Wednesday, August 15, 2012
(photo-Violet Patch of South Florida)
Voter impersonation, the reason why more than half of all U.S. states have adopted or considered voter identification laws, is virtually non-existent, according to an investigative news study.
After examining 2,068 cases of voter fraud since 2000, News21, a Carnegie-Knight investigative reporting project, found only 10 cases involving in-person voter impersonation.
That’s 10 cases out of 146 million registered voters, or one for every 15 million prospective voters.
And yet 37 states have enacted or deliberated on voter ID laws that require individuals to produce photo identification at polling places in order to cast their ballots.
“Voter fraud at the polls is an insignificant aspect of American elections,” David Schultz, professor of public policy at Hamline University School of Business in St. Paul, Minnesota, told News21. “There is absolutely no evidence that [voter impersonation fraud] has affected the outcome of any election in the United States, at least any recent election in the United States.”
The investigation found more fraud cases with absentee ballots (491) and voter registration (400), neither of which can be prevented by voter ID laws.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
Comprehensive Database of U.S. Voter Fraud Uncovers No Evidence That Photo ID Is Needed (by Natasha Khan and Corbin Carson, News21)
Election Day Impersonation, an Impetus for Voter ID Laws, a Rarity, Data Show (by Natasha Khan and Corbin Carson, News21)
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