In the shadow of the 2020 election, a storm of distrust has swept across America’s electoral landscape. From cries of “fraud” on the right to accusations of “suppression” on the left, the faith that once bound citizens to the democratic process has been fraying with each new headline.
This loss of confidence in elections is not just a fringe concern for academics — if citizens don’t believe in their fairness, our entire system of democracy can collapse. In a nation built on the principle that the people’s will governs, preserving confidence in elections is the cornerstone of a stable and legitimate democracy.
However, distrust is almost entirely disconnected from the facts. By any standard, fraud in American elections is rare; certainly not near enough to influence a presidential election where around 150 million people cast ballots. The decentralized, locally controlled system of voting used in the United States makes the sort of widespread fraud that would influence state and federal elections beyond improbable. Similarly, contrary to claims of voter “suppression,” there have never been fewer obstacles to voting in the United States. Increased access to early voting, mail voting and online voter registration has made voting easy and convenient.
But voters, politicians and public officials seem obsessed with election administration issues — red state legislatures passing laws to assure election integrity, and blue states passing laws to make voting more accessible. There is always going to be a tension between making voting more accessible and making sure elections can be run smoothly and securely. However, balance is key: Security must coexist with access. Any law that changes a voting process isn’t voter suppression. Any law that gives more access to voting isn’t election fraud.
These issues that are dividing our country were not always partisan and controversial. For example, in 2005, a bipartisan commission, headed by former Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Republican James Baker, recommended that photo IDs be implemented in elections nationwide.
In every election cycle for the past 20 years, I have helped run Election Day legal operations for state parties in various states. These operations always include a voter helpline call center. Every election cycle, someone calls into a radio show and reports a perceived fraud at a polling location. Then, our hotline becomes flooded with calls from people who “heard” about election fraud. We dutifully track down these reports, only to find out that the caller didn’t understand how the voting machine worked. On other occasions, voters in a West Coast state will be watching a news story about ballot counting in an Eastern state. They become convinced that “fraud” is going on because the ballot processing is being done differently than in their state. They aren’t aware of the differences and alternative safeguards built into each state’s election system.
Of the less than 1 percent of calls that turn out to be legitimate, almost all of the original issues are quickly resolved. Within minutes, a poll worker is given better directions, campaign workers are asked to keep their distance from polling places, a voting machine is recalibrated, more ballots arrive at the polling location, etc. While these examples are anecdotal, research has consistently shown that election fraud is extremely rare.
I often advise people concerned about election security or access to visit their local election office before they spread their concerns more widely. I recommend they walk through the process and ask their “gotcha” questions. Almost every time, they realize that their local election officials are well prepared to ensure the election results are accurate and secure.
Not everyone will take the time to visit their local election office. Then, how else can we rebuild trust in elections? Transparency is key: consistent audits, livestream ballot counting and allowing trained observers to monitor without disruption. Our elections have had a spotlight placed on them, and they can no longer be conducted in a black box. Reasonable election security measures — like voter ID laws or cleaned-up voter rolls — can bolster confidence without disenfranchising anyone.
Problems arise when rhetoric outpaces reality. Fraud, while rare, exists in isolated cases, but claims of widespread manipulation lack the evidence to match their volume. Political thought leaders must temper their rhetoric. Hyping fraud or suppression may energize bases and raise money, but it poisons the well of public confidence.
By establishing security, embracing transparency and rejecting divisive hyperbole, we can ensure that democracy endures, not as a relic of the past but as a promise for the future.
This story appears in the November 2025 issue of Deseret Magazine. Learn more about how to subscribe.