GOP strategist: Voter fraud part of Republican 'mythology'

Republican strategist Steve Schmidt admitted Monday that allegations of voter fraud have been invented by his party.

While both the GOP and the Democratic party want to maximize the ranks of eligible voters, said Schmidt, who helped coordinate Rep. John McCain's (R-AZ) failed bid for the presidency four years ago, "all of this stuff that has transpired over the last two years is in search of a solution to a problem, voting fraud, that doesn't really exist when you look deeply at the question."

However, over that time period, several Republican-controlled states have enacted strict voter identification laws and cut early voting hours, in an apparent effort to stifle voter participation.

"I think that it's part of the mythology now in the Republican Party that there's widespread voter fraud across the country," he told MSNBC host Chuck Todd. "In fact, there's not."

While there has been speculation that True The Vote is out to challenge enough voters to "build a case" against President Barack Obama should he win his bid for re-election Tuesday, Schmidt said he doubted this year's election would go to the courts.

"Both sides are lawyered up to the Nth degree and they'll all posture back and forth on it," he said. "But it probably won't come down to lawyers."

Watch Schmidt's remarks on voter fraud, posted by Think Progress on Monday, below.