Most US voters feel democracy is under threat, but for different reasons
Exit polling has revealed a number of top concerns facing Americans after citizens cast ballots in Tuesday’s midterm elections, with large numbers in both major parties saying they believe the democratic system itself is “threatened” either by lax voting laws, faulty vote machines or false allegations of electoral misconduct.
Surveys conducted by ABC and the Washington Post revealed that 70% of voters polled say that “democracy is threatened,” with 72% of Democrats agreeing with that statement and 68% of Republicans. A similarly large majority of independent voters, or 70%, said the same.
More than one-quarter of Republicans surveyed by NBC said they view elections in their states as not “fair and accurate,” likely reflecting skepticism following admissions from some county officials that voting machines are malfunctioning, as well as other issues such as shortages in the paper required for ballots.
Ahead of the midterms, President Joe Biden and other Democrats warned that “democracy is at risk,” with the commander in chief citing the riot at the US Capitol – what he dubbed the “citadel of democracy” – by supporters of former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.
Exit polls also indicated that Republicans and Democrats sharply differ in what they view as the most pressing concerns facing the nation, though both sides largely agreed that inflation was among the top issues, with 44% of Democratic voters and about half of Republicans placing it as the number-one problem, according to Edison Research.
Especially for Democrats, abortion has also been a major topic for voters given the Supreme Court’s repeal of the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling protecting abortion rights.
Biden’s approval numbers have lagged, with just 45% of voters agreeing the president has performed well in office – close to the same figure for President Donald Trump during the 2018 midterms, when Democrats took back Congress – according to Edison.
Though there are many ballots still left to count, Republicans appear to be making a decent showing in early results on Tuesday night.
