Election officials proceed with the counting of ballots. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Most North Carolina residents are confident in the “safety, security, and integrity” of state elections, according to a new poll.
About 80% of residents believe their votes were counted accurately in 2020, according to the survey of 1,000 people conducted by Catawba College and YouGov from Aug. 7-20. About 71% are confident in the integrity of elections in North Carolina, no matter whether their candidate or party wins or loses in November.
The Commission on the Future of North Carolina Elections sponsored the survey. The commission is sponsored by the Carter Center and seeks to boost trust in elections. Two years ago, the commission organized a statewide tour featuring speakers who talked about election laws and vote counting.
More than 78% of respondents indicated they were confident that elections in their counties will be “administered with security and integrity.” People were generally less confident about election security in other states, with about 61% indicating confidence in the accurate counting of votes outside North Carolina.
“This poll confirms what we have seen in numerous election town halls that we have conducted across NC; voters do trust the election procedures and officials closest to them in their local counties, where the poll workers are their friends and neighbors,” said Jennifer Roberts, former Charlotte mayor and commission steering committee member.
The survey had a margin of error of 3.87%.
Smaller majorities indicated confidence that certain election-related crimes are being prevented.
For example, 61% were confident that people are prevented from voting more than once. Fifty-nine percent were confident that people are prevented from stealing or tampering with ballots.
The survey revealed stark partisan differences. While 88% of self-identified Democrats indicated they were confident in North Carolina’s 2020 vote count, only 60% of self-identified Republicans were confident in its accuracy.
Ninety-two percent of self-identified Democrats indicated confidence that their votes were counted accurately in 2020, while 70% of self-identified Republicans expressed the same confidence.
Former President Donald Trump, his allies, and the Republican Party in general have worked to cast doubt about voting processes and administration as they embraced election denialism in the wake of Trump’s 2020 loss.
Voters were split on questions about safety concerns surrounding the election. Nearly half indicated they were concerned about the safety of candidates, poll workers, and voters casting ballots.