Republican lawyer: voter fraud is widespread

Republican elections lawyer Tom Spencer told the Republican Men of Clay that voter fraud is widespread, but he sees no evidence of high-level schemes organized by large groups like political parties or foreign governments.

Spencer spoke at the club’s November 16 meeting and gave the group his legal overview of the November 8 general election.

“I don’t agree with the people who say there is no voter fraud,” he said after the meeting. “The Heritage Foundation maintains a library of voter fraud cases in the U.S., and they’ve documented over 3,000 cases.”

Spencer added that the most common type of voter fraud is purchasing someone’s vote, mostly done locally among large groups of people who usually don’t go to the polls, like at homeless tent cities or nursing homes.

Spencer said he tried a case in Miami where absentee ballots were sold in a mayoral race.

“Ultimately, we used a handwriting expert to win the case,” he said. “That same type of vote-buying technique has been used throughout the country.” 

Spencer added that Florida’s prohibition of ballot harvesting goes a long way in preventing vote-buying schemes.