Growing number of voters won’t accept election results if their candidate loses

A new survey revealed how Americans would react if their candidate were to lose the 2024 presidential election. According to the new data, nearly half of Republicans said they would not accept the results if former President Donald Trump loses the election. About a quarter of Democrats said they would not accept the results if Vice President Kamala Harris loses. 

The nonpartisan organization, World Justice Project (WJP), surveyed 1,046 American Households between June 10 and June 18.

While the report did not ask the specific “action” they would take to overturn the election results, 14% of Republicans said they would “take action,” compared to 11% of Democrats. As far as how many will choose to not accept the results, 46% of Republicans and 27% of Democrats said they would not consider the outcome to be legitimate if the other party’s presidential candidate won the election. 

The report also found that 29% of Republicans said the electoral process is free from corruption, compared to 56% of Democrats. One of the biggest gaps in the survey between the two parties was in response to the statement, “Votes are counted accurately.” Of Republicans polled, only 43% agreed, while 84% of Democrats agreed.

“Today, trust in many U.S. institutions, government accountability, and overall rule of law is considerably lower than it was ahead of the 2020 election,” Elizabeth Anderson, WJP’s executive director, said in a press release.

Despite their concerns, 88% of Americans surveyed said they planned to vote this fall.