Nearly 60% of Americans concerned about potential voter fraud – poll

As the November 5 presidential election nears, a significant portion of the American electorate is concerned over potential voter fraud.

According to a new PR/PBS News/Marist poll, 58% of Americans are either “concerned” or “very concerned” about fraud in the upcoming election, while 42% said they are “not very concerned” or “not concerned at all.”

The poll highlights a stark divide along party lines, with 86% of Republicans expressing apprehension about ineligible voters or individuals casting multiple ballots. Among independents, 55% share these concerns, while only 33% of Democrats voiced worries.

The result reflects ongoing skepticism, particularly among Republicans, over election integrity, which first surged following the contentious 2020 election.

Concerns extend beyond voter fraud to potential foreign interference in the election, with 66% of respondents worried about external meddling. Additionally, 52% of Americans expressed concern about non-citizens participating in the vote, including 81% of Republicans, 53% of independents, and 25% of Democrats.

Despite these apprehensions, confidence in the United States Postal Service (USPS) to deliver election materials on time remains relatively high, with 69% of respondents expressing confidence in the USPS. This confidence varies across party lines, with 86% of Democrats, 69% of independents, and 56% of Republicans trusting the postal system to handle election-related mail effectively.

A separate October 2023 study by the Public Affairs Council found that only 37% of Americans believe the 2024 election will be “honest and open” to rightful voters.

Similarly, an SSRS/CNN poll conducted last month revealed that confidence in the voting process in key battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—was shaky, with only 4 in 10 to half of voters feeling “very confident” in their state’s election accuracy.

These six battleground states were at the centre of Donald Trump’s 2020 election claims, with the former president alleging that votes were “rigged” or “stolen” through unsecured mail-in ballots or faulty voting machines.

The distrust in the upcoming election is fueled in part by doubts about the legitimacy of the 2020 election. A January 2024 poll from the Washington Post and the University of Maryland found that 36% of American adults believe Joe Biden was not legitimately elected president. Trump, who has repeatedly asserted that the 2020 election was stolen, continues to press these claims on the 2024 campaign trail.

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