Are Voter Fraud Beliefs an Extension of Immigrant Resentment?

Abstract

Public beliefs about the frequency of voter fraud in the United States remain high among liberals and conservatives, and among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. However, we know very little about the sources of public beliefs about voter fraud. Using new data from a survey module in the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, our study provides evidence that immigrant resentment is strongly associated with voter fraud beliefs. To date, our study is the first to investigate the extent to which a variety of political and social dispositions – including anti-immigrant attitudes, emotions toward immigration, and resentment of African-Americans – shape beliefs about different fraudulent electoral behaviors. Our results pose important implications for political science scholarship, as heightened immigrant animosity among U.S. citizens may stimulate restrictive measures to limit participation in democratic elections among eligible voters.