Fewer than half of Americans believe the 2026 midterm elections will be free and fair, according to a survey conducted by the University of California San Diego's Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections. The survey, which included 5,016 American adults, found that 49% expect the November 2026 elections to be free and fair, while 23% said no and 28% were unsure. The survey was conducted between September 1 and September 9, 2026. Trust in the accuracy of the national vote count has declined since the 2024 presidential election. Right after that election, 77% of Americans expressed confidence that votes were counted as intended. By January 2026, that number had dropped to 60%, and by September 2026, it was 55%. This decline has been seen across all political groups, with a particularly notable drop among independents, whose confidence fell from 57% in January to 49% in September. Confidence among Democrats fell slightly from 64% to 63%, while among Republicans it dropped from 65% to 58%. Over 89% of respondents said they were at least moderately certain about their level of confidence in the accuracy of the vote count. According to Thad Kousser, co-director of the Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections, trust in election integrity is declining across all political lines, though the reasons for these doubts vary. More than three-quarters of Americans, 76%, expressed concern that AI-generated deepfakes could influence the 2026 midterm elections. Across all partisan groups, respondents were more likely to view AI as harmful than beneficial. Republicans expressed this concern by a 2.6-to-1 ratio, Democrats by 3.4-to-1, and independents by 4.1-to-1. A supermajority of Americans, 71%, favor banning election officials from betting on elections through prediction markets, with widespread support even among those who participate in such betting. Forty-four percent of respondents cited the way congressional district lines are drawn as a source of distrust, while 41% expressed concerns about foreign interference in U.S. elections and 39% raised concerns about the security of voting technology against cyberattacks. Partisan divisions over mail voting were also evident. Among Democrats, 19% expressed distrust that mail ballots are counted accurately, compared with 35% of independents and 53% of Republicans. Concerns about the potential presence of federal immigration officers at voting locations were also divided. At least one-third of respondents in each partisan group believed it was likely that federal immigration officers would be present at voting locations in their area. However, the effect of this presence on confidence in elections varied sharply by political affiliation. Among Democrats, 60% said the presence of federal immigration officers would make them less confident that votes would be counted as intended, while 7% said it would increase their confidence. Among independents, 37% said their confidence would decrease and 19% said it would increase. In contrast, 46% of Republicans said the presence of federal immigration officers would increase their confidence that votes would be counted as intended, while 9% said it would decrease their confidence. The survey highlights that while Americans across the political spectrum share concerns about election integrity, they often disagree on the sources of those concerns.