by Natalia Mittelstadt
One in five voters who cast mail-in ballots during the November 2020 election admit to committing voter fraud, according to a new poll by The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports.
The poll of 1,085 likely voters released on Tuesday, which was conducted from November 30 to December 6, asked, “During the 2020 election, did you fill out a ballot, in part or in full, on behalf of a friend or family member, such as a spouse or child?” A total of 21% of respondents who said they had cast mail-in ballots answered ‘yes.’
All states prohibit filling out a ballot for another person, but many states allow people to provide assistance with voting, The Heartland Institute noted.
Furthermore, 17% of mail-in voters admitted they voted in a state where they “were no longer a permanent resident.” Seventeen percent also said they signed a “ballot or ballot envelope on behalf of a friend or family member.”
Ballots that are cast by non-permanent residents or fraudulently signed are to be invalidated by election officials when they notice them, according to the institute.
More than 43% of voters in 2020 cast their ballots by mail, a historical record.
Also, 10% of all respondents (not only mail-in voters) said they know “a friend, family member, co-worker, or other acquaintance who has admitted … that he or she cast a mail-in ballot in 2020 in a state other than his or her state of permanent residence.”
A total of 8% of all respondents said they were offered “pay” or a “reward” for agreeing to vote in 2020 by “a friend, family member, or organization, such as a political party.”
Among poll respondents, 36% were Democrats, 33% were Republicans, and 31% were “other.” Also, 22% were 65 or older, 46% were 40-64 years old, and 32% were 18-39 years old. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points.
James Taylor, president of The Heartland Institute, said in a statement, “These survey results show the importance of implementing forward-looking fixes to election rules and procedures that currently allow and encourage fraud.
“Regardless of what one’s views are on the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, Americans deserve an election system that is undeniably transparent and immune from mischief. These survey results conclusively illustrate that election fraud is a rampant and pervasive problem that undermines our democracy.”
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Natalia Mittelstadt graduated from Regent University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communication Studies and Government.
Photo “Mail-In Ballot Drop Off” by Chris Phan. CC BY-SA 3.0.
