Troubling research reveals how many  Americans will break the law to get their ... trends now

Most studies into US election fraud conclude it is very rare.

But research this week questions whether we can rest assured that the results on November 5 can be trusted.

A survey by the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank, found that nearly a third of voters would cheat to get their preferred candidate over the line.

Their survey of 1,467 voters took an unusual approach.

They presented respondents with various types of dodgy voting, and asked them if they would consider bending the rules themselves.

They were asked if they might vote in multiple states, destroy or alter mail-in ballots of friends or family, or pay a fellow voter a few bucks to tick a box.

They were also asked if they'd give another voter false information about where, when and how to cast their ballot.

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Only a small proportion of voters said they would consider cheating in each scenario.

But, added together, they found that more than a fourth of voters would consider some type of fraud.

'Overall, 28 percent of all respondents stated that they would resort to at least one form of election fraud if it helped propel their preferred candidate in office,' said researcher Jack McPherrin.

'Doing the math, that means that — if voter turnout remains similar to 2020 — nearly 45 million ballots may be fraudulently cast if they are not prevented.'

Dodgy voting could be higher than in the past because 2024 is such a high-stakes election, researchers said.

The Republican front-runner Donald Trump says only his victory can halt America's collapse, while President Joe Biden says democracy will unravel unless he keeps the White House.

Still, there was little difference in the likelihood of cheating between supporters of the two main candidates.