Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2023
CONTACT: press@securedemocracyusa.org
New Poll: Wisconsin voters trust local election officials, support early & absentee voting options
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin voters trust local election officials and are confident the state can administer a fair election in 2024, according to a new statewide poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies on behalf of Secure Democracy Foundation. Beyond strong trust in Wisconsin's current election processes, the poll found that Wisconsinites trust – and plan to make use of – early voting in 2024.
The poll also shows strong agreement across party lines on key election policy issues, such as support for expanded electronic ballot tracking; a preference for secure tabulation machines over hand counts; and the desire to allow voters to correct honest mistakes, such as a missing signature, on their absentee ballot envelopes.
Key findings from the poll of Wisconsin voters include:
73% of voters are confident the state of Wisconsin can administer a fair election where everyone has the opportunity to vote and the votes are counted accurately.
73% of voters are confident that when Wisconsin voters vote by mail with an absentee ballot, their vote will be counted.
Nearly one-third (32%) of voters throughout the state plan to vote early – by mail or in person – in the 2024 presidential election.
82% of voters think Wisconsin's system of checks and balances – in which local election officials count the votes and the supervising authority declares the winner – works.
82% of voters want election officials to take sufficient time to ensure every vote is counted accurately, even if it takes longer, to determine the winner.
89% of voters support expanding and strengthening Wisconsin’s electronic ballot tracking system to allow voters to receive text message notifications about the status of their absentee ballot.
83% of voters support allowing elections officials to contact voters to verify identity and correct honest voter mistakes, such as a missing signature, before their absentee ballot is rejected.
"Despite heightened polarization on some issues of the day, Wisconsin voters across the political spectrum agree on key issues that impact election administration in Wisconsin," said Daniel Griffith, senior director of policy for Secure Democracy Foundation. "This poll shows Wisconsin voters trust local election officials to do their jobs well – and they're confident the state's checks and balances will ensure a fair contest in 2024."
The poll was commissioned by Secure Democracy Foundation and conducted by Public Opinion Strategies. The poll reached 500 Wisconsin likely 2024 voters, with an additional oversample of 200 likely GOP primary voters, and has a margin of error of +/- 4.38%. The poll was conducted from November 27-30 using mixed-mode methodology of live dialing and text-to-web. A memo outlining the findings can be found here.
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Secure Democracy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that produces research and analysis focused on voting and elections. We work to educate the public on how our election systems are secure and trustworthy.