Election Fraud

Extracted Attributes

• Goal

  Election subversion

• Scope

  Includes illegal acts and practices considered morally unacceptable or contrary to democratic principles, even if technically legal.

• Definition

  Illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of rival candidates, or both.

• Distinction

  Differs from but often goes hand-in-hand with voter suppression.

• Also known as

  Election manipulation, voter fraud, vote rigging

• Types of fraud (general)

  Voter impersonation, double voting, ballot stuffing, tampering with voting machines, fraudulent registration, artificial results, miscounting/destruction of votes, fraudulent use of absentee ballots, ineligible voting, altering the vote count, ballot petition fraud.

• Impact in national elections

  Can amount to a coup d'état, protest, or corruption of democracy; reduces voters' confidence.

Timeline

• Electoral fraud was prevalent in the United States, with weaker safeguards and powerful political machines. An example includes the 1844 New York election where 55,000 votes were recorded for only 41,000 eligible voters. (Source: Web search results)

  19th century

• Alabama ratified its 1901 constitution due to widespread electoral fraud in the referendum. (Source: Web search results)

  1901

• Fraud against William Randolph Hearst linked to the Tammany Hall machine in the New York City mayoral election. (Source: Web search results)

  1905

• The mayoral contest in Hialeah, Florida, was overturned by a judge due to numerous fraudulent ballots. (Source: Web search results)

  1993

• The Miami mayoral election was invalidated by a judge for 'a pattern of fraudulent, intentional and criminal conduct' in the casting of absentee ballots. (Source: Web search results)

  1997

• In Venezuela, the regime-controlled National Electoral Council declared Nicolás Maduro the winner through blatant election fraud, despite evidence of a landslide victory for Edmundo González collected by a million volunteers. (Source: Related documents)

  Recent

Electoral fraud

Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of rival candidates, or both. It differs from but often goes hand-in-hand with voter suppression. What exactly constitutes electoral fraud varies from country to country, though the goal is often election subversion. Electoral legislation outlaws many kinds of election fraud, but other practices violate general laws, such as those banning assault, harassment or libel. Although technically the term "electoral fraud" covers only those acts which are illegal, the term is sometimes used to describe acts which are legal, but considered morally unacceptable, outside the spirit of an election or in violation of the principles of democracy. Show elections, featuring only one candidate, are sometimes classified as electoral fraud, although they may comply with the law and are presented more as referendums/plebiscites. In national elections, successful electoral fraud on a sufficient scale can have the effect of a coup d'état, protest or corruption of democracy. In a narrow election, a small amount of fraud may suffice to change the result. Even if the outcome is not affected, the revelation of fraud can reduce voters' confidence in democracy.

Web Search Results

• Electoral fraud - Wikipedia

  Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud, or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of rival candidates, or both. It differs from but often goes hand-in-hand with voter suppression. What exactly constitutes electoral fraud varies from country to country, though the goal is often election subversion. [...] Electoral legislation outlaws many kinds of election fraud, but other practices violate general laws, such as those banning assault, harassment or libel. Although technically the term "electoral fraud" covers only those acts which are illegal, the term is sometimes used to describe acts which are legal, but considered morally unacceptable, outside the spirit of an election or in violation of the principles of democracy. Show elections, featuring only one candidate, are sometimes classified[by [...] Because U.S. states have primary responsibility for conducting elections, including federal elections, many forms of electoral fraud are prosecuted as state crimes. State election offenses include voter impersonation, double voting, ballot stuffing, tampering with voting machines, and fraudulent registration. Penalties vary widely by state and can include fines, imprisonment, loss of voting rights, and disqualification from holding public office.

• Election Fraud explained in the Election Glossary - polyas

  Voter fraud, electoral fraud or vote rigging are intentional, illegal actions aimed at changing or influencing or forcing the results of an election – by either depressing or increasing the vote share for a particular candidate or choice. Types of Election Fraud: [...] Artificial Results: Prevalent in countries with high-level corruption, election officials announce the result for a particular candidate or decision, regardless of what the electorate actually voted for. [...] Ballot Stuffing: Where ballot papers denoting a particular choice are “stuffed” into the ballot box in large quantities to swing the result in a particular direction. Miscounting or destruction of votes & tampering with recording equipment: Where ballots for a particular candidate are destroyed or miscounted. Similarly, some voting computers have been shown to be open to election fraud, by changing their counting mechanisms.

• Electoral fraud in the United States - Wikipedia

  Electoral fraud caused some notable United States elections in the 20th century to be affected or annulled. In the early 20th century, electoral fraud was similar in nature to the 19th century. Alabama ratified its 1901 constitution, which remained in effect until 2022, due to widespread electoral fraud in the referendum. In the 1905 New York City mayoral election, there was fraud against William Randolph Hearst linked to the Tammany Hall machine. Hearst lost to George B. McClellan Jr. by 3,472 [...] Electoral fraud was prevalent in the United States during the 19th century, when safeguards against fraud and electioneering were considerably weaker, and political machines wielded significantly more power. Political parties would produce their own ballots, and as of the mid-19th century, seven states still conducted elections by voice voting. States only began to adopt the secret ballot in the 1880s and 1890s. Voter fraud was so common that it developed its own vocabulary. "Colonizers" were [...] The 1997 Miami mayoral election is known for being one of the worst examples of electoral fraud in recent history, with a judge invalidating the result for "a pattern of fraudulent, intentional and criminal conduct" in the casting of absentee ballots. The neighboring city of Hialeah, Florida had its own mayoral contest overturned in 1993, when a judge ruled that so many ballots had been cast from a retirement home housing schizophrenics and drug addicts that the election had to be re-run.

• Voter Fraud | The Heritage Foundation

  Attempts to commandeer election results have been documented dating back to the 19th century, when New York City’s infamous Tammany Hall was synonymous with political corruption and election fraud. In one New York election 1844, 55,000 votes were recorded even though there were only 41,000 eligible voters. Decades later, these efforts have continued and determined fraudsters have become only more creative in their efforts to fix the outcome of elections. Different types of election fraud [...] Duplicate voting: Registering in multiple locations and voting in the same election in more than one jurisdiction or state. Fraudulent use of absentee ballots: Requesting absentee ballots and voting without the knowledge of the actual voter; or obtaining the absentee ballot from a voter and either filling it in directly and forging the voter’s signature or illegally telling the voter who to vote for. [...] Ineligible voting: Illegal registration and voting by individuals who are not U.S. citizens, are convicted felons, or are otherwise not eligible to vote. Altering the vote count: Changing the actual vote count either in a precinct or at the central location where votes are counted. Ballot petition fraud: Forging the signatures of registered voters on the ballot petitions that must be filed with election officials in some states for a candidate or issue to be listed on the official ballot.

• The Myth of Voter Fraud | Brennan Center for Justice

  Politicians at all levels of government have repeatedly, and falsely, claimed the 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections were marred by large numbers of people voting illegally. However, extensive research reveals that fraud is very rare, voter impersonation is virtually nonexistent, and many instances of alleged fraud are, in fact, mistakes by voters or administrators. The same is true for mail ballots, which are secure and essential to holding a safe election amid the coronavirus pandemic.