Fewer than half of Americans believe midterm votes will be counted accurately, poll finds
Doubts about election fairness appear to be growing since July
Fewer than half of likely voters believe every ballot will be accurately counted in November’s midterm elections, a new poll found.
The NewsNation-Decision Desk HQ poll, conducted by AI research platform TrueDot.ai, found that just 46 percent of likely voters believe all votes will be counted accurately. The polling comes as President Donald Trump continues to ow doubt over the nation’s election integrity.
“I have had more people ask me to have a third term, which in a way is a fourth term because the other election, the 2020 election was totally rigged,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One in March 2025.
Voters in the poll also expressed concerns about potential mishandling or manipulation of ballots. Twenty-seven percent were concerned about mail-in ballots being counted accurately, while 14 percent believed Republicans would change the vote count and 13 percent believed Democrats would do so.
The poll surveyed 974 likely voters from October 5 to 9 and has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.
The findings suggest confidence in election fairness has continued to weaken as November’s midterm elections draw closer. A July Pew Research Center survey found that 55 percent of Americans were confident the midterms would be conducted fairly and accurately, down from 61 percent ahead of the 2024 presidential election and 64 percent before the 2022 midterms.
The Pew survey of 3,554 U.S. adults, conducted July 6 to 12, also found that Republicans and Democrats expressed similar levels of confidence in the upcoming elections.
Fifty-five percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said they were confident the elections would be fair and accurate, compared with 58 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.
However, Americans remain concerned about potential interference and problems with election administration.
A July Gallup survey found that 67 percent of Americans were concerned about political leaders pressuring election officials to change election outcomes.
The NewsNation-DDHQ poll also asked respondents whether concerns about the accurate counting of ballots would affect their likelihood of voting.
Twenty-nine percent said those concerns would have no impact on their decision, while 22 percent said the issue would motivate them to vote to overwhelm what they perceived as fraud.
The November elections will determine which party controls the House and Senate for the remainder of Trump's term. The economy and cost of living, immigration, health care and other Trump policies are also major issues in the midterm elections.
