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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Have investigations of the 2020 election in Pennsylvania turned up any evidence of voter fraud helping Democrats?

Saturday, July 10, 2021

By Austin Tannenbaum

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The only documented case of voter fraud in the 2020 election in Pennsylvania involves a man who committed fraud in support of former President Donald Trump, according to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that tracks election fraud.

The perpetrator, a Pennsylvania Republican, tried to register his deceased mother and mother-in-law as Republicans in an effort to “cast fraudulent ballots for Donald Trump.” He used their driver’s licenses and social security numbers to apply for absentee ballots, one of which he cast. He has since pleaded guilty to two felonies and cannot vote for four years.

The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the last of a series of unsuccessful court challenges to the state’s election conduct on April 19, 2021. Recently, a Pennsylvania state senator announced his own plan to audit last year’s results, following a similar effort by legislators in Arizona.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Heritage Foundation Voter Fraud Map: Election Fraud Database

WTXF-FOX 29 (Philadelphia) Delaware County man sentenced for casting dead mother's ballot

SCOTUSblog Case files: Bognet v Boockvar

Philadelphia Inquirer US Supreme Court dismisses the last challenge over Pennsylvania’s 2020 election

State Sen. Doug Mastriano Why I am initiating a forensic investigation of the 2020 General Election and 2021 Primary

AP News Trump ally launches election audit plan in Pennsylvania

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.