Voter rolls are full of dead voters used to commit fraud
| Voter rolls are full of dead voters used to commit fraud | |
|---|---|
| MISLEADING | |
| "Outdated registrations let fraudsters cast ballots in the names of the dead." | |
| Domain | Politics & Elections |
| Tactic | Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion False Context |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2012 |
| Origin | Misreading of a 2012 Pew Center on the States report on voter registration |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-03 |
| Further reading: books on Politics & Elections | |
The claim that voter rolls are full of dead voters used to commit fraud treats outdated records as if they were cast ballots.
What the evidence shows
- The records are messy. Pew's 2012 report "Inaccurate, Costly, and Inefficient" found about 24 million registrations invalid or significantly inaccurate, including 1.8 million listed deceased and 2.75 million registered in more than one state.
- Pew did not find fraud. The same report said documented voter fraud is rare and called for modernizing the system.
- Roll errors are not votes. A deceased person on a roll does not cast a ballot, and such votes are exceedingly rare when checked.
Why it persists
The big numbers are real, which makes the conclusion sound earned.
Lessons for readers
- Ask how many ballots were actually cast, not how many records are stale.
See also
Sources
- Pew Center on the States, Inaccurate, Costly, and Inefficient, 2012.