Only 46 percent believe midterm votes will be counted accurately
A national poll reveals shaken voter faith ahead of the midterm election, with only 46 percent of likely voters confident that ballots will be counted fairly.
A national survey found 46 percent of likely voters believe midterms will accurately count every ballot. The findings show that voter confidence in election administration remains split across the country. AI research platform TrueDot.ai conducted the poll for NewsNation and Decision Desk HQ.
The poll gathered specific concerns about the upcoming tally:
- 27 percent worry only about mail-in ballots.
- 14 percent expect Republicans will alter totals.
- 13 percent expect Democrats will alter totals.
The survey also asked whether counting concerns changed participation plans. Forty-six percent left that survey question blank. Another 29 percent stated the issue had no impact on their plans.
Twenty-two percent said they must cast ballots to overwhelm potential fraud. Roughly 3 percent said the counting worries discouraged them from taking part. That doubt makes them less likely to cast a ballot.
Decision Desk HQ chief elections analyst Geoffrey Skelley analyzed the trend. “Republicans have shown in recent years more doubt about election results, and obviously a lot of this has to do with the 2020 election and President Trump’s rhetoric surrounding it,” Skelley said.
Donald Trump is back in the White House. Skelley noted some Democrats are not necessarily inclined “to trust that results will be counted fairly as well.”
TrueDot.ai surveyed 974 likely national voters between Oct. 5 and Oct. 9. The margin of error is 3.2 percentage points.
Host Chris Cuomo will present the survey data on Tuesday night. The broadcast airs on the NewsNation program Decision Desk 2026 Have Your Say: A NewsNation Town Hall. Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel joins the broadcast panel.
Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith will also review the poll figures. Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon will appear on the town hall. The guests will discuss voter sentiment across the country.
Public opinion surveys sample select groups to track broad voter attitudes before major national races. Polling groups use statistical models to assess civic trust across different voting blocs.
The network scheduled the town hall discussion to address ballot trust across every state.
