Surveyed voters worry that cheating will affect presidential election outcome

NEWS AND OPINION:

Worried that there could be some cheating in the 2024 presidential election? You’re not alone.

“Despite the mainstream media’s constant messaging that the 2020 election was the most safe and secure election in U.S. history, an overwhelming majority of national and swing state voters are worried that cheating will affect the outcome of the 2024 election,” according to the Heartland Institute, a Chicago think tank.

The organization has asked 2,466 likely voters nationwide if they feared cheating would affect the outcome of the 2024 election.

“A combined 62% expressed concern about election integrity, with 37% saying they are very concerned, 25% somewhat concerned, 20% not very concerned, 15% not at all concerned, and 3% answering they were not sure,” the institute said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

The Heartland Institute posed the same question to 5,605 likely voters in battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — and the results were almost identical. A combined 62% of those surveyed thought the 2024 election could be affected by cheating — with 38% very concerned, 24% somewhat concerned, 18% not very concerned, 18% not at all concerned, and 2% answering they were not sure.

And 20% of these state voters said they received more than one mail-in ballot at their home in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election.

The poll was conducted July 9-12.

“The tools for election fraud are everywhere, and that’s why people are rightly worried that millions of illegal ballots might be cast in November. Most states have done little to nothing to fix their broken election laws, which is a recipe for conducting ’the most important election in our lifetimes’ that is also the least-secure in the Western world,” said Jim Lakely, vice president and director of communications for the Heartland Institute, in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

Find the organization at Heartland.org.

A TRUMP MOMENT

Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends”  — which airs weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. — will present an interview with former President Donald Trump on Thursday. The appearance will include co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt, Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones.

Topics include the state of the race, President Biden’s address to the nation and what voters can anticipate in the final months before Election Day, according to the network.

GRANITE STATE ADVICE

New Hampshire GOP Chairman Chris Ager is done with bad behavior in the nation and in his own state. Mr. Ager now calls for an end to “violent and dehumanizing political rhetoric following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.”

There has been politically inspired vandalism in New Hampshire itself, he says.

”There is no place for violence-laced rhetoric in our political discourse. While we all value the free speech guaranteed by our Constitution’s First Amendment, recent events remind us that unstable individuals can be influenced to take violent action by charged rhetoric. This cannot be tolerated by either side of the political spectrum,” Mr. Ager said in a statement released Wednesday.

“There has also been an uptick in violence-filled correspondence targeted at our elected officials and offices. Most of this comes from frustrated individuals lashing out in the only way they know, but it only takes one troubled person to destroy lives. This is all wrong and must stop,” Mr. Ager continued.

“I call on everyone in the political universe to make the case for your party and candidates without the violent rhetoric. Make no mistake, however, we are prepared to defend ourselves if necessary,” he said.

A NOD TO HISTORY

Milwaukee’s National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has just unveiled a pair of limited-edition bobbleheads featuring former President Donald Trump’s iconic “fight” pose after he survived an assassination attempt on July 13 — and another with Mr. Trump wearing an ear bandage at the Republican National Convention.

“We have received a flood of requests for bobbleheads to commemorate these two historic images that are sure to be among the most iconic moments in history,” said museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar in a written statement to Inside the Beltway.

“Political bobbleheads have grown in popularity since debuting in the 1960s, and bobbleheads commemorating historic moments like these have been among the most popular,” he said.

“The first bobblehead features former President Donald Trump with blood on his ear and face with his fist raised standing on a red, white, and blue circular base bearing his name. The bobblehead replicates the iconic moment when the Republican presidential candidate pumped his fist defiantly to the crowd in the seconds after surviving an assassination attempt during his campaign rally,” a product description stated.

“The second bobblehead features former President Donald Trump wearing a bandage over his right ear. Former President Trump made his first appearance at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just two days after the assassination attempt wearing a bandage over his right ear, which became a fashion accessory that convention attendees quickly copied,” the description said.

The new bobbleheads, which will be individually numbered, are available through the museum’s online store and are expected to ship in December. The museum, by the way, is home to the world’s largest collection of these nodders representing celebrities, sports figures, politicians — the list goes on.

Find them at https://www.bobbleheadhall.com.

POLL DU JOUR

• 71% of U.S. adults think the U.S. has more “political misinformation” now than it did 10 years ago.

• 65% think the U.S. has more “political violence” now than it did 10 years ago.

• 58% think the U.S. has more “influence by elites” now than 10 years ago.

• 57% think the U.S. has more “political gridlock” now than 10 years ago.

• 15% think the U.S.  has “more influence by ordinary voters” now than 10 years ago.

• 12% think the U.S. has more “political unity” now than 10 years ago.

Source: A YouGov poll of 2,279 U.S. adults conducted online July 15-18 and released Wednesday.

• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.