July 16, 2021: Thinking in general about U.S. elections, 59% of voters are at least somewhat confident the votes are accurately counted, and the proper person is declared the winner. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 36% lack such confidence, and 5% are not sure.[1]
Those totals include 38% who are very confident in the election process and 19% who are not at all confident.[1]
Not surprisingly, there is a vast partisan divide on this issue. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Democrats express confidence in the system, while 63% of Republicans do not. Independent voters are evenly divided: 46% have some level of confidence, while 41% do not.[1]
This partisan divide is fairly typical—the party which controls the White House is more likely to consider the process fair. For example, 52% of Democrats still believe that Hillary Clinton was the legitimate winner of the 2016 election, and 66% of Republicans believe Donald Trump was the legitimate winner in 2020.
Overall, just 26% of voters believe that the right person was declared the winner in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.[2]
The partisan divide could explain the different perceptions of voting rights legislation. Since almost 9-out-of-10 Democrats have confidence in the system, they might see a move to change voting rules as negative.
Since Republicans lack confidence in the system, they might see a need for improvement. These positions may be reversed the next time a Republican wins the White House.
Despite the intense partisan polarization, several election reforms are popular among voters from all partisan and demographic groups:
- 70% want all mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day.[3]
- Sixty-five percent (65%) believe government agencies should be required to report the vote totals from all ballots either on Election Night or the next day.[3]
- Seventy-six percent (76%) believe voters should be required to show photo ID before casting a ballot.[4]
- Fifty-seven percent (57%) believe “ballot harvesting” should be outlawed. Twenty percent (20%) disagree, and 23% are not sure.[5]
Footnotes:
- ScottRasmussen.com, "59% of Voters Have Confidence in U.S. Election Results," July 14, 2021
- ScottRasmussen.com, "Just 26% Believe the Right Person was Declared Winner in Last Two Presidential Elections," March 8, 2021
- ScottRasmussen.com, "70% Want All Mail-in Ballots Received by Election Day," July 13, 2021
- ScottRasmussen.com, "76% Favor Photo ID Requirement for Voting," April 28, 2021
- ScottRasmussen.com, "57% Want Ballot Harvesting Banned; 20% Disagree," July 14, 2021
Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is a political analyst, author, public speaker, independent public opinion pollster and columnist for Creators Syndicate. Read Scott Rasmussen's Reports — More Here.