Does vote-by-mail lead to voter fraud? Washington State's 2018 election data says no

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Donald Trump has cried "Vote Fraud!" in vote-by-mail elections, but Washington's Republican Secretary of State released figures Monday on the 2018 election. Just 142 cases of improper voting out of 3.1 million ballots were referred to county sheriffs and prosecutors for legal action.

That's 0.004% of what was an energized electorate.

The nation has begun to look at vote-by-mail, currently used in Washington and four other states, after last months "pandemic primary" in Wisconsin. With Republican legislators balking at any change in rules, voters in Milwaukee had to stand in line for 1 1/2 to 2 hours with fewer than 10 polling places open in the city. Thousands of absentee votes, requested by voters, were not delivered on time.

Trump voted by mail in Florida's March 3 primary, but has decried letting other voters do likewise.

"No, mail ballots," the 45th president declared last month. "They cheat. Mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country because they are cheaters. You get thousands and thousands of people sitting in somebody's living room signing ballots all over the place."

Sure, but the 45th president gave a partisan argument on the friendly, uncritical confines of "Fox & Friends," saying, "Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to statewide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it. Tremendous potential for vote fraud and, for whatever reason, doesn't work out well for Republicans."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/does-vote-by-mail-lead-to-voter-fraud-washington-s-2018-election-data-says-no/ar-BB13B3HB?ocid=hplocalnews

[leftieNanner]

1. Same Deal Here in Oregon

We have 100% VBM and we have had no problems. We even elected a Republican SOS last time around. Plus Greg Walden has held his House seat for many years. But it just means that more people find it easier to vote and then they do! That's what scares the Republicans - they are out numbered and they know it.

[safeinOhio]

2. Then he said he votes by mail.

Lately it seems half my mail is from local state and the Federal governments.

[stillcool]

3. I think any system of voting needs security precautions..

and unfortunately, the states that don't want people to vote, will not implement any. If there's a way, they'll find it, but it's better than making people stand in line for 8+ hours, to maybe be allowed to vote, and to maybe have that vote counted.

[VarryOn]

4. A mail-in ballot should be mailed to every registered voter...

But there should be a way where only the mail-in ballot OR the in-person ballot would be accepted. A voter could choose to vote using the mail-in ballot or do it in person. I'm not sure how you do it, but somehow each voter's two ballots would be id'ed (proecting the sanctity of the secret ballot, of course), and if both ballots were submitted, one would be invalidated. There would also need to be criminal penalties for attempting to vote twice.

We could go further and mail a ballot and voter registration app to every person over 18. If you're not registered, fill out the ballot and the app.

We need to make it easier than hell to vote yet make penalties quite severe for tampering with the voting process.

[ibegurpard]

5. Oregon has been solely vote by mail for decades.

Republicans do not want this proliferating because anything that makes it easier to vote increases the odds constituencies that may favor Democrats will turn out in higher numbers. This is why they oppose it.

[BamaRefugee]

6. Give rethugs some time. They always figure out a way. They just haven't gotten around to it yet.