Threats to democracy top issue for voters, new poll shows

A new national poll from NBC News finds that threats to democracy have surged to the top of voters’ priorities — matching inflation as the country’s most important issue ahead of the 2026 midterms.

The finding comes as President Donald Trump says he wants to “take over” voting ahead of this fall’s contests, and pushes GOP lawmakers to pass what would be by far the most restrictive voting legislation ever approved by Congress.

The NBC News survey, conducted Feb. 27 to March 3 among 1,000 registered voters, found that 26% of voters say “threats to democracy” is the most important issue facing the country, tying with inflation and the cost of living for the top spot.

When voters were asked to rank their two most important issues, concerns about democracy rose to 36%, trailing only economic worries but outranking immigration and jobs.

The result reflects growing alarm among voters about the direction of the country under Trump’s second administration.

The surge also marks a sharp shift from earlier polling. 

In a September 2022 NBC survey, just 20% of voters ranked threats to democracy as their top issue, suggesting concerns about democratic institutions have intensified since Trump returned to power.

Much of that anxiety may be tied to ongoing fights driven by the GOP to restrict voting access and challenge certified election results. 

One of the most prominent flashpoints is the SAVE America Act, a Republican-backed bill that would require Americans to provide documentary proof of citizenship and photo ID in order to vote in federal elections. Voting rights advocates warn the measure could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters who lack easy access to documents such as passports or birth certificates.

Trump has pushed for an even more aggressive version of the proposal that could significantly restrict mail-in voting options — a method millions of Americans rely on to cast ballots.

Another major concern is the Trump Justice Department’s sweeping effort to obtain voter registration data from states across the country. The department sought voter rolls from dozens of states, including sensitive personal information about voters. Critics warn the effort could lead to the creation of a national voter database and enable large-scale voter challenges ahead of elections.

At the same time, Republican-controlled legislatures across several states are advancing stricter voting rules, including proof-of-citizenship requirements, routine voter purges and limits on mail-in voting.

All while Trump and his allies continue promoting false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, which has fueled distrust on other election outcomes.

Taken together, those developments have elevated the state of democracy as a central issue of concern for voters.

And the NBC poll suggests that concern could play a major role in the 2026 midterm elections.

Democrats currently hold a modest advantage in the poll’s generic congressional ballot — with 50% of voters saying they prefer Democrats to control Congress compared with 44% who favor Republicans.

Equally significant, Democratic voters appear more motivated by the stakes of the election. Nearly three-quarters of Democrats say the midterms are extremely important, compared with roughly six in 10 Republicans.