President-elect Donald Trump claimed on Twitter Sunday that millions of people voted illegally and “serious voter fraud” occurred in three states. His comments follow news that Wisconsin will conduct a recount, initiated amid concerns that voting system infrastructure in the state wasn’t secure.
Experts from the Brennan Center for Justice, including Michael Waldman, Wendy Weiser, Myrna Pérez, Lawrence Norden, and Nicole Austin-Hillery, are available to comment. The organization has researched these issues for more than a decade.
- Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth. There is no basis to the claims of pervasive voter fraud. Every major investigation, study, and court decision has found little evidence of fraud. Instead, these claims lead to significant disenfranchisement since they are used to falsely justify restrictive laws that block legitimate voters from having their voice heard at the polls.
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Voting Machines and Recount Procedures: There is a legal process that allows recounts to happen if elections are exceptionally close, or if a party or candidate pays for them. There is little evidence to suggest anything will be found in Wisconsin to change the results of the election, but a recount can illuminate small problems we can work to avoid next time. One thing that was clear even before the recount was initiated is America’s voting machines and election administration infrastructure is old, which increases the risk of crashes and failures. A comprehensive Brennan Center study in 2015 examined America’s voting machines and found 42 states use ones that are at least 10 years old.
Click here for more on the Brennan Center’s voting rights and elections work.
To schedule an interview, contact Rebecca Autrey at rebecca.autrey@nyu.edu or 646–292–8316.