71% of Washington voters have high or moderate trust in the state’s vote-by-mail elections, according to a SurveyUSA poll, sponsored by UW’s Center for an Informed Public, WSU’s Murrow College of Communication, The Seattle Times and KING 5.
An exclusive poll in Washington state — conducted by SurveyUSA and sponsored through a partnership from the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public, Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, The Seattle Times and KING 5 in Seattle — shows that trust in the state’s vote-by-mail system remains high.
Overall, according to the WA Poll, 71% of Washington voters say they have high (43%) or moderate (28%) trust in Washington’s vote-by-mail system.
Meanwhile, 28% have little (16%) or no (12%) trust and those identifying as very conservative are 3 times more likely than others to say they have no trust in the system; Latino voters are twice as likely as others to have no trust in voting by mail. Additionally, 21% of Republicans say they have no trust, compared to just 3% of Democrats, according to the survey.
And among those who voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, 17% have a high level of trust in Washington’s vote-by-mail system, 30% have moderate trust, 29% have little trust, and 24% have no trust; among Biden voters, 65% have high trust, 25% moderate trust, 7% little trust, and just 2% have none.
The poll was conducted online July 6-10 and reached 825 adults, including 731 registered voters and 596 likely voters, using a population sample provided by Lucid Holdings. The respondents were weighted to U.S. Census proportions for gender, age, race, education and home ownership.
In 2005, Washington state’s legislature established vote-by-mail as a permanent option for all elections in Washington state, allowing counties to choose. By 2011, with 38 or 39 of Washington’s counties having made the transition to vote-by-mail elections, state legislators made it a requirement across the state.
Overall, 61% say their level of trust in Washington vote-by-mail system has stayed the same following the 2020 U.S. presidential election while 23% say their level of trust has decreased. 12% say their trust has increased. While majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and independents all say their level of trust has stayed the same, according to the WA Poll, the percentages vary significantly: 71% of Democrats have that view, compared to 58% of independents and 52% of Republicans in Washington. At 40%, Republicans are 5 times more likely than Democrats to say their level of trust has decreased.
WA Poll respondents were also asked about their trust in officials who oversee elections where they live. Results are similar to voters’ feelings about Washington’s vote-by-mail system, with 64% having high (31%) or moderate (33%) trust, and 31% having little (19%) or no (12%) trust. According to SurveyUSA, 86% of Democrats have trust in their local officials, compared to 55% of independents and 47% of Republicans. The survey shows that 50% of Republicans do not trust their local officials, as do 40% of independents and only 10% of Democrats.
- Learn more about the WA Poll results on trust in elections in The Seattle Times and KING 5.
