Know the Facts: Stop Election Misinformation in Its Tracks
There has never been a more critical time to have accurate information about our elections! As we approach the 2024 Presidential Election, misinformation and disinformation are sowing division and distrust, suppressing voting, and undermining the entire electoral process.
Fight back against election misinformation by knowing and sharing the facts. The following information has been verified by LWVIL’s Mis/Disinformation Task Force. Check out our Election Facts Toolkit for resources to share these facts on social media and beyond.
Fact #1: Automatic voter registration is accurate and secure.
Automatic voter registration (AVR) is a process by which eligible voters are “automatically registered… through their interactions with state agencies, most commonly when people apply for or renew their driver’s license.” AVR became legal in Illinois in August 2017, when SB1933 was signed into law.
State agencies in Illinois where eligible voters can register to vote or update an existing registration include the DMV, divisions of Family and Community Services and Rehabilitation Services of the Department of Human Services, the Department of Employment Security, the Department of Natural Resources, or an agency of the state or federal government that has been determined by the Board of Elections to have correct information and has been entered into an interagency contract with the State Board of Elections to participate in the AVR program.
Some have suggested that automatic voter registration enables noncitizen voting and voter roll manipulation. In fact, AVR keeps voter rolls more accurate by creating a constant stream of updates between registration agencies and elections officials and by reducing the odds of mistakes caused by processing paper registration forms by hand. Cleaner rolls reduce errors that cause delays on Election Day. AVR also lowers costs by allowing states to save money on printing, mailing, and data entry.
Sources: Automatic Voter Registration Summary, Brennan Center for Justice; The Algorithmic Transparency Institute, Rumors Report, 4/9/24
Fact #2: Noncitizen voting is illegal and rare.
Some have suggested that federal legislation is needed to prevent noncitizen voting, though noncitizen voting is extremely rare, easily caught, and has large negative consequences—including potential deportation. In 2016, the Brennan Center looked for instances of non-citizen voting and found 30 suspected cases amid 23.5 million votes in 2016, or .0001% of all votes cast. Additionally, the Heritage Foundation’s database of confirmed fraud cases list fewer than 100 examples of noncitizens voting between 2002 and 2022, according to CNN.
Source: The Algorithmic Transparency Institute, Rumors Report, 4/16/24 and 7/9/24; Brennan Center for Justice; Democracy Docket; Voting Rights Lab
Fact #3: Everyone in Illinois can now vote by mail. No excuse is required to request a ballot.
Beginning with the 2016 election cycle, Illinois stopped using the term “absentee.” While many voters continue to use “absentee” and “vote-by-mail” interchangeably, there is no difference in Illinois. In addition, in 2009 the excuse requirement was dropped.
Source: 2024 Vote-By-Mail Frequently Asked Questions, Illinois State Board of Elections
Fact #4: Illinois maintains accurate voter rolls through the Election Registration Information Center (ERIC).
The Election Registration Information Center (ERIC) is a nonprofit partnership created by states to help them maintain accurate voter rolls and increase access to registration for all eligible voters. Through ERIC, member states can analyze their voter rolls and match data against records from other participating states and federal agencies.
States voluntarily join ERIC, and participation is widely bipartisan. Member states share voter registration data with one another to detect vulnerabilities in state election systems and safeguard the accuracy of voter rolls, including by providing information about voters who have moved within or out of state, voters who have died, and voters who are potentially eligible to vote but are not registered. The database is controlled, funded, and operated by the states that use the system.
Source: 7 Facts About Voting-and Myths Being Spread About Them, Brennan Center for Justice, 11/2/22
Fact #5: Only US citizens can vote in elections.
Article III of the Illinois Constitution states who is eligible to vote.
Illinois Voter Registration Requirements:
Must be a U.S. citizen
Must be 18 years old to vote in a Consolidated or General Election (or 17 years of age to vote in a Consolidated Primary or General Primary if the individual will be 18 by the time of the Consolidated or General Election)
Must have been a resident of the precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day
Source: Registering to Vote in Illinois, Illinois State Board of Elections
Fact #6: To vote in Illinois, you must be registered.
Illinois Voter Registration Requirements:
Must be a U.S. Citizen
Must be 18 years old to vote in a Consolidated or General Election (or 17 years of age to vote in a Consolidated Primary or General Primary if the individual will be 18 by the time of the Consolidated or General Election)
Must have been a resident of the precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day
Forms of Identification Needed When Registering to Vote:
Two forms of identification with at least one showing your current residence address are needed when you register in-person
If you register by mail, sufficient proof of identity is required by submission of your driver’s license number or State identification card number.
If you do not have either of those, verification by the last 4 digits of your social security number, a copy of a current and valid photo identification, or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document that shows your name and address will be required
A person may also demonstrate sufficient proof of identity by submission of an identification card issued by a college or university accompanied by either a copy of the applicant’s contract or lease for a residence or any postmarked mail delivered to the applicant at their current residence address.
Source: Registering to Vote in Illinois Fact Sheet at www.elections.il.gov
Fact #7: You may request a mail ballot but later decide to vote in person.
If you have already received your mail ballot, take it with you to an early voting site or your polling place on Election Day and surrender it to an election judge. Your mail ballot will be voided, and you will receive a regular ballot.
If you have not yet received your mail ballot, you will be asked to sign an affidavit certifying you have not received your ballot. You will then be issued a regular ballot.
If you received your mail ballot but lost it, you may sign an affidavit certifying you have not yet voted in this election. You will then be issued a provisional ballot.
If your mail ballot arrives after you have voted but on or before Election Day, you must discard the mail ballot. Do not attempt to vote your mail ballot after you have voted in person. Doing so is a Class 3 felony. (And because voting systems will not allow more than one vote per voter, your mail ballot will be rejected.)
Source: 2024 Vote by Mail FAQ, Illinois State Board of Elections
Fact #8: Voters cannot be registered at multiple addresses.
The Illinois State Board of Elections maintains the integrity of the voting rolls. When you change your address, your registration address is updated. You may have only one legally registered voting address on file with the Board of Elections. Election authorities across Illinois and the country proactively work together to spot and eliminate duplicate voter registrations.
Source: Voting Security Questions and Responses from Election Authorities Throughout Illinois
Fact #9: Voting by mail is accurate and secure.
Mail-in ballots are a secure way to vote because the voter must:
Sign an application form to get a ballot; and
Sign the envelope in which the ballot is mailed back to the election authority
Once the ballot is received by the election authority and in-person voting is closed, the mail-in ballot envelope is reviewed. Using the unique scan code on the envelope, two election judges, one from each party, compare the signature on the envelope to the voter’s registration record. The signatures must match the voter’s signature on their registration record for the ballot to be counted, and both election judges must agree that the signature is valid. At that point, the ballot is removed from the envelope and processed through the voting equipment.
Mail-in ballots are counted only if they were postmarked or marked with a USPS barcode by Election Day or dropped in one of the election commissions’ secure drop boxes.
Source: Illinois Board of Elections
Fact #10: Poll watchers may not interfere with the voting process.
Poll watchers can be from any political party and include nonpartisan groups, candidate representatives, international observers, exit polling groups, academics, or relevant state and federal agency representatives. Individual states and counties may regulate who is allowed to observe, the registration process for poll watchers, and the zones within polling locations where watchers are permitted to stand.
State privacy laws prohibit interfering with the voting process, trying to see for which party/candidate a voter casts their ballot, and preventing someone from voting. Federal law makes it “illegal to intimidate, threaten, or coerce any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of such person to vote or to vote as they may choose”.
Sources: Poll watching requirements by state, from National Conference of State Legislatures, May 28, 2024; Is voter intimidation illegal? What should I do if I experience it? From Campaign Legal Center, March 11, 2024; What are poll watchers and what do they do? From CNN, September 9, 2020
Fact #11: The Election Threats Task Force protects election workers.
The Election Threats Task Force was established in 2021 by the Department of Justice to address violence against election workers and ensure they are able to do their jobs.
The Task Force does not investigate nor does it encourage reports against those who have made false claims about elections or their outcomes.
Threats against election workers are largely motivated by continuing false claims about election integrity and voter fraud. While many threats are considered protected political speech under the First Amendment, there have been 13 convictions for violent threats against election workers.
Sources: Election Workers Face Flood of Threats, but Charges are Few, NY Times, 4/13/24; Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at the Election Threats Task Force Meeting,Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, May 13, 2024
Fact #12: There is a paper record for every ballot cast in Illinois.
In Illinois, every vote has a paper record so that it can be verified, audited, and/or recounted if necessary. Depending on the voting system, the paper record is either a preprinted ballot, a ballot which is printed on demand at the polling location; or is a paper receipt that is issued for the voter to verify their vote.
Source: How Illinois Strives to Ensure a Secure Election Process, LWVIL Webinar, 3/6/24 featuring Matt Dietrich, Illinois Board of Election Public Information Officer
Fact #13: Machine counts are more accurate than hand counts.
Election officials have moved away from hand counting in all but the smallest jurisdictions. Studies have shown that when counting a large number of ballots with multiple contests, hand counting is more expensive, inefficient, and error-prone than machine counting. Having people count votes by hand is not more secure. The machines that count ballots must meet federal and state security standards and go through testing to ensure that the machines are accurately counting ballots.
Hand counting of ballots is an important check on the accuracy of machines. In Illinois, every vote, whether cast in early voting, voting by mail, or in person voting on election day, has a paper record that can be verified. Forty four states, including Illinois, require post-election tabulation audits, which typically involve counting a sample of ballots by hand to confirm that the machines worked properly.
Sources: Brennan Center for Justice; US Election Assistance Commission
Fact #14: Voting machines accurately record votes.
Our election system has numerous checks in place to prevent fraudulent ballots from being accepted in an actual election and to check that electronic systems are tabulating votes accurately. While practices vary by locality, all state and local officials employ a combination of testing and certification practices both before and after elections. This includes federal, state, and local testing during procurement and immediately before each election, as well as post-election audits comparing paper totals to machine counts.
Election officials audit voting machines at every step to make sure votes are recorded correctly, and they maintain a ballot chain of custody. They know if voting machines are hacked.
Source: 7 Facts About Voting-and Myths Being Spread About Them, Brennan Center for Justice, 11/2/22; Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
Fact #15: You don’t have to fill out the entire ballot when you vote.
If you don’t want to vote for a particular office or issue, you can just leave it blank. The rest of your ballot will still be counted.
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, Social Media Post
Fact #16: Election Fraud is Rare
Election fraud is rare nationally, regardless of isolated local cases of voting irregularities. Elections are safe and secure throughout the country, thanks to the work of state boards of elections, attorneys general, and state and federal courts. Rare cases of suspected voter irregularities have been adjudicated and resolved.
Sources: The Myth of Voter Fraud, Brennan Center for Justice; Judge overturns city council election in South Texas over “illegally-cast” votes, Texas Standard, June 5, 2024
Fact #17: Voting equipment is never connected to the internet.
The presence of WiFi networks at polling locations leads some people to claim that it provides a way for hackers to tamper with voting machines. None of the voting equipment in Illinois is ever connected to the internet, either in the polling place or in the Clerk’s Office when votes are being tabulated or results are being processed. The data drives containing the results are designed explicitly for that specific voting equipment.
Polling locations are often located in places like libraries, churches, schools, and municipal buildings, where it is common to find public and private WiFi networks. The mere presence of WiFi does not indicate nefarious behavior on the part of election officials.
Source: The Algorithmic Transparency Institute, Rumors Report, 4/2/24; How Illinois Strives to Ensure a Secure Election Process, LWVIL Webinar, 3/6/24 featuring Matt Dietrich, Illinois Board of Election Public Information Officer
Fact #18: You can only vote once in each election.
The Voting Rights Act prohibits voting more than once in an election.
(e) Voting more than once
(1) Whoever votes more than once in an election referred to in paragraph (2) shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
(2) The prohibition of this subsection applies with respect to any general, special, or primary election held solely or in part for the purpose of selecting or electing any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, presidential elector, Member of the United States Senate, Member of the United States House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, Guam, or the Virgin Islands, or Resident Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(3) As used in this subsection, the term "votes more than once" does not include the casting of an additional ballot if all prior ballots of that voter were invalidated, nor does it include the voting in two jurisdictions under section 10502 of this title, to the extent two ballots are not cast for an election to the same candidacy or office.
In Illinois specifically, a person who attempts to vote more than once is committing a Class 3 felony. A Class 3 felony generally carries a prison sentence between two to five years, plus one year of probation. In addition, voting systems in Illinois will not allow more than one vote per voter. The ballot will be rejected.
Sources: 2024 Vote by Mail FAQ, Illinois State Board of Elections; Illinois Felony Crimes by Class and Sentence, Criminal Defense Lawyer
Fact #19: You can’t vote online or by text message.
The only legitimate forms of voting are in person and Vote by Mail ballot.
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections
Fact #20: Election officials must certify accurate results.
Election officials are legally bound to certify election results after all votes have been counted and after any records, post-election audits, or legal challenges have been completed and confirmed the vote totals. Once these totals are final, the act of certifying the elections is ministerial only. Election officials and governors are obligated to certify the candidates with the most voters as winners, no matter who they personally favor.
Source: Brennan Center For Justice