Trump Allocates $1 Million Per Voter Fraud Conviction

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will pay $1 million to individuals who provide information resulting in the arrest and conviction of people who committed voter fraud. The offer applies to fraud in the upcoming election and previous cycles. Trump posted the announcement on Truth Social but did not identify the source of the funds. A White House spokesperson referred reporters to the post and provided no additional details.

The announcement arrives amid a lack of evidence for widespread fraud in U.S. elections. Trump has long claimed that irregularities cost him the 2020 presidential race. While instances of fraud occur, such as voting for deceased relatives or falsifying mail ballot applications, they are rare. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative research organization, has tracked more than 1,600 incidents of voter fraud over the last 40 years. That total represents a small portion of the total votes cast during that period.

This payout scheme is the latest move by the Trump administration to influence the midterm elections. The administration has dedicated substantial resources to searching state voter rolls for noncitizens. The Department of Justice sued California officials to force the segregation of mail ballots sent to potential noncitizens. Studies indicate that noncitizen voting is also rare. Last week, the Justice Department sued Alaska officials at Trump's request. The suit aims to prevent the certification of results in the U.S. Senate race if Republican Senator Dan Sullivan loses.

Judicial branches have also intervened in recent months. Courts have blocked Trump from making sweeping changes to mail voting and from requiring documentary proof of citizenship for all voters. The new reward follows a $25 million government fraud whistleblower program that Trump unveiled earlier this month. He told reporters that he would personally decide who is worthy of that prize.

The President has made other financial promises while campaigning for Republicans ahead of the midterms. He pledged $5,000 payments to Americans if his party maintains control of Congress. Like the fraud rewards, he has not clarified where the money for those payments would come from.