Most Say Mail-In Voting Worked, But 47% Say Fraud Likely

Most voters say this year’s unprecedented level of mail-in voting was largely successful and continue to think President Trump should concede the presidential race. Republicans, however, strongly believe Democrats are likely to have stolen the election.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 57% of Likely U.S. Voters think mail-in voting worked well for the most part. Thirty-nine percent (39%) disagree and say it led to unprecedented voter fraud in this election. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Forty-seven percent (47%) say it’s likely that Democrats stole voters or destroyed pro-Trump ballots in several states to ensure that Joe Biden would win. Forty-nine percent (49%) consider that unlikely. This includes 36% who say voter fraud was Very Likely and 39% who think it was Not At All Likely. These findings are little changed from mid-November. 

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans say it’s Very Likely the Democrats stole the election, a view shared by 17% of Democrats and 28% of voters not affiliated with either major party.

Also virtually unchanged from the earlier survey are the 60% of all voters who think Trump should concede the election to Biden. Thirty-four percent (34%) disagree.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted December 3 and 6, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Most voters favored additional mail-in voting this election cycle because of the coronavirus, but 58% were concerned that it would lead to more voter fraud. Democrats were far more likely than others to vote by mail.

The older the voter, the more convinced they are that mail-in voting led to unprecedented voter fraud.

Republicans (67%) are a lot more likely than Democrats (13%) and unaffiliated voters (41%) to agree.

Sixty-one percent (61%) of GOP voters also do not believe that Trump should concede the election. Eighty-six percent (86%) of Democrats and 56% of unaffiliateds say he should admit that he lost to Biden.

Eighty-nine percent (89%) of voters who think mail-in voting led to unprecedented voter fraud believe Democrats stole the election. Even among those who think mail-in voting was largely successful, 19% share that view.

U.S. voters now regard each other as a bigger enemy than Russia or North Korea and just as dangerous as China.

Voters continue to see a more divided America after four years of the Trump presidency. While half of voters place the blame at Trump’s feet, nearly as many don’t see it getting any better if Biden moves into the White House.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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