In response to "N.C. Early Voting as Vulnerable to Election Fraud"

I am writing about a recent story entitled "N.C. Early Voting as Vulnerable to Election Fraud," which I fear adds fuel to an already roaring fire of misinformation and confusion. There are three major issues with the story. First, the story neglects to identify James O'Keefe as a notorious right-wing provocateur whose dishonest, controversial tactics nearly landed him in prison a few years ago. The second is a straight factual error. The story states twice that O'Keefe received twenty ballots. He received zero ballots: he received 20 affidavits requiring him to sign and affirm his identity before receiving a ballot. Had he signed, he would have committed a felony, which is precisely the incentive that is in place to keep voter fraud from occurring. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the story quotes without comment the notion that "large groups and organizations" are responsible for voter fraud in the United States. Numerous studies have shown that there is literally zero evidence for this claim. According to Justin Levitt, a professor of law and one of the nation's leading experts on this topic, there have been 31 proven cases of voter fraud since 2000, and none of them involved "large groups and organizations." All told, the story is a puff piece for O'Keefe and his absurd video, which shows nothing other than election officials following the law (this may be why it has not gone "viral," although the article twice states that it has). This is problematic in itself, but especially because, in today's political climate, the fantasy of widespread voter fraud has been used as a tool, primarily by convinced conservatives like O'Keefe, to legitimate restrictive voter ID laws. Duke University, and its newspaper, should be dedicated to the responsible weighing of evidence in proper context—not the mere regurgitation of partisan Youtube schlock artists.

James Chappel
Assistant Profesor, Department of History