Signal Gallup Poll: Bipartisan Concern Over Election Integrity Ahead of 2026 Midterms

Summary

Gallup, in partnership with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation's Democracy for All Project, published results August 1, 2026, from a web-and-mail survey of more than 23,000 US adults conducted April 24-June 10, 2026. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they were concerned "a great deal" or "a fair amount" that political leaders might pressure election officials to change results, with 57% worried about ballot handling and security and 52% about voter intimidation near polling places. Fifty-six percent of Republicans also expressed concern about pressure on election officials, indicating the worry crosses party lines. Concerns about political leaders taking potentially illegal actions (80%), large anonymous political donations (78%), and gerrymandering (77%) ranked even higher than election-day-specific worries. The survey found a notable social-media effect: concern about voter intimidation rose from 48% among non-users to 60% among those using social media three or more hours daily, and concern about ballot handling rose from 48% to 65% over the same comparison.