Defeated Roy Moore Pushing the Voter Fraud Myth to Undermine Voting Integrity
by Brian Tashman, Political Researcher and Strategist, American Civil Liberties Union 12/26/2017Voter fraud is fake
Recently, Doug Jones defeated former state judge Roy Moore. But Moore refused to concede the race. He is now suggesting voter fraud.
When Moore and politicians push the voter fraud myth, they work backwards to try to find any evidence. They offer new and tenuous reasons to crack down on voting rights.
Millions of illegal votes not found
Donald Trump said that he only lost the national popular vote due to millions of illegal votes. But he has never provided any evidence to substantiate his fallacious claim. However, it falsely justified a national voter fraud commission to look into the matter.
Moore asked supporters to donate to his “election integrity fund”. Moore said that there are “numerous reported cases of voter fraud” to review by Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill.
Election Integrity Program – a scam to raise money
Merrill, told reporters that he has not received any evidence of voter fraud. Moore sent another fundraising email claiming that his “Election Integrity Program” has found “reports of potential voter fraud” from “all across the state.”
moves to suppress the vote in Alabama prompted by Moore’s unfounded warnings. Black Alabamians, already face significant burdens in casting a ballot.
Online voter fraud hoaxes
Meanwhile, several online hoaxes claiming that Jones benefited from massive voter fraud have gone viral on social media. One conservative channel, One America News Network, even declared Moore to be the victor. They falsely claimed that “50 people had been caught” trying “to sneak into voting booths and vote illegally.”
Study after study has shown that voter fraud is an extraordinarily rare occurrence, but the myth that it is a major factor in elections has been gaining popularity among Republican voters. Politicians peddle this lie because it gives them a justification for laws that make it more difficult for people to vote.
Just look at what is happening right now in New Hampshire.
Kobach’s assertion that thousands of voters from out of state cast fraudulent votes was debunked. Now there is an effort underway in New Hampshire to change the law to make it harder to vote based on the same nonexistent threat.
Want to expand access to the ballot and make our democracy more representative? Get involved. Participate in a “Let People Vote” voting rights action near you. Read more about the Let People Vote campaign here; sign up for updates here.”
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