President Donald Trump said Monday he is offering $1 million to anyone who reports voter fraud in the upcoming election or past ones, his latest effort to exert influence over the midterms.
Trump did not specify where the funds would come from. He said on Truth Social that they would be paid on the “arrest and conviction of those that created the fraud.” A White House spokesperson did not offer more details about the offer.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in US elections, though Trump has spent years claiming there is and that it cost him the 2020 election he lost.
The Reality of Voter Fraud
Instances of voter fraud do occur on occasion — such as when people fill out recently deceased relatives’ ballots or lie on mail ballot applications — and they are usually caught.
A tracker from the conservative Heritage Foundation has collected more than 1,600 incidents of voter fraud over 40 years, a tiny fraction of the total votes cast over that period. Noncitizen voting is also rare, studies show.
The Broader Pattern
Trump’s offer is his latest effort to exert greater influence over the midterm elections. His administration has dedicated significant resources to searching for noncitizens on states’ voter rolls. The Justice Department sued California officials in an attempt to force them to segregate mail ballots it says went to potential noncitizens.
Last week, the Justice Department sued Alaska officials, at Trump’s request, to prevent the results of the US Senate race from being certified if GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. Courts have also blocked Trump from making sweeping changes to mail voting and requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.
The Financial Promises
Trump’s voter fraud reward announcement comes after he unveiled a $25 million government fraud whistleblower program, telling reporters he would decide who was worthy of the prize.
He has also been making other financial promises as he hits the campaign trail for Republicans, including $5,000 payments to Americans if his party maintains control of Congress. Trump has similarly not clarified where the money for those payments would come from.
The Bottom Line
President Trump has offered $1 million for voter fraud tips that lead to convictions, without explaining where the money would come from. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in US elections. The offer is part of a broader effort to influence the midterms, including DOJ lawsuits against California and Alaska and a $5,000 payment promise to Americans if Republicans keep Congress.
My Opinion
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the United States. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has documented about 1,600 cases over 40 years. That is a rounding error compared to the billions of ballots cast in that time. Trump knows this. He has been told this. But he keeps pushing the lie because it serves a purpose.
The timing is not subtle. Three weeks before the midterms, Trump is offering money for fraud tips, suing states to block certification of races Republicans might lose, and promising $5,000 checks to Americans if his party keeps Congress.
If Trump genuinely believed there was massive fraud, he would not need to offer a bounty. He would have evidence but he does not.
