WASHINGTON (AP) — Daemien Williams used to trust U.S. election results, but not anymore.
asserted
Williams → use → results
The 50-year-old Democrat in Centreville, Illinois, worries that President Donald Trump and other Republicans will try anything from intimidating voters to seizing ballots to hold onto power in November’s midterm elections — and, in the process, jeopardize the outcome.
asserted
Trump → worry → outcome
“I don’t put anything past these people,” he said.
asserted
he → put → people
Registered voters who identify as Democrats have lost faith in America’s election results since the midterm elections four years ago, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
uncertain
who → identify → Research
Their confidence that votes will be counted accurately has dropped from 75% in 2022 to 55% this year.
asserted
votes → count → %
The overwhelming majority of Democratic voters also say the president attempting to influence U.S. elections is a “major problem,” a view that’s shared by independents but not most Republicans.
asserted
that → say → independents
Meanwhile, Republican voters’ confidence in the results has risen slightly since 2022 — but they’re still less likely to say they have faith in the electoral process than Democrats.
asserted
they → rise → Democrats
The survey, conducted less than a month before Election Day, signals how opinion has changed since Trump returned to the White House last year and began a wide-ranging effort to expand federal authority over elections.
asserted
Trump → conduct → elections
Even though the Constitution gives states and Congress control over voting processes, Trump has tried to overhaul them through executive action and lawsuits, so far without success.
asserted
Trump → give → success
With the Nov. 3 elections approaching, the Republican president has signaled he wants federal prosecutors to be on the lookout for fraud, suggesting he may try legal challenges if the votes don’t go his way.
uncertain
votes → approach → challenges
Williams said that, despite his concerns, he still plans to vote in the midterms because it’s the only power he has in choosing his representation.
asserted
he → say → representation
“If you take that away from America, you pretty much take away the foundation of this country,” he said.
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he → take → country
Republicans have gained more faith in the process since Trump’s return
Democratic voters, who had largely trusted U.S. elections even after Trump falsely claimed he won the 2020 race and his supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol to champion that cause, have recently begun to doubt the upcoming results.
asserted
supporters → gain → results
But they still have more confidence than Republican and independent voters.
asserted
they → have → voters
Slightly fewer than half of all U.S. voters have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in the accuracy of the vote, down to 45% this year from 50% in 2022.
asserted
half → have → 2022
Independents have remained steady with a lower level of trust, with 34% saying they have a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in both years.
asserted
they → remain → years
Republicans, meanwhile, are growing more confident since Trump returned to power, even as they remain less confident than Democrats.
asserted
they → grow → Democrats
About 38% of GOP voters have a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in the results this year, compared with 26% in 2022.
asserted
% → have → 2022
Some voters said their confidence levels related to escalating threats from Trump that he could get involved in the elections.
uncertain
he → say → elections
Earlier this month, his administration filed a lawsuit against California officials claiming they didn’t adequately address alleged noncitizen voters on their rolls, and it warned that election workers who process ballots from noncitizens could face criminal investigation and prosecution.
uncertain
who → file → investigation
His administration has said it has no plans to send the military or immigration agents to patrol polling places, although the head of the Department of Homeland Security said immigration officers could be sent there for targeted operations, such as making an arrest with a warrant.
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officers → say → warrant
Trump critics have expressed fears over potential voter intimidation, with some pointing to a Department of Justice plan to deploy 1,000 monitors to voting locations.
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some → express → locations
Alan Curtis in Grove, Oklahoma, is among the Republican voters feeling better this year.
asserted
Curtis → feel → voters
The 67-year-old, who was suspicious of election fraud before the presidential election in 2024, sees Trump’s bully pulpit as a strong deterrent.
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who → see → deterrent
“I think the election officials will be running scared,” he said.
asserted
he → think → ?
Curtis said he still believes that Democrats could try to cheat — an accusation made often by the president without providing evidence — but he expects Trump will step in with lawsuits or other interventions if he sees anything suspicious.
uncertain
he → say → anything
“He’s going to challenge anything where he sees things that look out of the ordinary,” Curtis said of Trump.
asserted
Curtis → go → Trump
If there are legal challenges, few Americans have faith in the U.S. Supreme Court to decide them fairly.
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Court → be → them
Just 17% of registered voters were “extremely” or “very” confident the court would handle a case related to the midterm elections in a fair and nonpartisan manner.
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court → register → manner
Democrats see presidential election interference as a big problem
While some Republicans view Trump getting involved as a positive, the poll shows the vast majority of Democrats feel the opposite.
asserted
majority → see → opposite
About 9 in 10 Democratic voters believe that the president attempting to influence election outcomes is “a major problem,” compared with only about 2 in 10 Republican voters.
asserted
president → believe → voters
Brooklyn Johnson, a 26-year-old Democrat in Davis, California, said she dislikes Trump’s dubious promise of $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans retain control of the House and the Senate in the midterms.
asserted
Republicans → say → midterms
“The fact that he’s been trying to bribe people, that’s a little weird,” she said.
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she → try → people
“It doesn’t seem legal.”
asserted
It → seem → ?
Eugenio Mendez, an independent voter in Columbia, South Carolina, who leans toward Democrats, is so concerned about Trump interfering that it’s affecting his voting plan.
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it → lean → plan
“I don’t trust that mailing my ballot will be counted,” said the 49-year-old Mendez.
asserted
Mendez → trust → ballot
He said he’ll vote in person this year because he worries Trump could use his influence over the U.S. Postal Service to meddle with mail-in ballots.
uncertain
Trump → say → ballots
Trump signed an executive order this year directing changes at the Postal Service designed to restrict mail voting, but the Supreme Court did not allow the plan to move forward for the midterms.
asserted
plan → sign → midterms
Voters of different parties see distinct election problems
While Democrats worry about presidential interference, Republicans are more concerned about people voting when they are ineligible.
asserted
they → see → interference
About 7 in 10 Republican voters say this is a “major problem” in U.S. elections compared with just 25% of Democratic voters.
asserted
this → say → voters
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
