Allegations of election-related fraud make for enticing press. Voter fraud, in particular, has
the feel of a bank heist caper: roundly condemned but technically fascinating, and
sufficiently lurid to grab and hold headlines. Perhaps because these stories are dramatic,
voter fraud makes a popular scapegoat. In the aftermath of a close election, losing
candidates are often quick to blame voter fraud for the results, and legislators cite voter fraud
as justification for various new restrictions on the exercise of the franchise.