The Myth of Voter Fraud and the Threat of Voter Suppression

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In a January 23, 2017 meeting with congressional leaders, President Trump alleged that he’d lost the popular vote only because of rampant voter fraud by “3 to 5 million illegals.”

On January 25, 2017, in a nationally aired interview with ABC News, President Trump said there are “millions of votes” cast by dead people, “illegals” and those registered in two or three states.

He also insisted that none of these illegal votes were cast for him.

“They all voted for Hillary. They didn’t vote for me,” Trump said, according to a transcript. “I don’t believe I got one.”

On February 9, 2017, during a listening session with 10 senators about Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, President Trump again suggested that he was a victim of widespread voter fraud. The president claimed that he and former-Senator Kelly Ayotte both would have been victorious in the Granite State if not for the “thousands” of people who were “brought in on buses” from neighboring Massachusetts to “illegally” vote in New Hampshire.

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Despite the fact that President Trump’s claims of voter fraud have no basis in fact, fears of Republican-led efforts to suppress the votes of African-Americans and other communities of color are deeply rooted in reality.

The stance President Trump has taken is unprecedented, as he is the first sitting President to demand an investigation into a successful election.

President Trump’s voter fraud allegations have no basis in fact, but this is a tactic that can be used to create new laws that will restrict Americans from voting and support current laws that actively suppress the minority vote.

The Congressional Black Caucus bears a responsibility to lead the charge against voter suppression campaigns that disproportionately minimize the voices of African-American voters.

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