Experts Discuss The Voter Fraud That Is The ‘Real’ Threat To Our Democracy

A newly uncovered voter fraud case in Philadelphia is fueling a fierce national debate over election integrity, with immigration and election experts warning that even isolated incidents can erode public trust in the system.

Federal prosecutors say Mahady Sacko, a Mauritanian citizen living in the United States illegally, voted in multiple federal elections over a span of more than a decade. According to authorities, Sacko registered to vote in 2005 and falsely claimed U.S. citizenship. Records show he allegedly cast ballots in the general elections of 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024, along with the 2016 and 2020 primary elections.

Sacko, 50, had previously been issued a removal order in 2000, according to federal officials. He was recently arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and charged with voter fraud in Philadelphia.

The case is emerging as lawmakers in Washington battle over the SAVE Act, legislation supporters say would strengthen election safeguards by requiring proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.

Immigration experts say the broader concern may not be the number of cases but how they affect public confidence in elections.

Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that perception plays a critical role in maintaining faith in democratic institutions.

“The most important thing is perception,” Hankinson said. “People have to believe that their vote counts. And so that’s, I think, a much more serious long-term threat.”

Hankinson argued that even the appearance of election irregularities can discourage participation.

“We have a perception in the United States that elections were free and fair,” he explained. “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.”

Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of the election integrity group True the Vote, said the Sacko case highlights vulnerabilities in the system.