Many Americans anticipate a Democratic victory in November's congressional elections and more registered voters say they would vote for a Democrat than a Republican if congressional elections were held today. Concerns about various types of election fraud are prevalent, and a majority is in favor of requiring people to show proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. However, few back Donald Trump's suggestion to nationalize elections and most support allowing voting by mail.
What you need to know about Americans' views on voting and elections, as of the February 6 - 9, 2026 Economist / YouGov Poll:
- Democrats currently lead Republicans 44% to 38% among registered voters in whom they would vote for if elections for Congress were being held today
- Democrats also hold an advantage in people's expectations of how the 2026 midterm elections will go: By 43% to 27%, Americans are more likely to believe that Democrats are most likely to win the most votes in the midterms, rather than Republicans
- The vast majority (84%) of Democrats think Democrats are most likely to win the most votes in the midterms
- 69% of Republicans think Republicans are most likely to win the most votes
- Views among Republicans vary significantly based on whether they identify as MAGA supporters: 80% of MAGA Republicans think Republicans are most likely to win the most votes in the midterms, compared to only 44% of non-MAGA Republicans
- 37% of Americans think the 2026 midterm elections will be conducted fairly and the votes counted accurately; 22% think they will not
- Similar shares of Democrats and Republicans believe the midterms will be conducted fairly (42% vs. 44%)
- Many Democrats and Republicans don't see eye-to-eye on who were the top vote-getters in the last two presidential elections
- Two-thirds (68%) of Republicans think Trump received more votes than Joe Biden in the 2020 election; 19% say Biden won more votes
- Among Democrats, 38% believe Kamala Harris won more votes than Trump in 2024, while 48% think Trump won more
- Many Americans are concerned about people casting illegal ballots in various ways:
- Using a dead person's identity (57% are very or somewhat concerned)
- Lying about their citizenship (54%)
- Trying to vote more than once (52%)
- Voting in a district where they do not live (48%)
- Lying about their criminal record (47%)
- Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to be concerned about each of these types of illegal voting
- Two-thirds (67%) of Americans support requiring anyone registering to vote to show a U.S. passport, birth certificate, Certificate of Citizenship, or Real ID to prove they are U.S. citizens; only 17% oppose this requirement
- Most Americans (91%) say they currently have a birth certificate; 68% have a Real ID and 45% have a U.S. passport
- 55% of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of voting by mail; 33% disapprove
- 22% of Americans say they usually vote by mail; 35% typically vote in person on Election Day and 21% vote early in person
- Only 17% of Americans agree with Trump's recent suggestion that the federal government should take over responsibility for counting votes in national elections; 55% think that state governments should have this responsibility
- Americans are twice as likely to think ICE agents should be prohibited from coming near polling places and election counting sites during the 2026 midterms than to think they should not be prohibited (57% vs. 29%)
- The vast majority (92%) of Democrats but only 20% of Republicans support prohibiting ICE from visiting election sites. Republicans who don't identify as MAGA are far more likely than those who do to support banning ICE from visiting election sites (38% vs. 11%)
Image: Getty (Melissa Sue Gerrits / Stringer)
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