Among the accusations which have been aggressively pressed as some candidates in the latest election have demanded votes be voided or recounted is that some deceased Americans voted. They did, of course, not by any meaningful measure. The actual charge is one of fraud. Live people used the names of dead people to cast extra ballots.
A recent study from Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research shows that over an eight-year period, 14 dead people voted in the State of Washington–maybe. The research paper is titled “Are Dead People Voting By Mail? Evidence From Washington State Administrative Records”.
The institute’s scientists looked at approximately 4.5 million voter records which covered eight years from 2011 to 2018. They screened for incidents of fraud that involved the name of a deceased person. Although they found as many as 14, some may not have involved fraud at all. In some cases, the issue could have been clerical errors. Andrew Hall, a senior fellow at SIEPR commented “We’re talking about 0.0003 percent of all voters over an 8-year period.”
The question of fraud which involves the use of deceased people’s names goes back a long way in Amerian history. The most well-known accusation is that Chicago Mayor Richard Daley used the names of dead people to buffer a small lead John F. Kennedy had in Illinois in the 1960 presidential election. The conspiracy theory is that without Daily’s fraud, Kennedy would have lost Illinois, and in the process the entire election. Repeated examination of the numbers shows the accusation was false.
SIEPR researchers say an audit of fraud claims that involved deceased people is not difficult. Hall says: “Who votes and who dies are both matters of public record.”
The accusations about voter fraud in the 2020 election have not gone away. They continue to be pressed by several losing candidates, which include President Trump. However, not a single election official in any state has said that the charges are accurate. As a matter of fact, some have gone as far as to call the entire line of argument farcical.
Unfortunately, even after the results of the most election are certified, there will be a large number of Americans who believe that the election was stolen from one candidate or another. And, in addition, there will be some who believe it is because the names of deceased Americans were used as part of the methods used to “steal” an election.
24/7 Wall St.ALERT: Take This Retirement Quiz Now (Sponsored)
Take the quiz below to get matched with a financial advisor today.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Take the retirement quiz right here.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
