Election Fraud
Another presidential election is coming up in 2024, and it’s looking to be a crazy election year! Now’s the time to take a look at voter fraud issues that could lead to some real problems for individuals who are charged.
What is Election Fraud
If someone did wish to try to commit voter fraud, these are the kinds of things that could get them into trouble:
- Voting in the name of a deceased individual;
- Voting or registering in the name of a fictional person or of a real person without their consent, or forging their signature;
- Casting more than one ballot in the same election;
- Voting despite being ineligible (,due to age, citizenship status, or felony status, for example);
- Changing the information on someone else’s registration form, or destroying because you don’t like the party they’re associated with;
- Buying and/or selling votes;
- As an official, manipulating ballots by throwing out ballots, changing people’s votes, manipulating voting machines, or casting ballots in the name of other voters.
The Facts About Voter Fraud
The majority of Americans want election integrity and are intolerant of any kind of fraud that could lead to unfair results. That’s probably one reason that election fraud is incredibly rare in the United States according to numerous studies. Even so, claims to the contrary are rampant, and there are already assertions floating around declaring that the 2024 presidential election is “rigged.” Here’s what we know about recent cases of such fraud:
- The majority of questionable incidents can be blamed on clerical or similar errors.
- The probability of non-citizen voter fraud is zero according to one study.
- A shockingly low number–31 case– of credible voter fraud due to impersonation occurred throughout the country between 2000-2014.
- The real rate of voter impersonation is no higher than 0.003 percent.
- There were just four cases of documented fraud in the 2016 election.
- Mail-in votes have been found to be just as secure as in-person votes.
- According to multiple studies, the vast majority of voter fraud claims have been found to be without merit.
Penalties for Voter Fraud
While voter fraud is extremely rare, when it does occur, offenders can look forward to five thousand dollars in fines and five years in prison if convicted. Here in the Sunshine State there have been occasional convictions for voter fraud. Some people may remember the confusing issues in recent years when individuals with felonies were sent voter registration information, only to discover after casting their votes that they were ineligible. Prosecutors declined to pross charges in most such cases, although the governor has tightened things up since then and has greater power to prosecute based on partisan beliefs. Future confusion could lead to prosecutions, meaning a strong criminal defense attorney will have to go to battle to keep people out of jail.
Defending Charges
At Salazar & Kelly Law Group, our dedicated Kissimmee criminal defense attorneys always fight for the best possible outcomes for you. If you’ve been accused of voter fraud, schedule a confidential consultation in our office today.
