There has always been voter fraud. LBJ won his primary for the Senate by “losing” a major precinct’s ballots. (It became known as “Ballot Box 13”.)
When my parents lived in Chicago for a few years (before coming to New York), my dad was a pollwatcher. They were still using paper ballots then, and teh guy who was doing the count was throing them into 2 stacks:
“Two for us, one for you; two for us, one for you.” He wasn’t even looking at them.
When Dad protested, he was told to shut up because that’s the way they do it. He went and got a cop and the cop told him essentially the same thing.
My parents were also pollwatchers in New York for the Conservative Party (Dad’s mentionedon page 87 of J. Daniel Mahoney’s book Actions Speak Louder.) Mother told me all the voting machines would come in with 3-5 votes for Nelson Rockefeller already on them.
Interesting information for me. But I still think votes are what count. I would also never answer exit poll questions. I believe that it is my business.
And your point is?