New Delhi: American voters are largely confident that the 2026 midterm elections will be conducted fairly and ballots counted accurately, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
But Republicans and Democrats remain divided over voter eligibility, access to the ballot and election security.
The survey was conducted from 28 September to 4 October among 5,062 adults, including 3,917 registered voters, on Pew’s American Trends Panel.
Partisan differences over voting access
The survey found that 80 per cent of voters were at least somewhat confident that all eligible citizens who wanted to vote would be able to do so.
About two-thirds were confident that people ineligible to vote would be prevented from casting ballots.
Republican and Democratic voters differed in their perceptions of election security and access.
While 90 per cent of Democratic voters were confident that noncitizens would be prevented from voting, the figure among Republican voters was 45 per cent.
However, Republicans were more confident that eligible voters would be able to cast their ballots, with 90 per cent expressing confidence compared with 72 per cent of Democratic voters.
About two-thirds of voters were also confident that people attempting to intimidate voters at polling places would be stopped.
Republican voters were more confident about this than Democratic voters, at 74 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively.
Confidence in mail-in ballots declines
Although voters across party lines were confident that in-person ballots would be counted as intended, confidence in mail-in and absentee ballots was lower.
Democratic voters were more confident than Republicans that mail ballots would be counted accurately, at 64 per cent compared with 42 per cent.
However, confidence among Democrats has fallen from 88 per cent during the 2022 midterm elections and 85 per cent among Kamala Harris supporters in the 2024 presidential election.
Democrats are still more likely than Republicans to plan to vote by mail or absentee, but the share is lower than previous elections – share planning to return ballots by post fell from 22 per cent in 2022 to 15 per cent in 2026.
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Concerns over election technology
Just over half of voters, 52 per cent, were confident that US election systems were free from hacking and other technological threats.
Democratic voters were more confident in election technology than Republicans, at 60 per cent and 47 per cent, respectively.
Despite these differences, voters generally remained confident about the administration of the elections and the eventual clarity of the results.