# How exactly is this voter fraud thing supposed to work anyway? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 17, 2016, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813 "2016-10-17T10:09:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/21 "2016-10-17T14:26:10Z")
Not to worry, Uber has been bought off. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/22 "2016-10-17T14:31:46Z")
I wish the Dems would buy a freaking copier. Running these faked ballots through a fuckin’ _mimeograph_ machine just isn’t cutting it anymore. Also, a lot of these deaders are beginning to stink. Early voting can’t happen soon enough! Here in Texas, we have regenerated the corporeal spirit of Lyndon Baines Johnson. #BlueTexas is now assured! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/23 "2016-10-17T14:33:58Z")
“Landslide” Lyndon and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Ballot Box! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/24 "2016-10-17T14:35:47Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > “Landslide” Lyndon and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Ballot Box! No shit! Dead Democrats from all across the Lone Star State are arising, doing the bidding of the single greatest election-rigger in American history. #BlueTexas ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/25 "2016-10-17T14:38:22Z")
I will be a poll worker on election day for the first time. I am just one person, but I will do my part to make sure everyone is who they say they are, and that no one is intimidated while trying to vote. It’s going to be a very long 16 hour day. I live in a very small “village” of just 3,600 people so I imagine some parts will be boring as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/26 "2016-10-17T14:48:54Z")
[Not all poll-watchers are certified.](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/2016-election-pennsylvania-polls-voters-trump-clinton-214297) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/27 "2016-10-17T14:52:16Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Oh, so he’s going to do the Black Panthers thing? Smart. I hear they don’t prosecute you for that anymore. Trump probably said he’d pay the legal bills. Not that he actually will, of course, but these people still believe him. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/28 "2016-10-17T14:55:01Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Poll watchers are normal and are certified by both parties. They are there primarily to make sure the poll workers don’t cheat. for example, Democrats will be watching to make sure voters aren’t challenged unreasonably and Republicans will be watching to make sure voters are complying with state laws. So where poll watchers must ask for ID, they will, and where they are not supposed to, they won’t. Just to use one example. Poll watchers basically watch for any irregularity and report back to the main party. That’s how we learn about long lines and such, or machine malfunctions, and yes, if someone got back in line and the poll workers were lazy as hell and didn’t feel like challenging someone who already voted, a poll watcher would object. Or if a voter showed up and someone had already voted in their name, that’s it, they voted already. I am aware that Democratic organizations are interested in getting volunteers who are attorneys to engage in some type of work at polling places, which to the best of my understanding has to do with issues like same-day registration, offering opinions on eligibility, watching how provisional ballots are dealt with, etc. That to me is far different than deploying people, apparently some of them armed, with no training or useful skills that would help contribute to a free and fair election process, with vague direction to “keep an eye on things.” That, IMHO, is at best soliciting disruptions by incompetents, and at worst directing that hooligans infringe on other people’s right to cast a vote. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/29 "2016-10-17T15:05:09Z")
I have spent time looking into the various allegations of voter fraud through the years and find they are mostly ginned up accusations that turn out to be a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. (Side note: Interesting to me how voter fraud is only an issue when a particular candidate is losing.) However, someone recently pointed me to these links: [State Police Investigating Voter Registration Fraud](http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/09/15/state-police-investigating-voter-registration-fraud/90407438/) [Voter Registration Fraud Investigation Expands to 57 Indiana Counties](http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/voter-registration-fraud-investigation-expands-to-57-indiana-counties) The articles seem credible to me only to the extent that they are reporting on an investigation, and they are far from proof of any successful voter impersonation fraud. But that’s not going to stop a lot of Indiana residents from believing widespread fraud is occurring. So a couple of things occurred to me: First, it strikes me as odd that any organization would be dumb enough to spend time, money or effort attempting to fraudulently turn the election in Indiana. It’s a blood red state whose former Governor is on the Republican ticket. For it to go any way _other_ than to the Republican column would automatically raise suspicions and likely warrant further investigation. IOW, voter fraud of any kind is only likely to be successful in states where the vote is close. That hardly describes Indiana. Second, why bother messing with actual voters’ personal information when 1) the fraud will so easily be discovered by the actual voters going to the polls and pointing out the invalid information; and 2) it’s so much easier to tamper with electronic voting machines? Much, much easier to manipulate votes after they have occurred than before. I’m not saying it happens a lot, but honestly, how does voter impersonation fraud make sense when messing with the tabulations on electronic voting machines is so much more effective and easier to hide? What is going on in Indiana that I’m missing here? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/30 "2016-10-17T16:13:42Z")
Remember this is Trump. He may honestly think it will be something as blatant as poll workers throwing away the ballots of Republican voters. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/31 "2016-10-17T16:17:15Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Dems are going all out on this one. First, they rig all the polls to make it look like their candidate is winning. That way, people won’t be surprised when she does. Then, they pore over the records to find out who is registered to vote and has recently rung down the curtain and joined the Choir Invisible. Then they gather the volunteers and swear them to secrecy. (Democrats are surprisingly good at ultra-secret conspiracy.) Then, they gather transportation resources and lay out the schedules. (Democrats are _astonishingly_ good at logistics, even better than they are at ultra-secrecy!) > > At this point, things can get a little complicated… You forgot registering 11 million illegal immigrants that pinkie-promise they are citizens when they register to vote. A Conspiracy to Oust Republicans Non-legally ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/32 "2016-10-17T16:24:57Z")
A couple of physicists and I came up with two new scientific principles: Schrodinger’s Polls: All polls are both rigged and unrigged up to the moment the results are announced. … which leads to… The Heisenberg Polling Uncertainty Principle: You do not know HOW a poll is rigged until the results are announced. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/33 "2016-10-17T16:26:52Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Remember this is Trump. He may honestly think it will be something as blatant as poll workers throwing away the ballots of Republican voters. Well said. When considering anything related to the Trump campaign, one ought to apply Trump’s Razor, [as codified by Josh Marshall](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/dominance-and-humiliation-no-middle-ground): The stupidest possible scenario that can be reconciled with the available facts is the most likely explanation. It’s proven a remarkably sturdy diagnostic tool these past months. Trump has no idea what actual voter fraud looks like, or how nigh-impossible it would be to pull off on the scale he is envisioning. He’s simply a sore loser bearing down on the biggest humiliation of his life, and thrashing at phantoms. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/34 "2016-10-17T16:28:24Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Remember this is Trump. He may honestly think it will be something as blatant as poll workers throwing away the ballots of Republican voters. No I’m not even going to give him that much credit. He wants his armed supporters to be challenging blacks and hispanics going “hey I already saw you vote once”, even when they know it’s total bullshit, because they know some will be intimidated and go home. Its outright call for thuggish intimidation in the political process. The claims of fraud are a barely disguised dog whistle for his most fanatical supporters to intimidate minority voters with guns and numbers. That’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/35 "2016-10-17T16:29:44Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > No I’m not even going to give him that much credit. He wants his armed supporters to be challenging blacks and hispanics going “hey I already saw you vote once”, even when they know it’s total bullshit, because they know some will be intimidated and go home. Its outright call for thuggish intimidation in the political process. Could be worse. He could be wink-winking that “2nd Amendment people” will be taking care of things. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/36 "2016-10-17T16:30:17Z")
Posted on Facebook (thanks to somebody here who gave me idea): “If there is anybody, ANYBODY, who feels too intimidated to go to the polls because of Trump’s Thugs, PLEASE give me a FB message and I will go with you.” Feel free to do the same. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/37 "2016-10-17T16:31:35Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > He wants his armed supporters to be challenging blacks and hispanics going “hey I already saw you vote once”, even when they know it’s total bullshit, If we had voter ID laws this would be a non-issue. Just sayin’ ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/38 "2016-10-17T16:39:50Z")
If we didn’t have racists, this would be a non-issue. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/39 "2016-10-17T16:40:36Z")
Go to certain polling places (you know which ones I’m talking about, wink wink), stand there keeping your eyes out for riggers, and just make sure they know you are watching. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813/40 "2016-10-17T16:45:51Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > If we had voter ID laws this would be a non-issue. > Just sayin’ There’s a solution in search of a problem. Out of the last one _billion_ votes cast, there’s a grand total of _31_ credible cases of voter fraud. [Cite.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/08/06/a-comprehensive-investigation-of-voter-impersonation-finds-31-credible-incidents-out-of-one-billion-ballots-cast/) If every single fucking one of those votes had been cast at the same time for the same election, I doubt it would have influenced the election of a local dog catcher. Now, let’s see you try to justify the incredible cost and effort of _your_ idea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-is-this-voter-fraud-thing-supposed-to-work-anyway/768813.md?page=3)