Illegal immigrant’s two decades of unlawful votes expose the real 'threat' to democracy: Experts
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.
After an illegal immigrant was discovered to have been voting for more than a decade in Philadelphia, immigration experts are warning that the "system can fail" and that loss of voter confidence represents the true "serious threat" to American democracy.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said that "the most important thing is perception."
"People have to believe that their vote counts. And so that's, I think, a much more serious long-term threat," said Hankinson.
"We have a perception in the United States," he continued, "that elections were free and fair. If even the appearance of impropriety, the appearance of corruption, is bad enough to turn people off, to make people not interested in going to vote, to think, ‘Well, my vote doesn't count anyway.’ Then that's really what undermines democracy."
WATCH: DEM WITNESS ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘POPULATION PURGE,’ KENNEDY FIRES BACK: ‘YOU TRIGGER MY GAG REFLEX’
Earlier this week, Fox News Digital learned that Mahady Sacko, a Mauritanian citizen and illegal immigrant, allegedly voted in every federal election since 2008. He has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and charged with voter fraud in Philadelphia. This comes as congressional lawmakers fiercely debate the SAVE Act, a measure proponents say would strengthen election integrity laws.
Despite being given a removal order in 2000, Sacko, 50, registered to vote in 2005 and falsely stated on several occasions that he was a U.S. citizen, authorities allege. The voting records showed that he cast ballots in the general elections in 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024. In addition, he voted in the 2016 and 2020 primary elections, prosecutors said.
Hankinson said that while he believes such cases are more isolated and are not widely prevalent in the U.S., it is a "potentially big problem, and it's one that's very easy to fix."
"The average Joe who does vote doesn't think he's setting fire to his ballot. He thinks it's actually going to count for something. That's what's at risk here," Hankinson continued, adding, "That I think is a long-term serious threat to our democracy."
Meanwhile, Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of the election integrity research group True the Vote, told Fox News Digital that "an illegal alien allegedly voting in every presidential election since 2008 is proof the system can fail — and we have no reliable, codified way to determine how many others may be doing the same."
"Millions could be voting illegally, but we don’t know because comprehensive …
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.
After an illegal immigrant was discovered to have been voting for more than a decade in Philadelphia, immigration experts are warning that the "system can fail" and that loss of voter confidence represents the true "serious threat" to American democracy.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said that "the most important thing is perception."
"People have to believe that their vote counts. And so that's, I think, a much more serious long-term threat," said Hankinson.
"We have a perception in the United States," he continued, "that elections were free and fair. If even the appearance of impropriety, the appearance of corruption, is bad enough to turn people off, to make people not interested in going to vote, to think, ‘Well, my vote doesn't count anyway.’ Then that's really what undermines democracy."
WATCH: DEM WITNESS ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘POPULATION PURGE,’ KENNEDY FIRES BACK: ‘YOU TRIGGER MY GAG REFLEX’
Earlier this week, Fox News Digital learned that Mahady Sacko, a Mauritanian citizen and illegal immigrant, allegedly voted in every federal election since 2008. He has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and charged with voter fraud in Philadelphia. This comes as congressional lawmakers fiercely debate the SAVE Act, a measure proponents say would strengthen election integrity laws.
Despite being given a removal order in 2000, Sacko, 50, registered to vote in 2005 and falsely stated on several occasions that he was a U.S. citizen, authorities allege. The voting records showed that he cast ballots in the general elections in 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024. In addition, he voted in the 2016 and 2020 primary elections, prosecutors said.
Hankinson said that while he believes such cases are more isolated and are not widely prevalent in the U.S., it is a "potentially big problem, and it's one that's very easy to fix."
"The average Joe who does vote doesn't think he's setting fire to his ballot. He thinks it's actually going to count for something. That's what's at risk here," Hankinson continued, adding, "That I think is a long-term serious threat to our democracy."
Meanwhile, Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of the election integrity research group True the Vote, told Fox News Digital that "an illegal alien allegedly voting in every presidential election since 2008 is proof the system can fail — and we have no reliable, codified way to determine how many others may be doing the same."
"Millions could be voting illegally, but we don’t know because comprehensive …
Illegal immigrant’s two decades of unlawful votes expose the real 'threat' to democracy: Experts
Transparency shouldn't be controversial.
After an illegal immigrant was discovered to have been voting for more than a decade in Philadelphia, immigration experts are warning that the "system can fail" and that loss of voter confidence represents the true "serious threat" to American democracy.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said that "the most important thing is perception."
"People have to believe that their vote counts. And so that's, I think, a much more serious long-term threat," said Hankinson.
"We have a perception in the United States," he continued, "that elections were free and fair. If even the appearance of impropriety, the appearance of corruption, is bad enough to turn people off, to make people not interested in going to vote, to think, ‘Well, my vote doesn't count anyway.’ Then that's really what undermines democracy."
WATCH: DEM WITNESS ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘POPULATION PURGE,’ KENNEDY FIRES BACK: ‘YOU TRIGGER MY GAG REFLEX’
Earlier this week, Fox News Digital learned that Mahady Sacko, a Mauritanian citizen and illegal immigrant, allegedly voted in every federal election since 2008. He has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and charged with voter fraud in Philadelphia. This comes as congressional lawmakers fiercely debate the SAVE Act, a measure proponents say would strengthen election integrity laws.
Despite being given a removal order in 2000, Sacko, 50, registered to vote in 2005 and falsely stated on several occasions that he was a U.S. citizen, authorities allege. The voting records showed that he cast ballots in the general elections in 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024. In addition, he voted in the 2016 and 2020 primary elections, prosecutors said.
Hankinson said that while he believes such cases are more isolated and are not widely prevalent in the U.S., it is a "potentially big problem, and it's one that's very easy to fix."
"The average Joe who does vote doesn't think he's setting fire to his ballot. He thinks it's actually going to count for something. That's what's at risk here," Hankinson continued, adding, "That I think is a long-term serious threat to our democracy."
Meanwhile, Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of the election integrity research group True the Vote, told Fox News Digital that "an illegal alien allegedly voting in every presidential election since 2008 is proof the system can fail — and we have no reliable, codified way to determine how many others may be doing the same."
"Millions could be voting illegally, but we don’t know because comprehensive …
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