With the increased popularity of vote-by-mail in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, use the following messages to counter attacks on vote-by-mail and pivot the conversation to solutions. (Avoid saying the words “voter fraud” when interacting with voters, the general public, or media. Even the mention of potential fraud has a negative impact on voters’ confidence in our elections.)
- All states administer elections by mail through the absentee voting process.
- All states have systems in place to deter and detect irregularities or violations in the voting process, both by mail and in person.
- Vote-by-mail does not favor one party over another.
- There is no record of massive or serious election manipulation via mail-in voting (even Fox News anchor Chris Wallace has attested to this).
- (PIVOT) With an expected increase in vote-by-mail in 2020, now is the time for election officials to make the investments in ballot access and protect the integrity of our elections.
- Like all voting systems, vote-by-mail benefits from risk-limiting audits, which allow election officials to double-check the vote count, identify irregularities that need to be resolved, and issue strict penalties for tampering with the process.