Recently, there have been plenty of scrutiny over election results within the United States- especially in the case of close elections. According to Heritage Foundation, the U.S. Supreme Court has noted that known instances has shown and do "demonstrate that not only is [the] risk of voter fraud real but that it could affect the outcome of a close election." There have been numerous cases of voter fraud. Below are three examples listed by the Heritage Foundation.
In 2015, a city council election in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, was determined by just 10 votes. However, the election was nullified by a judge, who called for a recount after uncovering that at least 13 unlawful absentee ballots had been submitted.
Another example of voter fraud involves Samunta Shomine Pittman, who was found guilty of 70 counts of felony fraudulent entries under O.C.G.A. §21-2-562(a) by the state in Fulton County of Georgia. In other words, Pittman filled out or had others fill out fictitious names on voter registration application forms while attempting to gain political support in June 2018 for the Coalition for the People's Agenda, which is a left-wing advocacy group. Pittman admitted guilt to the felony charges and received a sentence of three years of probation for each count, to be served at the same time. Additionally, Pittman was required to pay a probation supervision fee and a $50 public defender fee.
Kimberly Zapata, formerly the Deputy Director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, faced state charges for one felony count of misconduct in public office and three misdemeanor counts of absentee ballot fraud. During the 2022 election, she requested military absentee ballots under fictitious names and sent them to the home of Wisconsin state legislator Rep. Janel Brandtien (R-Menomonee Falls). Military voters are exempt from voter ID requirements, and Zapata declared the purpose of her actions were to highlight vulnerabilities in the election system. Using Wisconsin's online voter registration platform, she orchestrated the requests. Upon receiving the ballots, Brandtien notified authorities and the media, which led to the removal of Zapata as Deputy Director of the Milwaukee Election Commission. A jury found her guilty on all charges, sentencing her to nine months in jail (stayed pending successful completion of a year of probation), 120 hours of community service, and $5,657 in fines, assessments, and court costs.
All three cases above prove that voter fraud exists and is a real problem that needs to be addressed. This issue is currently being discussed in the legislative branch.
The House of Representatives has passed a bill earlier this month that requires proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections based on President Trump's executive order. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act was approved in a 220-208 vote. Four Democrats—Ed Case of Hawaii, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington—joined the Republicans to vote for the legislation.
Representative Chip Roy of Texas introduced the legislation which seeks to revise the National Voter Registration Act. It mandates that individuals registering to vote must provide proof of citizenship in person. Additionally, the bill requires states to implement a system for removing undocumented immigrants from voter rolls and grants American citizens the right to take legal action against election officials who fail to enforce proof-of-citizenship regulations.
According to Gallup, 83 percent of Americans support the requirement for first time voters to show proof of citizenship when. registering to vote. It is imperative to safeguard our elections against foreign interference and as a nation, we must provide ways to make certain that only American citizens participate in federal elections. Again, the majority of the House passed the bill and up next this bill will be voted on by the Senate.
The passage of this bill is crucial to ensure election integrity within the United States of America. Please contact your U.S. Senators to vote for this bill. By providing honest elections, U.S. citizens will have confidence that their votes are securely represented in the election process.
