy just as powerfully as reality, and note the trade-off: supporters of tighter rules argue they protect election integrity, while critics argue they can make voting harder for lawful voters, especially among poor communities, elderly voters, disabled voters, rural voters, and students.

In summary, major nonpartisan studies, audits, and court reviews conclude proven voter fraud exists but at extremely low rates - measured in thousandths or ten-thousandths of a percent of ballots cast - and not at levels that have been shown to alter the outcomes of federal or statewide national elections. Isolated, prosecutable cases do continue to occur and are investigated as federal election crimes by the FBI and Department of Justice.

Citations (3)

1theevidencematters.comNot yet classified
Voter Fraud: What It Is and What the Evidence Shows
Backs: “Curious about voter fraud in the US — I'll look at the latest evidence and data to give you a balanced answer. In the United States voter fraud is defined as intentional illegal conduct involving voter registration, casting a ballot, or handling a ballot, which is narrower than broader election fraud that can include…”
2brennancenter.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Heritage Fraud Database: An Assessment
Backs: “That analysis concluded that evidence does not support sweeping claims that it is widespread or common enough to regularly decide election outcomes on a large scale. The Brennan Center's assessment of the Heritage Foundation's voter fraud database - often cited by those concerned about fraud - also concluded voter…”
3fbi.govGovernment
Election Crimes and Security — FBI
Backs: “Registration fraud - knowingly false information used during voter registration, such as fabricated names, addresses, or eligibility claims. Vote buying and ballot collection abuse also appear in typologies. Under federal definitions, fraud by the voter includes giving false information when registering to vote (such…”