Voter fraud

Introduction
For the purposes of this article, "voter fraud" refers to attempts by either individual voters or voting-focused organizations to affect the outcome of an election by casting votes with fraudulent identities or misrepresenting eligibility to vote. This can be facilitated by submitting invalid or duplicate voter registration forms in advance of the election, and voting by misrepresenting one's identity or eligibility to vote based on these registrations.

This is an overview article only. Greater detail can be found on individual state pages.

Voter fraud in the U.S.
The actual incidence of voter fraud in the United States is extremely low. According to one study, "from 2002 to 2005 only one person was found guilty of registration fraud. Twenty people were found guilty of voting while ineligible and five people were found guilty of voting more than once."

ACORN and voter fraud
Over several election cycles the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has been accused by conservatives of committing voter fraud. ACORN has not been formally charged or convicted based on these accusations.

Groups promoting independent voter fraud monitoring on election day

 * The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps: "Operation 'Poll Watch 2008'"

Remedies
To prevent voter fraud election processes must be transparent to all citizens and closely monitored. Chain of custody of ballots is important for preventing the addition of fraudulent ballots to ballot boxes. Accountability of election officials for maintaining the integrity process must be enforced by voters.

External resources

 * "The Truth About Fraud," from the Brennan Center for Justice. This site includes Analysis & Reports, Case Studies by Issue, Case Studies by State and Litigation: Materials assessing claims of voter fraud, filed in court cases around the country/


 * Vote Fraud The Nation's First Website Dedicated to Exposing and Combating Computerized Vote Fraud.

External articles

 * GOP offers scant proof of voter fraud


 * "The Myth of Voter Fraud," New York Times Editorial, May 13, 2008.