Is voter fraud a problem in the US?
Is Voter Fraud a Problem in the US?
Based on extensive research and data, voter fraud is not a significant problem in the US in terms of scale—it occurs, but at extremely low rates that don't affect election outcomes. Here's what the evidence shows:
The Research Consensus
Multiple independent academic studies, government investigations, and even conservative-leaning organizations have examined this question repeatedly, and the findings are remarkably consistent. The incidence of voter fraud has been studied numerous times, and the consensus from credible research and investigation 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.
A landmark Brennan Center study reviewed elections that had been meticulously studied for voter fraud, and found incident rates between 0.0003 percent and 0.0025 percent—concluding it is more likely an American "will be struck by lightning than that he will impersonate another voter at the polls."
Specific Data Points
What About the Heritage Foundation's Database?
Even the conservative Heritage Foundation—which actively tracks fraud cases and has pushed for stricter voting laws—has documented relatively few cases. Their "Election Fraud Database" found 1,561 instances of voter fraud that resulted in 1,325 convictions spanning decades across the entire country. For context, of those, only 20 cases were brought in 2024, an election with roughly 150 million ballots cast.
2024 Election Specifics
Looking at the most recent presidential election: reporting shows very few criminal prosecutions for voter fraud tied directly to the 2024 election, with multiple investigations yielding small numbers of indictments or convictions and many inquiries finding no charges, with the most consistent datapoints being single-digit to low-double-digit prosecutions in specific jurisdictions.
Some states did flag higher numbers of potential cases for investigation—for example, Nevada detected 303 instances of "double voting" attempts in the 2024 general election, though each person attempting to vote twice was caught before casting the second vote. This illustrates an important distinction: detection systems catching attempted fraud before it succeeds is actually evidence that safeguards work, not evidence of a widespread problem.
Why This Matters for Context
Any widespread voter fraud is unlikely due to the decentralized nature of American elections. With thousands of separate local jurisdictions each running their own elections with different officials and procedures, coordinating fraud at a scale large enough to swing outcomes would be exceptionally difficult to pull off undetected.
The Bottom Line
The research is unusually consistent across studies with different methodologies, time periods, and political leanings: voter fraud exists, but it happens at such minuscule rates (typically in the thousandths or millionths of a percent) that it does not constitute a systemic problem threatening election integrity. However, belief in widespread fraud remains common among the public even as empirical studies find it rare, reflecting a gap between public perception and documented evidence.
Citations (12)
- Resources on Voter Fraud Claims
Source excerpt: “The incidence of voter fraud has been studied numerous times. The consensus from credible research and investigation is that the rate of illegal votin...”
evidence, article, points to no. Claim: Credible research consensus is that illegal voting is extremely rare and voter impersonation is virtually nonexistent.
- Resources on Voter Fraud Claims
Source excerpt: “The report reviewed elections that had been meticulously studied for voter fraud, and found incident rates between 0.0003 percent and 0.0025 percent. ...”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: Brennan Center study found fraud incident rates between 0.0003 and 0.0025 percent, less likely than being struck by lightning.
- 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 than...”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: Study found 31 credible impersonation fraud instances from 2000 to 2014 out of over 1 billion ballots.
- 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...”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: Heritage Foundation found just 39 voter fraud cases in Pennsylvania over 30 years and 32 elections.
- globalnews.ca
Source excerpt: “In 2012, a Department of Justice unit examining the 2002 and 2004 federal elections found 0.00000013 per cent of ballots cast were fraudulent. ”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: A 2012 DOJ analysis of 2002 and 2004 federal elections found 0.00000013 percent of ballots fraudulent.
- florida gov desantis election police unit announces 20 voter fraud cases
Source excerpt: “An Associated Press investigation of the 2020 presidential election found fewer than 475 potential cases of voter fraud out of 25.5 million ballots ca...”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: AP investigation of 2020 found fewer than 475 potential fraud cases among 25.5 million ballots in six disputed states.
- 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...”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: Heritage's Election Fraud Database found 1,561 instances and 1,325 convictions across decades nationwide.
- Voter Fraud in US Elections? What the Data and Research Shows - Newsweek
Source excerpt: “Of those, 20 cases were brought in 2024, with charges ranging from ineligible voting to false registrations, duplicate voting and ineligible voting. ”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: Only 20 fraud cases were brought in 2024 in Heritage's database.
- How many voter fraud cases were prosecuted in the 2024...
Source excerpt: “The available reporting shows **very few criminal prosecutions for voter fraud tied directly to the 2024 election**, with multiple investigations yiel...”
evidence, article, points to no. Claim: Very few criminal prosecutions for voter fraud tied to the 2024 election, with small numbers of indictments or convictions.
- nevada investigates more than 300 potential voter fraud cases 2024 election
Source excerpt: “According to the report, there were 303 instances of "double voting" – the same person attempting to vote twice – detected in the 2024 general electio...”
statistic, article, neutral. Claim: Nevada detected 303 double voting attempts in the 2024 general election, each caught before a second vote was cast.
- Election fraud rare in US elections, despite persistent claims otherwise
Source excerpt: “Any widespread voter fraud is unlikely due to the decentralized nature of American elections.”
evidence, article, points to no. Claim: Widespread fraud is unlikely due to the decentralized nature of American elections.
- What’s the actual percentage of voter fraud in the Uni...
Source excerpt: “Belief in widespread fraud remains common among the public even as empirical studies find it rare; survey research in 2024 documents persistent public...”
evidence, article, points to no. Claim: Belief in widespread fraud remains common among the public even though empirical studies find it rare.