The myth of voter fraud /Lorraine C. Minnite.
- Ithaca, N.Y. : Cornell University Press, (c)2010.
- 1 online resource (viii, 298 pages)
Includes bibliographies and index.
Introduction : voter fraud and the dynamics of electoral mobilization -- What is voter fraud? -- Are U.S. elections vulnerable to voter fraud? -- Evidence from the states -- Would the rational voter commit fraud? -- The political work of fraud allegations -- Voter fraud allegations and their consequences -- Appendixes: Allegations of voter fraud in the 2004 election cycle by the American Center for Voting Rights compared to substantiated number of fraudulent votes cast ; Selected state election codes and case law criminalizing election fraud in twelve states ; The quest for federal data on voter fraud ; Steps in extracting voter fraud records from the federal court cases integrated database ; Reconciling differences in agency coding of federal election law violations ; Oregon election law complaints.
"In The Myth of Voter Fraud, Lorraine C. Minnite presents the results of her meticulous search for evidence of voter fraud. She concludes that while voting irregularities produced by the fragmented and complex nature of the electoral process in the United States are common, incidents of deliberate voter fraud are actually quite rare. Based on painstaking research aggregating and sifting through data from a variety of sources, including public records requests to all fifty state governments and the U.S. Department of Justice, Minnite contends that voter fraud is in reality a politically constructed myth intended to further complicate the voting process and reduce voter turnout. She refutes several high-profile charges of alleged voter fraud, such as the assertion that eight of the 9/11 hijackers were registered to vote, and makes the question of voter fraud more precise by distinguishing fraud from the manifold ways in which electoral democracy can be distorted. Effectively disentangling misunderstandings and deliberate distortions from reality, The Myth of Voter Fraud provides rigorous empirical evidence for those fighting to make the electoral process more efficient, more equitable, and more democratic."--Jacket.
9780801459061
Elections--Corrupt practices--United States. Political corruption--United States. Voting--United States.