Thompson introduces vote fraud bill

Sen. Sam Thompson on is pushing a bill to expand penalties for voting fraud in the state after a Hoboken woman was charged for paying others $50 to vote by mail in her campaign’s favor.

“Voter fraud is real, it is happening in New Jersey, and we have a duty to do everything in our power to protect the integrity of our electoral process,” Thompson said. “We will not stand by and allow slick political operatives to disenfranchise voters. Clearly, a stronger deterrent is necessary.”

Historically, little evidence has been found to indicate the existence of any reasonable level of voter fraud, though isolated incidents like the one in Hoboken do happen.

Democrats will likely oppose Thompson’s measure over concerns about vote suppression.