How Local Auditors Make Sure Voting Fraud Doesn’t Happen Here

Donald Trump says people who shouldn’t be able to vote are voting.

This concept of “unfair” elections is not new to the 2016 race.

You’ve heard Trump say it…but what does he mean?

“There’s basically this idea that somehow secretly people are voting that should not be or votes are being added illicitly that favor one party or candidate over the other,” said MSUM Political Science Professor Barbara Headrick.

Being eligible to vote includes being a resident of the state and being a U.S citizen.

Both Cass and Clay counties have ways to ensure fraud won’t be taking place here.

“There’s not a lot of opportunities for someone just to walk in and vote,” said Cass County Auditor Michael Montplaisier. “They can’t do that when they come here to vote absentee and they certainly can’t at the polls.”

In North Dakota, people are required to bring IDs to vote.

In Minnesota, voters are required to register beforehand.

There are even precautions taken for absentee ballots.

“We have an election board on election day that reviews all of those,” said Montplaisir. “We have both parties at the place and they examine signatures before they open the ballot.”

Professor Headrick said rigging a national election is near impossible no matter what shape or form it’s in.

“To be able to as Donald Trump would say “rig” a election, you would have to figure out okay how many counties and precedents in those counties…in how many states?” said Headrick. “Do I need to add how many votes in order to carry that state and get the electoral college votes?  Even doing that would be difficult.”

In the last 25 years, Montplaisir recalls only one time where a college student was prosecuted for voting twice.