Sizable share of Americans say they may ‘take action’ to overturn election, poll finds

A sizable minority of Americans said they would try to invalidate the presidential election results depending on which candidate wins, according to a new poll.

In the latest World Justice Project survey, 14% of Republicans said they would “take action to overturn the 2024 election based solely on who is declared the winner.” Eleven percent of Democrats said they would do the same.

The survey — which is completed annually — also found widespread distrust in elections and the courts that arbitrate them.

“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 Andersen, the executive director of the World Justice Project — which works to advance the rule of law around the globe — said in a statement.

Conducted by YouGov between June 10 and 18, the survey sampled 1,046 U.S. households.

Partisan breakdown

Overall, Democratic respondents placed significantly more trust in the electoral process than Republicans, the survey found.

A minority of Democrats, 27%, said the presidential election results would not be legitimate in their eyes if their favored candidate does not win. Meanwhile, nearly half of Republicans, 46%, said the same.

Additionally, a majority of Democrats, 67%, said they think officials who administer the election are trustworthy, while just 34% of Republicans said the same.

However, when it comes to the Supreme Court’s role in elections, Democrats were less trusting than Republicans.

Forty-seven percent of Democrats said they would trust the high court to “fairly determine the winner of a contested election,” while a majority of Republicans, 67%, said the same.

Though more Republicans said they trust the Supreme Court, more Democrats said they trust “the courts,” the survey found.

And despite the widespread mistrust in the elections process and the courts, more than 96% of Republicans and Democrats said they believe the rule of law is essential to America’s future.

“The good news is, despite polarization, both Democrats and Republicans still agree on the fundamental principles of the rule of law, and they want to participate in democracy,” Andersen said.

Other findings

Since 2013, the share of Americans who say they believe “a high-ranking official would be held accountable for breaking the law decreased from 60% to 35%,” according to the survey.

Further, while a majority of Americans have anti-authoritarian values, this share has declined in recent years.

And about 13% of respondents — regardless of partisanship — said “people do not need to obey the laws of a government they did not vote for.”

“Distrust in the electoral process should be a wake-up call going into the November election,” Andersen said.

“It’s imperative that our public officials, media, community leaders, and informed citizens of all stripes work harder than ever to build trust in U.S. election integrity and commitment to the rule of law,” she concluded.

This story was originally published September 17, 2024 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Sizable share of Americans say they may ‘take action’ to overturn election, poll finds."