In the 2020 election, more than 1-in-5 voters who submitted ballots by mail say they did so fraudulently, a survey from Rasmussen Reports and the Heartland Institute reveals.
The survey asked those who voted by mail in the 2020 election if they filled out a ballot “in part or in full, on behalf of a friend or family member, such as a spouse or child?” to which 21 percent said they had done so.
Though many states allow voters to receive assistance while voting, the Heartland Institute notes, filling out ballots on behalf of another person is illegal across the United States.
In addition, 17 percent of mail-in voters in the 2020 election said they cast a ballot in a state where they were no longer a permanent resident — a violation of federal election law. Another 17 percent of mail-in voters said they signed a ballot on behalf of someone else, also a violation of election law.
“The results of this survey are nothing short of stunning,” Justin Haskins with the Heartland Institute said in a statement:
For the past three years, Americans have repeatedly been told that the 2020 election was the most secure in history. But if this poll’s findings are reflective of reality, the exact opposite is true. This conclusion isn’t based on conspiracy theories or suspect evidence, but rather from the responses made directly by the voters themselves. [Emphasis added]
Another 10 percent of all voters said they know someone who admitted to casting a mail-in ballot in a state where they are not a permanent resident and 11 percent said they know someone who admitted to signing a mail-in ballot on behalf of someone else in the 2020 election.
In the 2020 election, mail-in voting skyrocketed as states rushed to loosen election laws under the guise of the threat of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 43 percent of all voters that year cast ballots by mail and 26 percent cast ballots before election day.
The survey questioned 1,085 likely U.S. voters and was conducted from Nov. 30 through Dec. 6, 2023. The margin of error is +/- three percentage points.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at