Media Relations Update
June 25, 2020
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As the world faces a changing political, economic, and social landscape, ALZA Strategies is committed to keeping you in the loop on how the COVID-19 crisis is impacting public affairs. We hope you remain healthy and safe during these trying times.
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Dispelling myths about vote-by-mail fraud
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As the November election approaches, many state leaders and election officials are promoting the option of vote-by-mail during the current pandemic. Voting by mail mitigates potential risk of spreading COVID-19, and eliminates obstacles to in-person voting that many people face, like traveling to a faraway polling center or paying for childcare to be able to vote. Meanwhile, the President has
falsely claimed
that voting by mail spurs widespread voter fraud. Numerous studies have dispelled these claims and instead, highlight that
voting by mail is widely desired by the majority of voters, voter participation increases when using mail-in ballots, and the effects do not favor one political party over another.
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Credit:
Two-Thirds of Americans Expect Presidential Election Will Be Disrupted by COVID-19
, April 28, 2020. Pew Research Center: U.S. Politics & Policy.
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Credit:
Hall, Andrew B., Thompson, Daniel M., Wu, Jennifer, Yoder, Jesse,
The Neutral Partisan Effects of Vote-by-Mail Evidence from County-Level Roll Outs
, April 15, 2020. Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).
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The
Brennan Center for Justice recently published an analysis of
The False Narrative of Vote-by-Mail Fraud
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The analysis consolidates the findings of various studies and investigative journalism efforts examining voter fraud among mail-in ballots and found that only 491 cases of absentee ballot fraud were ever found from 2000-2012, despite the fact that billions of votes were cast during that time. These numbers are nowhere near enough to sway the outcome of an election. The analysis notes,
“it is still more likely for an American to be struck by lightning than to commit mail voting fraud.”
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Sources:
Hall, Andrew B., Thompson, Daniel M., Wu, Jennifer, Yoder, Jesse,
The Neutral Partisan Effects of Vote-by-Mail Evidence from County-Level Roll Outs
, April 15, 2020. Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).
https://siepr.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/20-015.pdf
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Roger Salazar, President
rsalazar@alzamedia.com
l (916) 284-1255
Hilary McLean, Partner
hilary@alzamedia.com
l (916) 203-7274
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