Overview
- A Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 28–Oct. 4, 2026 shows a majority of registered voters say elections in their communities and across the country will be run and administered well.
- The survey finds large partisan gaps on specific safeguards with Republicans more likely to trust that eligible voters can cast ballots and Democrats more likely to trust mail‑ballot counts, though Democrats' confidence has fallen sharply since 2022.
- Democratic confidence that mailed ballots will be counted fell from about 88% in 2022 to 64% in 2026 and the share of voters planning to return ballots by post dropped from 22% to 15%, signaling a move toward in‑person voting among many Democrats.
- Just over half of voters (52%) trust that election systems are free from hacking and many voters express low confidence that the Postal Service will deliver and return mail ballots in time, raising operational concerns for absentee voting.
- Coverage differs in emphasis with Pew highlighting broad overall confidence and partisan divides while the AP‑NORC poll and other reporting stress a notable fall in Democrats' faith and growing GOP confidence tied to the president's rhetoric and enforcement efforts.