Expert doubts chance of voter fraud

Leading up to Election Day, there was a lot of rhetoric about election rigging and voter fraud, but what are the chances a candidate could be cheated out of a victory?
One local expert says not very high.
"The idea that there is widespread voter fraud is more of a concept than it is something even close to a reality," says Hofstra University political science professor Craig Burnett. "Especially in-person voter fraud. It's extremely difficult."
Burnett says a fraudster would have to know a great deal of personal information about the person they were impersonating, including how to sign their name and which precinct they vote at. Then they'd have to keep the real person from showing up at the polls.
New York is one of 17 states that does not require voters to show identification at the polls. Instead, poll inspectors rely on signatures.
Suffolk's Republican Board of Elections chairman says that's a real concern.
"The best screening that we can have to prevent physical voter fraud is comparing a signature that we have on file to the one that the offered voter presents," Nick Lolota says. "There's going to be some error there."
Voters, on the other hand, say they have faith in the system. People who spoke with News 12 say they are more concerned with getting out voters than the possibility that the results will be rigged.