Many voters still don't trust voting machines
Many American voters remain concerned that electronic voting systems can be “hacked” remotely, and a majority of Republican voters believe cheating affected the 2020 presidential election, according to a Dec. 4 national survey from Rasmussen Reports.
63% of likely U.S. voters said they are concerned electronic voting systems could allow votes to be changed remotely, including 33% who are “very concerned,” according to Rasmussen Reports.
Nearly half of voters (46%) said it is likely that cheating affected the 2020 presidential election.
Partisan divisions remain sharp, with 68% of Republican voters saying it is at least somewhat likely that cheating affected the 2020 election, compared with 26% of Democrats and 45% of unaffiliated voters.
Many American voters remain concerned that electronic voting systems can be “hacked” remotely, and a majority of Republican voters believe cheating affected the 2020 presidential election, according to a Dec. 4 national survey from Rasmussen Reports.
The survey — conducted Nov. 23-25 among 1,176 likely U.S. voters — found that 63% of individuals are concerned electronic voting systems could allow votes to be changed remotely through internet connections during voting, including 33% who are very concerned. By comparison, 32% said they are not concerned, including 12% who are not at all concerned.
Concerns about voting machines are closely tied to views of the 2020 presidential election. Overall, 46% of voters said it is likely that the election that made former President Joe Biden take office was affected by cheating, including 27% who said it is very likely. Forty-eight percent said it is not likely that cheating affected the outcome, and one in three of those people said it is not at all likely.
Republican voters expressed significantly higher skepticism. Rasmussen Reports found that 68% of Republicans believe it is at least somewhat likely that cheating affected the 2020 election, compared with 26% of Democrats and 45% of voters not affiliated with either major party.
Views on electronic voting machines were also divided. Thirty-six percent of voters said the machines make it easier to cheat in elections, while 22% said they make it harder. Another 31% said the machines do not make much difference in terms of cheating, and 11% said they were unsure.
Partisan gaps persisted across several measures. Forty-six percent of Republicans said electronic voting machines make it easier to cheat, compared with 30% of Democrats and 33% of unaffiliated voters. At the same time, 73% of Republicans, 56% of Democrats, and 62% of unaffiliated voters said they are at least somewhat concerned about remote manipulation of voting systems.
Slightly more men (39%) than women (33%) said electronic voting machines make it easier to cheat in elections, according to Rasmussen Reports.
By race, 60% of white voters, 76% of black voters, 63% of Hispanic voters, and 64% of voters from other minority groups said they are at least somewhat concerned about the possibility of remote manipulation. Black voters were the most likely to say electronic voting machines make it easier to cheat.
Looking at voting behavior, Rasmussen Reports found that 77% of voters who supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election said it is at least somewhat likely that cheating affected the 2020 outcome. In contrast, 63% of voters who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris said it is not at all likely that cheating affected the election.
