An Update from the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service
North Carolinians continue to express relatively high confidence in the security, safety and integrity of their own elections, but that confidence drops substantially when they consider elections beyond their local communities, according to a new Catawba College-YouGov Survey of 1,000 North Carolinians.
This survey replicates many of the questions asked in August 2024 of North Carolinians about their confidence in elections. The overall confidence finding is virtually unchanged from two years ago, with seven out of 10 North Carolinians saying they are very or somewhat confident in their state’s elections when it comes to security, safety and integrity, no matter which party wins or loses the election. Only 22% said they were not confident (not too or not at all), with 8% not sure.
When asked whether votes would be accurately counted in the 2026 election, 75% said they were confident about votes cast in their own county, compared with 70% for votes cast elsewhere in North Carolina and 58% for votes cast outside the state.
A similar pattern emerged on whether elections are administered with security and integrity. Seventy-seven percent were confident in their local county’s elections and three-quarters (74%) were confident in North Carolina elections overall, while only 58% were confident in elections across the United States.
North Carolinians also continued to place a high value on candidates accepting election results. Eighty-eight percent said it is very or somewhat important for losing candidates to publicly accept winning candidates as legitimate winners, compared with 84% in 2024. The survey found broad agreement across partisan groups, including 92% of Democrats, 90% of independents and 82% of Republicans.
“With an unusually clear 17-point county-to-national confidence gap in this survey, what stands out is how consistently North Carolinians draw a distinction between the elections they experience directly and elections farther from home,” said Dr. Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history and director of Catawba’s Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service, which wrote and paid for the survey with YouGov. “Confidence is strongest when voters are thinking about the election system they can see and experience most directly, and we saw that in 2024 as well.”
The online survey included 1,000 weighted North Carolina respondents ages 18 and older and was conducted July 30-Aug. 10, 2026. The adjusted margin of error for the overall sample is ±3.59 percentage points. Results should be viewed as informative estimates rather than definitive measures of public opinion.
CONCERNS ABOUT SEVERAL ELECTION SAFEGUARDS HAVE DECLINED SINCE 2024
Compared with two years ago, the August 2026 survey shows statistically significant declines in the share of North Carolinians who said they were not confident that election-related misconduct is prevented in eight of 10 comparable areas. However, lack of confidence in several areas of election protection measures continues to be present, especially when three in 10 respondents express a lack of confidence in preventing non-U.S. citizens from casting ballots.
The largest shift involved the safeguard that people are prevented from submitting too many ballots on behalf of others. The share who were not confident fell from 36% in August 2024 to 25% in August 2026, a decline of 11 percentage points. At the same time, the share expressing confidence increased from 55% to 63%.
The share saying they were not confident also declined significantly on several other election safeguards:
- Preventing voter impersonation, from 35% in 2024 to 26% (down 9 points).
- Preventing fraud involving early or mail ballots, from 36% to 27% (down 9 points).
- Preventing people from voting more than once, from 30% to 23% (down 7 points).
- Preventing non-U.S. citizens from voting, from 37% to 29% (down 8 points).
- Preventing payment of voters to cast ballots for a candidate, from 37% to 30% (down 7 points).
“The results suggest that, compared with 2024, fewer North Carolinians express concern about several key election safeguards,” Bitzer said. “The clearest movement is a reduction in the share saying they are not confident, rather than a uniform increase in affirmative confidence across every measure.”
In the August 2026 survey, North Carolina’s confidence was highest for preventing people from voting more than once, with 66% saying they were very or somewhat confident. Confidence was also relatively high for preventing excess ballot submissions for others, at 63%, and preventing ballot theft or tampering, also at 63%.
However, North Carolinians expressed the lowest levels of confidence in preventing manipulation of vote-counting software in counting ballots as intended (57% were confident versus 31% not confident) and preventing voters from being paid to cast their ballots for a particular candidate (54% were confident, whereas 30% were not confident).
The survey also included a new question about preventing non-U.S. citizens from registering to vote: 61% of respondents said they were confident, while 27% said they were not confident and 12% were unsure.
For individuals who work to administer North Carolina’s elections, respondents gave them high confidence: 79% said they were confident in poll workers, with county administrators and staff garnering 72% confidence and state administrators and staff at 69%.
“Taken together, these findings suggest that North Carolinians continue to have considerable confidence in the people and institutions closest to the administration of elections, even as they remain more skeptical about elections farther from home and about some specific election safeguards,” Bitzer said. “The challenge for election officials is to build on that local confidence while helping voters understand how the broader election system works and why its safeguards are in place.”
This is the first of several press releases from the August 2026 Catawba College-YouGov Survey of North Carolinians. Future releases will report on North Carolinians’ attitudes about:
- election officials, democratic norms and partisan influence in decision-making;
- voting access and administration, including preferences and perceptions of in-person, early, absentee-by-mail and other voting methods; whether ballots should be counted after a voter’s death; the length and scheduling of early voting and Sunday voting; photo ID requirements; and public outreach intended to encourage voter turnout; and
- feelings about the three proposed constitutional amendments for November 2026 general election; the state of democracy; and where Republicans stand as either Trump or Party supporters.
You may find additional details about the poll’s finding, methodology, and responses below.
About the Center for NC Politics and Public Service
The Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service at Catawba College is dedicated to enriching civic dialogue, deepening understanding, and fostering engagement within North Carolina. Through non-partisan initiatives, the Center promotes the ideals of public service, civic character and engagement, and informed citizenship across the state. By educating North Carolinians about the state's political dynamics and emphasizing the value of public service, the Center cultivates practical political understanding and encourages active civic participation. In doing so, it helps instill a lasting respect for public life and being a responsible citizen — both among Catawba College students and throughout the wider North Carolina community.
About Catawba College
Founded in 1851, Catawba College is a four-year, private, liberal arts college located in Salisbury, N.C. Ranked as one of the best regional colleges in the South, Catawba is known for its intellectual rigor, dedicated faculty, beautiful campus, and strong commitment to sustainability and the environment. The College offers more than 70 undergraduate and four graduate programs allowing students to explore diverse interests and create their own academic pathway. Additional information is available at catawba.edu.
