The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for March 19, 2026
A March 2026 poll suggests voter confidence that American elections will be conducted fairly and accurately has dropped 10% since October 2024. But Republicans, Democrats and independents have lost that confidence for different reasons.
The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released March 11th surveyed 1600 Americans on several topics, but asked this question: “How confident are you that your state or local government will run a fair and accurate election this November?” The good news is that a majority of Americans, 66%, are confident or very confident it will. The bad news is that’s down from 76% in October of 2024.
Since 2024’s poll, confidence among Democrats dropped from 88% to 72%, and among independents from 76% to 65%. Voter suppression was the main concern for 41% of Democrats, while 57% of Republicans cite voter fraud, underscoring the success of President Trump’s illegal voting messaging despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Independent voters pointed to misleading information as their primary concern.
On the upside, a majority of Americans, 59%, still support making sure all eligible voters can vote.
We have a link to the full Marist poll at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll – SUMMARY – Election Security, March 2026: Many Americans Confident in Fair Elections This November, But Doubts on the Rise
NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll – DATA – Election Security, March 2026: Many Americans Confident in Fair Elections This November, But Doubts on the Rise
Pew Research – (2024) Separate 2024 Polling: Part 1 – Views of election administration and confidence in vote counts
Pew Research – (2024) Separate 2024 Polling: Part -2 – Confidence in voting access and integrity; expectations for whether and when the election results will be clear
Groups Taking Action:
Protect Democracy, States United Democracy Center, Issue One
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State
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