WISCONSIN (WKOW) — Wisconsin Republicans and conservative-leaning Independents have confidence in how the state’s elections are administered, according to a study released by the Secure Elections Project. The data also showed the voters trusted the ability of election officials to conduct election processes and count votes fairly.
When asked to rank the issues they cared about most in order of preference, voters participating in the poll said their top two priorities were reducing inflation and addressing the migrant crisis at the border.
Improving election integrity ranked third among their priorities, and increasing voter access for every eligible voter ranked 5% higher than creating more good-paying jobs.
Election denialism was a widespread conservative belief following the 2020 presidential election, brought on by former President Donald Trump’s claims that the election was stolen, although there was no viable evidence to back up those claims.
Survey participants were also asked how they cast their ballot in the last election they voted in. About 85% cast their ballot in person before or on election day.
27 News spoke with Trey Grayson, a former Kentucky Secretary of State and chair of the Secure Elections Project Advisory Board, who said voters should feel confident in casting their ballot through the various processes offered by their state, but the challenge lies in how voters perceive in-person and absentee voting
“Really, since 2020, we didn’t see this as much beforehand, was a partisan split, and how people are choosing to vote,” Grayson said. “Traditionally as states, and almost every state in the country has moved away from excuse based Election Day.”
Grayson says election officials should ensure that they are informing people of the safeguards present in both forms of voting.
The data also revealed that while Republicans feel local elections within the state are secure, they identify with broader political themes that election fraud did occur in the 2020 general election.
“There’s all these jurisdictions, by county, by city, by township municipality, every state’s a little bit different, and so in some ways, that’s great because we have a lot of decentralization,” Grayson said. “The trust stops at your border; you probably are more confident in your local election administration than you are your state… and you’re certainly more comfortable with your state than you do, nationally.”
Grayson says if voters can look across states where similar polls have been taken on how others feel about their state’s elections, it could help re-introduce the narrative that all elections are free and fair and that voters can also trust outcomes in national races.
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