As the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed, the right to vote “is of the most fundamental significance under our constitutional structure.” The exercise of this right depends on confidence in the integrity of the process. In one case decided in 2006, the court paid particular attention to the damage done to the right to vote by the fear of voter fraud. “Voters who fear their legitimate votes will be outweighed by fraudulent ones will feel disenfranchised,” the Court affirmed. Then in a later case involving Indiana’s interest in voter ID requirements, the Court emphasized the “independent significance” of maintaining “public confidence in the integrity of the electoral process.”

Voters convinced that the electoral process is corrupt have been told that their votes will not, in effect, be counted, that fraudulent voting will have diluted the pool of ballots cast by eligible voters. Legal voters, discouraged, may turn away.

In taking an oath to preserve and protect the Constitution, the president has sworn to uphold the right to vote, among all other constitutional rights enjoyed by citizens. It is an abrogation of this responsibility to make up stories intended to convince citizens of the corruption of the franchise and the meaninglessness of their voting rights.