Both Republicans and Democrats believe midterm election fraud will help their opponents


Americans on both sides of the aisle are worried about meddling in the midterm elections, a new NPR/Marist poll finds, and they're convinced it won't help their party.
Asked which party potential voter fraud would favor in the midterms, 77 percent of Democrats said it would help Republicans, and 67 percent of Republicans said it would favor Democrats. Independents were split, but slightly more (41 to 36 percent, with a 4 percent margin of error throughout the survey) believe the GOP would benefit.
Party affiliation also corresponded with disagreement on what sort of meddling is likely to happen. A majority of Democrats are suspicious of foreign interference from Russia or another country, while Republicans are overwhelmingly concerned with a more domestic threat: voter suppression or illicit voting, especially by immigrants who are not U.S. citizens.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As NPR notes, there's no evidence of foreign manipulation of U.S. ballots (Russian election interference techniques were more indirect). And many of the very few improper votes that are cast each election are accidental, like the Texas woman sentenced to five years in prison for unintentionally violating the law by voting while on probation.
The survey also found a significant split on whether "many votes" will simply not be counted. While most white voters aren't concerned this may happen, a majority of non-white voters think it will.
All told, nearly 4 in 10 Americans say our elections are not fair. The poll was conducted Sept. 5-9 and reached 949 adults over the phone. See the full results here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
July 8 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include a Trump disappearing act, trade talk uncertainty, and Elon Musk's many injuries
-
Entente cordiale: will state visit help UK-French relations get over Brexit?
Today's Big Question The King, a keen Francophile who has a warm relationship with Emmanuel Macron, will play a key role in state visit
-
Israel's plan for confining all Palestinians in 'humanitarian city'
The Explainer Defence minister wants to establish zone in Gaza for displaced people – which they would not be allowed to leave – prompting accusations of war crimes
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage