A (sort-of) illustrated guide to the voting systems of three crucial swing states
Election officials — and reporters like me — have spent years explaining that voter fraud is incredibly rare.
Election officials — and reporters like me — have spent years explaining that voter fraud is incredibly rare. There aren’t millions of noncitizens registering and casting ballots. Voter impersonation is extremely uncommon. And there’s no legion of dead voters.
We know that because voting systems are designed with checks and balances to make it pretty hard to cheat. But most of that isn’t obvious or even visible to voters.
So with false claims of voter fraud already swirling ahead of November’s pivotal election, I’m here to walk you through the basics of the voting systems in three key battleground states — Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania — and how four essential elements of our election system prevent widespread voter fraud.
Getting on the voter rollGeorgia asks for quite a bit of information to register as a voter: name, address, date of birth and either the number on your driver’s license or state ID if you have one, or the last four digits of your Social Security number if you don’t. Sign the form swearing — under penalty of perjury — that you’re a citizen and eligible to vote, and you’re good to go.
Election officials will then check your information against government databases, which typically verify your identity and citizenship. If officials can’t find corroborating information, you’ll be asked to prove your citizenship with a passport, birth certificate, naturalization certificate or similar document before you are fully registered to vote.
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