New poll in Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin finds that Republicans and conservatives have confidence in the vote, and don’t consider election security a top concern going into 2024. Read the state-specific findings here: Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin.
WASHINGTON – March 27, 2024 – Most Republicans and conservative-leaning independents in swing states say they’re happy with how elections are run in their states, and have confidence in election officials to count votes freely and fairly. A majority also say that election security is not a top concern heading into 2024, consistently ranking it after such issues as the economy and immigration, according to a new poll of Republicans and conservative-leaning independents commissioned by the Secure Elections Project in Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin.
Read an in-depth breakdown of the state-specific findings here:
In Arizona, 52 percent of Republicans and conservative-leaning independents are satisfied with the state’s system of elections, versus 67 percent in Georgia and 63 percent in Wisconsin. One Georgia respondent said, “Our election process is solid. We have checks and balances in place to make sure we have a fair election and all citizens are able to vote the way they choose.” Older voters, women, and the highly educated were the most likely to report satisfaction with their state’s voting system.
“Our election process is solid. We have checks and balances in place to make sure we have a fair election and all citizens are able to vote the way they choose.”
— Republican voter in Georgia, age 55 – 64
At the same time, roughly two-thirds of these voters say they believe the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, consistent with the national average for Republicans and conservatives. In Georgia this number was 65 percent, in Arizona it was 61 percent, and in Wisconsin it was 62 percent.
Still, the vast majority of voters in these states agree with the statement “my vote counts” — 84 percent in Georgia, 78 percent in Arizona, and 76 percent in Wisconsin. This suggests that, while they agree with broader national political narratives around fraud and the 2020 election, they are broadly satisfied with how elections are administered locally.
As more and more red states are opting to withdraw from ERIC, the Electronic Registration Information Center, broad majorities said they support programs like this, which the poll describes as “a multi-state crosscheck program that compares voter information in order to ensure nobody votes more than once.” In Georgia, 94 percent said they support such a program, versus 89 percent in Arizona, and 93 percent in Wisconsin. And even when respondents were told that this system would include blue states, majorities still said they support it.
In Georgia and Wisconsin, respondents were much more likely to favor in-person voting, with 91 percent of Georgians and 85 percent of Wisconsinites reporting having voted in-person in the last election. In Arizona, where there is a much more established tradition of absentee voting, only 44 percent voted in-person last time. This reflects a broader difference in cultural norms around voting that has persisted over several cycles.
“Despite the national climate of fear and polarization, Republican and conservative-leaning voters feel confident in their local and state leaders to freely and fairly count the votes,” said Trey Grayson, advisory board chair of the Secure Elections Project. “This is good news, and reflects the reality that it is possible to strike the right balance between ensuring elections are secure while maintaining fair access to the polls for all eligible voters.”
To be connected with Secure Elections Project spokespeople to discuss the poll and the broader issue of confidence in elections, please contact Tony Franquiz at 443-243-6366 or comms@secureelectionsproject.org.
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Note on Methodology: This poll was commissioned by the Secure Elections Project and conducted by New Bridge Strategy from January 18 – 24, 2024. The sample size was 304 in Georgia, 304 in Arizona, and 307 in Wisconsin. All respondents self-identified as Republicans or conservative-leaning independents. The credibility interval is ±6.41 percent.