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Denise Merrill: There's No Evidence To Support Trump's Voter Fraud Allegations

Jeff Cohen
/
WNPR
Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

With President Donald Trump is poised to sign a executive order calling for an investigation into allegations of massive voter fraud in the November election, Connecticut's Secretary of the State Denise Merrill reminded reporters Friday that voter fraud is rare, and there is no evidence that it happened in November on the scale suggested by the President. 

"It's been studied in-depth by elections officials and scholars," said Merrill. "To date, no organized effort to cast illegal ballots and skew elections has ever been turned up."

Earlier this week, Trump told congressional leaders that he believes three to five million votes were cast illegally for Hillary Clinton in November, although he offered no evidence to support that claim.

Merrill, who is president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, said her counterparts in other states have reported no evidence of large-scale voter fraud.

"This week , secretaries of state around the country, in a bipartisan way, have had loud and clear messages to Americans: our elections are fair and secure," said Merrill.

Merrill said Trump's allegations breeds cynicism among voters, and she worries that the upcoming investigation will only prove to undermine the public's faith in clean elections.

Connecticut's 3rd District Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro took it a step further, calling Trump's allegations "an assault on our constitutional right to vote."

"The president is letting urban myths and debunked studies lead his governing," said DeLauro. "I believe it's a witch hunt against non-existent fraud. Will it lead to a further restriction of voting for marginalized Americans? That is the danger."

Merrill said that in Connecticut, there were 16 allegations of voter fraud in the November primary and general elections combined. Those allegations are being investigated by the state Elections Enforcement Commission.

Ray Hardman is Connecticut Public’s Arts and Culture Reporter. He is the host of CPTV’s Emmy-nominated original series Where Art Thou? Listeners to Connecticut Public Radio may know Ray as the local voice of Morning Edition, and later of All Things Considered.

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