Scapegoat

In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.  Serious fraud in Virginia, New Hampshire and California.  Why isn't the media reporting on this?  Serious bias, big problem!  I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD.

- Donald Trump

For the very first time, in 2016, a presidential candidate (and winner) made the broad and sweeping claim of widespread illegal voting.  Trump claimed anywhere from three to five million illegal votes were cast to deprive him of a popular vote victory.  Consequently, in 2017 President Trump appointed a blue ribbon commission to find evidence of voting by undocumented immigrants in 2016.  

Without finding any evidence of these illegal votes, on January 3, 2018, President Trump issued an executive order dissolving the the Voter Fraud Commission before it could issue a final report.

A GOP-led audit in Georgia leading-up to the 2022 midterm elections found that while 1,634 non-citizens had attempted to register to vote in the state since 1997, not a single one was able to do so.  Election officials caught and prevented every single attempt.  Further evidence that existing compliance with state elections integrity works. 

Because the false claims of election fraud persist the cost of chasing election fraud falsehoods persists.  It is has already cost American taxpayers more than a half-billion dollars; and it is growing and growing.  

Without any evidence that undocumented immigrants are stealing elections why is MAGA world claiming that this is a clear and present danger to the integrity of our elections?

Occam's Razor suggests that the explanation that requires the fewest assumptions is usually best.  The Trump campaign is setting the table.  If Donald Trump loses the November election it will be illegal migrants who stole it.  Unlike Smartmatic and Dominion voting systems; faceless, undocumented immigrants cannot sue you for making baseless and unproven accusations.

If you think about it, this strategy is sublime.  

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that voter fraud doesn't happen; just not on the scale to invalidate a national election.   

Consider this:

• Non-citizens have been barred from voting in federal elections since 1924.  Additionally, in 1996 Congress made non-citizen voting in federal elections a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment.

• Under federal law a non-citizen who votes illegally can receive a prison term of up to five years and fined up to $250,000 if citizenship status was intentionally misrepresented.  There are also immigration-related consequences.  Casting just one solitary vote gets you deported.  Just being registered to vote can be the basis for denial of a citizenship application.

• Furthermore, there is a paper trail.  There are records of who votes so it is an exceedingly simple task for elections administrators, political parties and activists of all stripes to identify anyone who is ineligible. 

• Detection can also come directly through US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) who can require naturalization applicants to furnish evidence that they have never registered or voted.  Elections administrators are routinely required to produce documentation of compliance for non-citizens going through the process of becoming a naturalized citizen.

• Finally, a non-citizen who votes illegally will add one vote to the final tally.  Considering the penalties, paper trail (including a signature) and consequences of casting that one vote; is an exceedingly inefficient mechanism to steal an election.  Undocumented individuals naturally prefer to fly under the radar of government scrutiny.  This defies logic.
  

Nevertheless, if you lose an election fair and square, the undocumented are your scapegoat.  Your people have already been conditioned to believe it before a single vote has been cast.  

You read it here first.

More of the same old shtick.

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Pro Tip:  If you have notice, knowledge or suspicion of election fraud, you have an obligation to report it here.