Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for July 16, 2021

Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day

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By Scott Rasmussen

The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

July 16, 2021: Thinking in general about U.S. elections, 59% of voters are at least somewhat confident the votes are accurately counted, and the proper person is declared the winner. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 36% lack such confidence, and 5% are not sure.

Those totals include 38% who are very confident in the election process and 19% who are not at all confident.

Not surprisingly, there is a vast partisan divide on this issue. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Democrats express confidence in the system, while 63% of Republicans do not. Independent voters are evenly divided: 46% have some level of confidence, while 41% do not.

This partisan divide is fairly typical—the party which controls the White House is more likely to consider the process fair. For example, 52% of Democrats still believe that Hillary Clinton was the legitimate winner of the 2016 election, and 66% of Republicans believe Donald Trump was the legitimate winner in 2020. ​Overall, just 26% of voters believe that the right person was declared the winner in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

The partisan divide could explain the different perceptions of voting rights legislation. Since almost 9-out-of-10 Democrats have confidence in the system, they might see a move to change voting rules as negative. Since Republicans lack confidence in the system, they might see a need for improvement. These positions may be reversed the next time a Republican wins the White House.

Despite the intense partisan polarization, several election reforms are popular among voters from all partisan and demographic groups:

• 70% want all mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day.
• Sixty-five percent (65%) believe government agencies should be required to report the vote totals from all ballots either on Election Night or the next day.
• Seventy-six percent (76%) believe voters should be required to show photo ID before casting a ballot.
• Fifty-seven percent (57%) believe “ballot harvesting” should be outlawed. Twenty percent (20%) disagree, and 23% are not sure.

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Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.

• July 15, 2021 -54 percent of voters believe immigration priority should be based upon skills, not family
• July 14, 2021 -47 percent of voters approve of Democrats in Congress, 41% approve of Republicans in Congress
• July 13, 2021 -34 percent of voters believe most reporters try to overcome personal biases and report accurately what they see, 46% disagree
• July 12, 2021 -50 years ago today was first U.S. performance of Jesus Christ Superstar
• July 9, 2021 -59 percent of voters approve of Supreme Court

• To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.

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Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.

The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here.

Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

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See also

• Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
• Presidential election, 2016
• Presidential election, 2020
• Voting Policy