Voter fraud is extremely rare but that's no reason for Fox News not to keep hyping it. Today, on Fox Nation, instead of the specter of dead voters, we have the specter of dead dogs as voters. Or, as Fox Nation put it in its blaring headline: Dead Dog Receives Voter Registration Forms. (H/T reader Chris)
As the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice put it:
Fraud by individual voters is both irrational and extremely rare. Most citizens who take the time to vote offer their legitimate signatures and sworn oaths with the gravitas that this hard-won civic right deserves. Even for the few who view voting merely as a means to an end, however, voter fraud is a singularly foolish way to attempt to win an election. Each act of voter fraud risks five years in prison and a $10,000 fine - but yields at most one incremental vote. The single vote is simply not worth the price.
Because voter fraud is essentially irrational, it is not surprising that no credible evidence suggests a voter fraud epidemic. There is no documented wave or trend of individuals voting multiple times, voting as someone else, or voting despite knowing that they are ineligible. Indeed, evidence from the microscopically scrutinized 2004 gubernatorial election in Washington State actually reveals just the opposite: though voter fraud does happen, it happens approximately 0.0009% of the time. The similarly closely-analyzed 2004 election in Ohio revealed a voter fraud rate of 0.00004%. National Weather Service data shows that Americans are struck and killed by lightning about as often.
But Fox News regularly and deliberately does its best to make its audience think that there's some kind of epidemic of voter fraud breaking out.
Seriously, imagine putting this story in your portfolio when looking for a job. That job would have to be at the National Enquirer or Star, where she could exchange the phrase “Dead Dog” with “Space Alien” and fit right in. Great reporting Megs.
Yes and no.
I’m still working on my maps that show which states have had voter fraud committed by major offices or state committees the last three elections, and I’m turning it up in droves from the right. From the left, I’m only turning up small amounts, and the perpetrator was committing it for a small office, like a town sheriff.
It may not be an epidemic, but it’s certainly a problem. Too bad Fox News won’t say which side commits 99.9% of it.
