Allegations of voter fraud fly back and forth in modern American politics, based on episodic personal observations or on anomalous electoral outcomes. But now, for the very first time, comes concrete proof that massive voter fraud might have taken place in the 2012 election, sufficiently widespread to have tainted more than 1 million votes nationwide.

So far, the data does not indicate which side committed the fraud or whether it was an orchestrated effort, but the fact of fraud is now undeniable.

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North Carolina, under the leadership of their Election Board Director Kim Strach, studied the rolls of those who voted there and compared them with data from 27 other states. The conclusion: 35,750 people who voted in North Carolina may have also voted in at least one other state in the 2012 election.

The duplicate vote finding is based on the people who voted in North Carolina having the same first and last names and the same birth dates as those voting in other states. In 765 cases, the last four digits of the voters’ Social Security numbers were identical as well.

The report is based on a study of 101 million voter records in 28 participating states. And because none of the four biggest states — California, Texas, Florida and New York — participated in the study, among others, a truly national study would likely have yielded a far larger number.

Because North Carolina makes for about 2.5 percent of America’s population, the projected number of actual double votes nationally could reach to 1 million.

Past allegations of fraud have all been based on voter registration data, indicating a vast potential for fraud, but without proof of actual double voting, there’s no hard evidence. But the North Carolina study focused only on those who actually cast ballots — far more important criteria.

Critics of the study point out that no voter fraud has been verified and no prosecutions have been brought. But these names will surely provide an investigatory bonanza for those willing to follow the trail.

The impetus for collecting national voting data and interfacing them for fraud comes from Kris Kobach, secretary of State in Kansas. Kobach initiated the interface, called the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program, in 2005.

Progressive Pulse blogger Chris Kromm charges that the results of studies by other states have produced much noise but few real results. But unless an aggressive investigation pursues these double votes, we will never know how serious the problem really is.

Isaiah Thompson of AxisPhilly noted the record keeping spots many people who have moved and registered in a new state but whose old voter records have not been purged.

Thompson’s criticism would hold water were North Carolina comparing voter registrations, but because it compared actual votes, it does not.

What is clearly needed is an interstate effort by local prosecutors to coordinate investigations of double voters. Let district attorneys in two states confront the double voters themselves and ask how it is that they voted twice, who helped to facilitate their fraud, did anyone help pay for their travel, did they get compensation for voting twice and so forth.

What mission could be more central to our political integrity? If, in fact, up to a million Americans voted twice in the last election, we need to know who did, why they did, and whether it was a coordinated effort by one of the political parties.

Morris, who served as adviser to former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and former President Clinton, is the author of 16 books, including his latest, Screwed and Here Come the Black Helicopters. To get all of his and Eileen McGann’s columns for free by email, go to dickmorris.com.

This post has been corrected from an earlier version.