A Gallup survey highlights a significant partisan divide regarding confidence in the integrity of elections in the United States. The survey, released on October 7, 2026, indicates that only 37 percent of Republicans and 35 percent of independents express confidence in the electoral system, compared to 63 percent of Democrats. This reflects a historical trend of lower trust among Republican voters, particularly those who support former President Donald Trump.
The survey suggests a notable relationship where voters who approve of Trump’s leadership display increased distrust in the electoral system. Gallup noted that the US is unique among over 100 countries surveyed in that those who disapprove of the government show higher confidence in election integrity. In 2025, 52 percent of disapprovers expressed confidence in elections, while only 41 percent of approvers did.
Overall, 49 percent of Americans reported confidence in the honesty of elections, with 51 percent expressing distrust, figures that remain unchanged since the last midterm election in 2022. Michael McNulty, senior policy director at Issue One, attributed the low confidence among Republicans to narratives of election fraud propagated by Trump, rather than issues within the electoral system itself.
The survey indicates that in many countries, approval of national leadership correlates with trust in elections. For instance, in 2025, a median of 70 percent of individuals who approved of their governments expressed confidence in their elections, contrasting sharply with the US findings.
Trump has continued to assert that mail-in voting is susceptible to fraud, a claim he reiterated during a recent press conference. McNulty described this rhetoric as part of an “election takeover playbook” aimed at undermining confidence among Trump’s supporters. He expressed concern that Trump or Republican-aligned groups might challenge the midterm election results, although he remains confident in the resilience of the US electoral system.
In response to inquiries regarding declining trust in elections, White House spokesperson Lauren Bis attributed the issue to the Democratic Party's resistance to implementing Trump’s proposed election integrity measures, such as Voter ID and citizenship verification. Critics argue that such measures could hinder citizens' voting rights, despite existing laws prohibiting non-citizen voting in federal elections.