By — Njeri Jackson

Photo curtesy — Tiffany Tertipes

The 2020 election is currently in process, and at its prime peak. Americans are beginning to send in their votes right now. Due to covid, this year voting is mostly being done online and through the mail. The risk of a rigged election and fake votes has raised questions as to if the results of the election will actually be the true outcome. 

The Parties Opinions on the Validity of the Votes

During the Presidential Debate two weeks ago, there was a whole segment dedicated to the accuracy of the election and the outcome. President Trump expressed his concern about the situation, saying that the risk of the election being rigged towards one party and the amount of fake votes there could be is concerning. On the other hand the democratic candidate, Biden, simply said that Americans should just vote.  Both vice presidents of Trump and Biden, Pence with Trump and Harris with Biden, seemed to agree with their respective running mate, as discussed during the Vice Presidential debate.

Voting By Mail

This method of voting has existed for years, but is becoming increasingly popular now. It is essentially just casting a ballot at home or casting a ballot in another place besides the election location. This is how people in the military that are overseas usually vote. Now that people are at home, a lot are voting by mail.

The Risk of Voting by Mail

Voting by mail provides risks of ballot fraud, which can shift the election in one candidate’s favor, which is the main reason President Trump is concerned. Although it is evidenced that voting by mail has a risk of fraud only slightly more than voting in person. It is very difficult to actually create fake ballots, as each ballot is unique to each election, and must be copied exactly. This means that the envelope, actual paper, size, and print must be identical to the ballot. Although there are still some cases of ballot fraud, it is usually identified and dealt with appropriately.

What to Take Away

Voting by mail has existed for a long time and there is a higher risk of ballot fraud this year due to the amount of people voting by mail. It is important to consider voting fraud, even if it is unlikely. Fake ballots can change the outcome of an election, but as Biden said “Just vote”. Every vote counts.