Donald Trump hunts for electoral “fraud”

Donald Trump has spent a decade in politics returning to the same explanation for electoral setbacks: some form of “fraud.” The claim has helped him discredit democratic institutions, justify concentrating more power around his office and support measures against irregular immigration, the article says.

After losing the popular vote in 2016, Trump blamed undocumented immigrants for voting illegally, despite a lack of evidence. Four years later, after narrowly losing the presidential election to Joe Biden, he claimed without proof that Democratic states had sent millions of ballots to undocumented immigrants. He also cast doubt on postal voting and vote-counting machines.

Those complaints returned during the next presidential campaign but disappeared after Trump won both the popular vote and the Electoral College. Now, with two months remaining before midterm elections in which Republicans risk losing control of both chambers of Congress, Trump has renewed his attack on the electoral process.

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voting illegally

Hundreds of Department of Homeland Security agents have been abruptly assigned to look for noncitizens registered to vote. The article cites independent investigations that broadly agree undocumented immigrants voting is extremely rare. A Heritage Foundation database, it says, lists 100 cases over 25 years. Any such cases are subject to prosecution.

According to an investigation by The New York Times, the agents are examining state voter rolls and using personal identification data, including voters’ Social Security numbers. They have been using the information to enter voter-registration websites and check whether undocumented immigrants appear on the lists. The article says electoral fraud cases have been rare and have never influenced an election result. It also notes that New Jersey announced this year that a computer error had automatically registered 6,600 noncitizens to vote, although the supplied text ends before giving further details.

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never have free and fair elections while there is mail-in voting