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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Are mail ballots sent in the name of dead people common?

By Christopher Hutton
NO

According to a working paper from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, mail-in ballots submitted on behalf of dead people constitute an extremely rare form of ballot fraud. Of 4.5 million voter records in Washington state, the study found only 14 cases where a ballot "may have been stolen and submitted on behalf of someone who had died," either fraudulently or due to clerical error.

The 1993 National Voter Registration Act requires states to conduct reasonable maintenance to remove deceased voters from their rolls. In most states, officials receive deceased voter information from state health departments.

The 2002 Help America Vote Act requires state registration rolls to list each eligible voter uniquely, and to use death and felony conviction records to remove ineligible voters.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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