Reuters/Ipsos poll: 43% of U.S. voters worried about voter intimidation

According to the results of a poll from Reuters and Ipsos, 43% of American voters said they agreed with the statement “I am concerned about threats of violence or voter intimidation while voting in person” for next month’s midterm election. The results were released Wednesday, two days after the poll was completed.

The fear of voter intimidation was more pronounced among Democratic voters who responded to the poll, 51% of whom said they worried about violence. However, a still-significant share of Republicans — 38% — harbored the same concerns.

So far no violence has been reported at any early voting centers or ballot drop-off locations. However, officials in Arizona have already asked the federal government to probe a case of possible voter intimidation after people casting ballots were reportedly filmed and followed.

An official complaint noted that the self-appointed monitors called the voters “mules.” This is a reference to a conspiracy theory popularized by supporters of former President Donald Trump’s false claim that his 2020 defeat was the result of widespread fraud.

The voter intimidation poll also found that two-thirds of registered voters fear that extremists will carry out acts of violence after the election if they are unhappy with the outcome. This includes about three in four registered Democrats and three in five registered Republicans.

Other notable results from the voter intimidation poll include:

• 49% of voters “think voter fraud is a widespread problem” (about two-thirds of Republicans and one-third of Democrats).
• 17% of voters are not confident their ballot “will be accurately counted” (one in 10 Democrats and one in four Republicans).