The Facts

Types of Election Fraud

Many different forms of election fraud can be used to steal votes and potentially change the outcome of an election. They include:

Mar 25, 2026 2 min read

Fraudulent Use of Absentee Ballots

Requesting absentee ballots and voting without the knowledge of the actual voter; voting in the name of a deceased individual whose name has not been removed from the voter rolls; or obtaining the absentee ballot from a voter and either filling it in directly and forging the voter’s signature or illegally telling the voter for whom to vote

Ineligible Voting

Illegal registration and voting by individuals who are not eligible to vote, which would include:

Convicted felons whose rights have not been restored.
Minors.
Aliens (non-citizens).
Non-residents.

Impersonation Fraud at the Polls

Voting in the name of legitimate voters or voters who have died, moved away, or otherwise lost their right to vote because they are felons but remain registered.

Buying Votes

Paying voters to cast either an in-person or an absentee ballot for a particular candidate.

Ballot Petition Fraud

Ballot Petition Fraud Forging the signatures of registered voters on the ballot petitions that must be filed with election officials in some states for a candidate or issue to be listed on the official ballot.

Duplicate Voting

Registering in multiple locations and voting in the same election in more than one jurisdiction or state.

False Registrations

Voting under fraudulent voter registrations that either use a phony name and a real or fake address or claim residence in a particular jurisdiction where the registered voter does not actually live and is not entitled to vote.

Altering the Vote Count

Changing the actual vote count either in a precinct or at the central location where votes are counted.

Illegal “Assistance” at the Polls

Forcing or intimidating voters—particularly the elderly, disabled, illiterate, and those for whom English is a second language—to vote for particular candidates while supposedly providing them with “assistance.”

ENDNOTES:

12. Pew Center on the States, “Inaccurate, Costly, and Inefficient: Evidence That America’s Voter Registration System Needs an Upgrade,” Issue Brief, February 2012, https://www.pewtrusts.org/-/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/pcs_assets/2012/pewupgradingvoterregistrationpdf.pdf (accessed July 24, 2025).

13. Public Interest Legal Foundation, Critical Condition: American Voter Rolls Filled With Errors, Dead Voters, and Duplicate Registrations, September 2020, https://publicinterestlegal.org/pilf-files/Report-Critical_Condition-Web-FINAL-FINAL.pdf (accessed July 24, 2025).