Election Integrity: Voters Favor Arizona-Style ‘Audits’

Concerns about election cheating remain high, and a majority of voters favor the procedure by which Arizona “audited” disputed 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County.

A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and The National Pulse finds that 56% of Likely U.S. voters believe every state should require that ballots be available immediately after elections for bipartisan voter reviews to enhance election confidence and transparency. Only 23% are against ballot reviews, while another 21% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The Arizona Democratic Party filed a lawsuit in a failed effort to prevent the audit of 2020 ballots in Maricopa County. Auditors found nearly 50,000 ballots deemed “questionable.” although the recount did not overturn President Joe Biden’s narrow victory in Arizona over former President Donald Trump.

Eighty percent (80%) of likely voters believe the issue of election integrity will be important in this year's congressional elections, including 59% who think the issue will be Very Important. Just 16% don’t think election integrity will be an important issue in the November midterms.

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The survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on August 1-2, 2022 by Rasmussen Reports and The National Pulse. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of voters are concerned about the possibility of cheating in this year’s midterm elections, including 39% who are Very Concerned. Sixteen percent (16%) are Not Very Concerned about cheating in the November elections, and 17% are Not At All Concerned.

Voters are divided as to who they trust to deal with election integrity, with 42% trusting Republicans more and 39% trusting Democrats more. Seventeen percent (17%) believe there’s not much difference between the two major parties when it comes to protecting the integrity of elections.

Requiring ballots to be made available immediately after elections for bipartisan voter reviews is supported by majorities of Republicans (68%) and voters not affiliated with either major party (57%). Among Democratic voters, 45% support post-election ballot reviews and 33% are opposed, while 22% are not sure.

Majorities of every political category – 67% of Republicans, 53% of Democrats and 58% of unaffiliated voters – believe election integrity will be a Very Important issue in this year's congressional elections.

Eighty-two percent (82%) of Republicans, 49% of Democrats and 54% of unaffiliated voters are at least somewhat concerned about the possibility of cheating in this year’s midterm elections. Far more Republicans (55%) than Democrats (25%) or unaffiliated voters (37%) are Very Concerned about cheating in the November midterms.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of both white and Black voters, as well as 64% of other minorities believe every state should require that ballots be available immediately after elections for bipartisan voter reviews to enhance election confidence and transparency. Eighty-two percent (82%) of whites, 72% of Black voters and 79% of other minorities expect the issue of election integrity to be at least somewhat important in the November congressional midterms.

More men (62%) than women voters (51%) believe making ballots available for post-election reviews should be required in every state.

Voters under 40 are significantly less likely than their elders to think election integrity will be a Very Important issue in November.

Among voters who support requiring post-election ballot reviews in every state, 57% trust Republicans more to protect the integrity of elections, while 65% of those opposed to requiring ballot reviews trust Democrats more.

President Biden’s strongest supporters are least supportive of bipartisan voter reviews to enhance election confidence and transparency. Among voters who Strongly Approve of Biden’s job performance as president, just 33% favor every state requiring that ballots be available for review immediately after elections, while 46% are opposed to such ballot reviews. By contrast, among voters who Strongly Disapprove of Biden’s performance, 79% favor bipartisan voter reviews and just six percent (6%) are opposed.

Despite denials from the White House, most voters think the American economy is in a recession – and agree that Democrats are to blame for it.

A majority of voters have an unfavorable opinion of President Joe Biden, who would lose a rematch election with former President Donald Trump.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to the public as well as Platinum Members.

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