Americans worried about post-election violence, efforts to overturn results, AP-NORC poll finds

washington – Many Americans feel vote Concerns about what might happen after the vote takes place, including the potential for political violence, attempts to overturn the results and possible consequences for the world’s oldest democracy.

A new poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that nearly 4 in 10 registered voters are “extremely” or “very” concerned about violent attempts to overturn the results after the November election.

A similar share is concerned about legal efforts, with nearly 1 in 3 voters saying they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about attempts by local or state election officials to prevent results from being finalized, according to the poll.

About a third or less of respondents are “not very” or “not at all concerned” about what’s going on, according to the survey.

FILE – Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021 (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

Survey results come almost four years after the previous one President Donald Trump Refusing to accept 2020 election results inspired A mob of his supporters will attack the US Capitol made a violent attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power.

Trump continued his attitude of not accepting the results during the 2024 campaign four years ago, and this time he predicts that he can only lose if the election is rigged. His allies and the Republican National Committee filed lawsuits across the country; These cases may be the beginning of legal difficulties that may be encountered after the election if he loses.

Will Trump accept if he loses? Many voters think no

Trump’s attempts to remain in power following his loss in 2020 have raised concerns that Trump will once again be unable to compromise if he loses. Vice President Kamala Harris In the 2024 presidential elections.

The new poll found that nearly 9 in 10 voters say the loser of the presidential election has to surrender once each state’s vote count is finished and legal challenges are resolved, including about 8 in 10 Republicans.

But only a third of voters expect Trump to accept the results and concede if he loses.

The survey found that Democrats and Republicans have very different views on the issue.

Nearly two-thirds of Republican voters thought Trump would accept the offer, while only 1 in 10 Democrats did.

The same concern does not apply to Harris, by the way. Nearly 8 in 10 voters, including a majority of Republican voters, said Harris would accept the results and accept them if she lost the election.

Trump vs Harris: Who undermines democracy?

Democrats and Republicans have broad concerns about how American democracy will fare depending on the outcome of the November election, according to an AP-NORC poll.

Overall, about half of voters believe Trump would “very much” or “somewhat” undermine democracy in the United States if he wins, while nearly 4 in 10 said the same about Harris.

It’s no surprise that Americans are deeply divided along ideological lines. The poll found that nearly 8 in 10 Republicans say a new Trump presidency would strengthen democracy “very much” or “somewhat,” while a similar share among Democrats said the same about Harris’ presidency.

Nearly 9 in 10 voters in both parties said the opposing party’s candidate would weaken democracy at least “somewhat” if elected.

One of the things that divides voters regarding their views on American democracy is the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and who is to blame. Democrats and independents are much more likely than Republican voters to place “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of responsibility on Trump, according to the AP-NORC poll.

What do voters think about the Electoral College?

Nearly half of voters think the possibility that a candidate can win the Electoral College and become president but lose the popular vote is a “big problem” in U.S. elections, according to an AP-NORC poll.

this happened several times beforeThat includes 2000 and as recently as 2016, when Hillary Clinton won the popular vote and Trump won the electoral vote.

As with many other issues, the question also reveals a partisan divide: About two-thirds of Democrats say the potential for an Electoral College-popular vote split is a big problem, compared with about one-third of Republicans.

A separate poll conducted by Gallup last monthIt found that 58 percent of Americans favor amending the Constitution to elect the president by popular vote, while 38 percent prefer to keep the current Electoral College system.

Gallup said this level of support for the popular vote system “has been consistent across most Gallup polls” since 2000, when the question was first asked.