U of H poll shows stark divide in Texas voters’ trust in election system

AUSTIN, Texas – A new poll from the University of Houston shows that trust in the electoral process in Texas is deeply divided across party lines.

“I don’t know who it’s for, Republicans or Democrats, but there’s a lot of excitement,” Austin voter Ann Abraham said.

On the third day of early voting, lines were still thick at polling stations across Travis County.

“It’s hard,” said Larry Landfried, another voter. “I’ve come by here three times this week and finally said I’m just going to get in line.”

While Landfried is excited about the election, he has doubts about the security of this election.

“I really don’t know how they’re supposed to keep an eye on all of this when there are so many illegals coming,” Landfried said.

Some, like Abraham, have other concerns.

“I have no concerns about safety,” Abraham said. “There is a lot of hearsay, but nothing is documented. But I have concerns about voter suppression.”

Their respective views align with what political scientists found in a recently released University of Houston poll on elections and democracy in Texas.

“Republicans, for example, see voter fraud as a major threat, but not voter suppression,” said Dr. Mark Jones from Rice University. “Democrats view voter suppression as a major threat to our elections, but not voter fraud.”

Dr. Jones helped with the survey.

It found that only 69 percent of Texans nationwide have confidence in election security, although that number jumps to 85 percent when it comes to security in Texas specifically.

“The reason we have lower numbers nationwide is that about half of Republicans are not confident that accurate and secure elections will take place nationwide,” Dr. Jones.

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In fact, the poll found a stark divide between the parties.

“Democrats and Republicans live in different worlds when it comes to elections,” said Dr. Jones.

Only 14 percent of former President Donald Trump’s voters said they were “very confident” that the election was fair, compared to 63 percent of Vice President Kamala Harris’s voters.

When it comes to voter suppression, the numbers are reversed: 65 percent of Harris voters are worried about the problem in Texas, compared to just 14 percent of Trump voters.

“The Republicans have done a good job of convincing their voters that we really do have a voter fraud problem, just as the Democrats have done a good job of convincing their voters that we actually have a voter suppression problem,” Dr. Jones.

Jones says the intense rhetoric of this election cycle has caused those fears to be exaggerated on both sides.

“The reality is that we don’t really have a voter fraud problem, both in Texas and across the country, but we don’t really have a voter suppression problem either,” Dr. Jones.

On Monday, Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson released a statement saying Texas is ready for the election and the country is leading the way in election security.

We reached out to Nelson’s office for comment but have not yet heard back.

The full survey can be found here.