The facts when it comes to voter fraud

Anyone with a shred of common sense would ask why anyone would risk criminal penalties including fines, imprisonment or deportation for a single vote, which is why voter fraud is virtually nonexistent. So for one frequently discussed category — noncitizen voting — analyses of the conservative Heritage Foundation data found about 65 convictions between 2000 and 2025 out of roughly $1.4 billion federal-election ballots cast. In other words, infinitesimal.

Neil also rails against mail-in ballots that are in fact the most secure way to cast votes and avoid long trips to the voting booths for rural and absentee voters. They can also use drop boxes, and require:

• Signature verification;

• Unique barcodes and voter records;

• Ballot tracking; and

• Bipartisan processing and audits.

Mail-in ballots create physical paper records that can be audited and why election-security experts consider paper ballots an important safeguard against tampering. States also conduct postelection audits to compare paper ballots with reported totals.

Studies over multiple election cycles have found that cases of mail-ballot fraud are extremely rare relative to the number of ballots cast, though isolated fraud cases have occurred and have led to prosecutions.

So rest easy Neil, our elections have never been more secure despite efforts to use this myth in order to disenfranchise minority voters.

Irv Brenner

Palo Alto