US Presidential Election Live Updates: About 4 in 10 registered voters say they are ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ concerned about violent attempts to overturn the results after the November election
American voters are going into the presidential election with deep unease about what could follow — including political violence, efforts to alter the outcome, and its consequences for democracy itself — a new poll said.
These were the results of a poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research of concerns about the durability of the world’s oldest democracy nearly four years since former President Donald Trump denied the legitimacy of the results of the 2020 elections and inspired a mob of his followers to storm the US Capitol in a violent attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.
About 4 in 10 registered voters say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about violent attempts to overturn the results after the November election.
A similar share is worried about legal efforts to do so. And about 1 in 3 voters say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about attempts by local or state election officials to stop the results from being finalized.
Relatively few voters — about one-third or less — are “not very” or “not at all” concerned about any of that happening.
Trump has lied often enough about fraud costing him reelection four years ago that once again, he is telling supporters that he can’t possibly lose this time if the election is not rigged against him, a tactic that worked well for him as early as his first election run.
His allies and the Republican National Committee, which he had reshaped in its current image, have filed lawsuits throughout courts around the country to provide him with a basis to go to court seeking reversal potentially should he lose next week.
I thought after January 6 of 2021, the GOP would have the good sense to reject him as a candidate,” said Downey, California resident Aostara Kaye of the former president. “And because they didn’t, I think it just emboldened him to think he can do anything, and they will still stick with him.”
Many voters believe Trump won’t concede if he loses. Trump’s sweeping efforts to overturn the will of the voters and hold onto power after his 2020 loss have fueled fears that he will again refuse to concede should he lose to Vice President Kamala Harris.
