New poll raises series concerns about the upcoming midterm elections
Less than half of American voters support the idea of political candidates having to "commit in advance to accepting the results" of the upcoming midterm elections, a new poll finds.
According to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll, which was comprised of 1566 adults in the United States, "a majority of Americans either say that candidates should not (19%) or that they’re 'not sure' (35%)."
The report also notes: "Among voters who cast their ballots for Trump in 2020, meanwhile, just a third (33%) say candidates should agree in advance to accept the results in this fall's elections."
The poll raises concerns because voters' outlook appears to conflict with the ideology of democracy which requires individuals on both sides of the political aisle to agree on respecting the outcome of elections whether favorable or unfavorable.
Per the report, the poll also offered insight into Americans' perspective of election denial.
Although former President Donald Trump's influence appears to have waned, the vast majority of his supporters who participated in the survey insist they are still very skeptical about the integrity of elections in the United States.
"The new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that across a range of questions testing Americans’ attitudes toward election denial heading into the 2022 midterms, about 20% to 25% — the vast majority of them Trump voters — are deeply skeptical of the legitimacy of U.S. elections, while another 20% to 30% say they’re not sure what to think," the report notes.
READ MORE: How GOP extremism may boost Democrats' midterms prospects
A substantial percentage of the participants also confirmed that they support calls for vote recounts. "Presented with an array of choices," the report notes, "by far the largest number of U.S. adults (62%) say that 'demanding a recount' — a familiar and widely accepted form of redress — is legitimate. Likewise, 30% say “filing a suit” in court is also legitimate."
The report also highlights what is described as the most unsettling results of the poll.
Per the report: "Perhaps most unsettling: A full 21% of Americans choose at least one of these undemocratic methods as a legitimate means of challenging an election. Among Trump voters, that number rises to 29%, yet even 12% of voters who support President Biden say the same — underscoring how an election denial 'arms race' could escalate, once neither side trusts the other to play by the rules."
