The Myth of Election Fraud

4/14/2022

We’ve all heard or read it, many of us from friends or relatives: the 2020 election was rigged, marred by systemic fraud. It’s a myth. The fact is, the 2020 election was one of the more secure and fair elections in our nation’s history.

It is important to educate voters and dispel the myth of election fraud. Voters need to know that the 2022 elections will be secure and fair. There simply was no widespread voter fraud in 2020. Take a brief look at election security from three different angles:

Voters and their Ballots

A record number of voters turned out for the 2020 election. People voted in person, either early or on election day, and by mail. While in-person voting, the voter watches the ballot being counted. A ballot cast by mail is given a tracking code, so the voter can track their ballot and be notified when their vote is counted. In either case, ballots can not be altered or discarded after votes are cast, thus ensuring that votes can be recounted if necessary. Not one of the various 2020 recounts undertaken around the country revealed systemic election fraud.

Election Authorities and Officials

No election official in the country has substantiated any election fraud claims. Not one. Election officials are justifiably proud of the job they do to make sure that elections are conducted fairly.

In Illinois, 108 different election authorities are responsible for conducting elections. These election authorities operate independently—there is no statewide, centralized voting database, and vote counts are supervised at the local level. The election authorities’ independence limits the possibility of coordinated, system-wide election tampering.

Government Agencies and Courts

The US Election Assistance Commission, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Bureau of Investigation all investigated the 2020 election, and none have found widespread voter fraud. Additionally, the courts have consistently rejected over 50 cases brought before them, citing a lack of evidence of voter fraud.

The Brennan Center for Justice offers a deeper look at the election security of the 2020 election.