Poll: Over 10% of US Voters May 'Take Action' to Overturn Election
According to a nationwide World Justice Project/YouGov poll released this week, one-third of Americans said they wouldn't accept the presidential election results if their preferred candidate loses....
Facts
- According to a nationwide World Justice Project/YouGov poll released this week, one-third of Americans said they wouldn't accept the presidential election results if their preferred candidate loses.[1]
- Around 1,046 individuals were surveyed in June — before Pres. Joe Biden withdrew from the race — with 46% of Republicans and 27% of Democrats saying the November election would be illegitimate if the other party won.[2]
- Additionally, 14% of Republicans and 11% of Democrats said they would take action to overturn the election results, amid widespread mistrust in the election process and the courts.[3]
- Less than a third of Republicans and little more than half of Democrats agreed that the electoral process is corruption-free, but the poll suggests that Democrats are much more likely to believe that votes are counted accurately.[4]
- This comes after a bipartisan group in Congress signed a letter pledging to respect election results and attend the winner's inauguration. Previously, former Pres. Donald Trump had insisted the 2020 election was stolen.[5][6][7]
- Last month, the Republican presidential nominee reasserted that if the 2024 election is 'fair and free,' he would accept the results, adding that he believes election integrity has been bolstered over the past four years.[8]
Sources: [1]World Justice Project, [2]The Hill, [3]Miami Herald, [4]USA Today, [5]Newsweek, [6]Politico, [7]New York Post and [8]Newsmax.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by The New Republic. That nearly half of Republicans said beforehand they wouldn't accept a loss may not be surprising, but it's certainly alarming. They are ready to throw the country into chaos again to overturn the results in the event of a likely electoral defeat for Trump — and they're not even trying to hide it.
- Republican narrative, as provided by Wall Street Journal. It's very hypocritical of Democrats to try to paint Trump as the only ever to contest election results. Both Republicans and Democrats have a history of challenging electoral outcomes, including Hilary Clinton, who repeatedly claimed that her defeat in 2016 was illegitimate — this poll indicates that the losing party will inevitably cry foul this year.
