For Immediate Release
Media Contacts:
Mark Frisk
[email protected]
John Sellek
[email protected]
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A new Michigan poll shows that voters remained confident in Michigan elections before and after the November 2024 election, with a measurable increase in confidence in county-level elections. The new poll also showed that 8-in-10 voters are confident in the fairness, security and accuracy of the 2026 election, when Michigan picks a new governor and other state-wide positions.
The poll findings were presented at a panel forum featuring Democracy Defense Project (DDP) board members former Govs. John Engler and Jim Blanchard, former Lt. Gov. John Cherry, former Congressman Mike Bishop, and Jeff Polet, Director of the Ford Leadership Forum at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. (Details of the poll are included below.)
“Michigan residents should be proud of the professionalism of our local election workers and their commitment to fair, secure and transparent elections, regardless of the outcome,” said Blanchard, a Democrat. “As with any election, people will have strong feelings about the outcome and the winners. One thing our poll clearly shows is that despite those feelings, Michigan voters are confident in our election system, especially the work of our local and county-level officials and the many hardworking volunteers who provide support at precincts in communities across Michigan.”
The poll released today is a follow up poll conducted in October 2024 to gauge voter attitudes before the general election, which featured a contentious presidential match-up between then-Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, and around eight months after Trump won and Republicans took control of Congress. The poll was conducted by renowned longtime pollster Richard Czuba, founder of Glengariff Group, from a sample of 800 registered voters, on June 1-6. The poll has a margin of error of 3.5%.
“Michigan voters are overwhelmingly satisfied with our elections, and we can build on that confidence by continuing to educate the public about the measures already in place to ensure our elections are safe and secure,” said Engler, a Republican. “In the past few years, we have seen clerks from both parties actively engaging voters from all backgrounds in their communities — Republicans, Democrats and independents. At the same time, local media outlets have covered these events and supported civic public education that benefits all of us, and we encourage them to build on these efforts.”
Some notable findings of the poll include:
- Nearly 76% of Michigan voters say the November 2024 election was fair and accurate. In October, before the elections, 77% said they expected the general election to be fair.
- 88% of voters said they trusted their local elections, a jump from the 78% who said so in October 2024.
- More than 78% of voters are confident in the fairness and accuracy of the 2026 elections, with high confidence among Republicans, Democrats and independents.
- Nearly 72% of voters say they are satisfied with the condition of Michigan elections.
- More than 82.1% say voters (as opposed to legislators) should have the final say in setting Michigan’s election laws, compared with 11.2% who say legislators should.
- 9% of voters say they are at least somewhat concerned about non-citizens voting in elections, with 35.8% saying they are very concerned.
- In open-ended questions asking voters what changes they would like to see in Michigan elections, 20.9% said voters should show an ID to vote, which is already required in Michigan law, while 7.7% said voters should show proof of citizenship.
“What’s striking about our new survey is that for the first time since polling of this type has been done, majorities of voters from all political backgrounds, whether Republicans, Democrats or independents, say they are satisfied with the election laws that Michigan already has,” said Cherry, a Democrat. “Where voters say they want to see changes, that list is very narrow. We believe that by working together, in a bipartisan way, Michigan policymakers can find reasonable, commonsense and cost-effective ways to address voters’ concerns.”
The DDP board members raised one potential solution: expanding and supporting Michigan voters’ access to a Michigan Enhanced License (MEL) or Michigan Enhanced Driver’s License (MEDL). Both MEL and MEDL indicate U.S. citizenship and are compliant with the requirements of the new Real ID required to access federal buildings, board planes and other activities. A Real ID itself does not say whether a bearer is a U.S. citizen.
“By huge majorities and regardless of political leanings, voters are telling policymakers that they want to be in the drivers’ seat of elections rules and regulations, not politicians, and that’s a proof point legislators should note,” said Bishop, a Republican. “Voters also have a real desire to ensure only U.S. citizens vote in our elections, and we encourage policymakers to explore solutions that keep our elections secure without putting up barriers that may prevent any eligible voter from exercising their right to vote.”
Polet, of the Ford Leadership Forum, said: “James Madison observed that democracies have been as short in their lives as they are violent in their deaths. We are proud to join the Democracy Defense Project in trying to keep Madison’s fears for America from coming true.”
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More information on the Democracy Defense Project can be found at
https://www.democracydefenseproject.org/mi.
Published: Jun 27, 2025
