North Carolina Voter Trust Plummets After GOP Seizes Election Board Control

Nearly one-third of North Carolinians now believe their elections are less trustworthy than before, according to a recent poll by Opinion Diagnostics. This drop in confidence comes a year after the GOP wrested control of the State Board of Elections from Democrats through a law change clearly designed to benefit Republicans.

The poll of 830 voters found that 31.4% think elections are becoming less trustworthy, while only 15% see improvements. A staggering 64% are at least somewhat concerned that election officials will fail to follow proper ballot counting procedures, with 38% “very concerned.” Nearly 75% fear cyberattacks could compromise election results, despite state officials confirming that ballot tabulators are offline and difficult to hack.

Sam Hayes, the Republican-appointed executive director of the elections board, insists the board is committed to following the law and running smooth elections. He points to the 1.5 million ballots counted in the March primaries without major issues as proof. Yet the poll reveals that many voters remain unconvinced.

The erosion of trust is no accident. North Carolina is deeply divided politically, with nearly equal numbers of registered Republicans and Democrats, plus millions of unaffiliated voters. President Trump’s baseless claims of widespread 2020 election fraud have found fertile ground here, with over a third of respondents believing fraud affected the election outcome despite zero evidence.

The 2024 law that shifted election board control from the Democratic governor to the Republican state auditor has further politicized election oversight. Forty-three percent of voters see the change as a political power grab rather than a genuine effort to improve election administration.

This crisis of confidence threatens the very foundation of democracy in North Carolina. As midterms approach, the state’s election officials face an uphill battle to restore faith in the system amid a relentless tide of misinformation and partisan interference. Without transparency and accountability, skepticism will only deepen, undermining the right to free and fair elections.