2026 Election Confidence Tracker
Beyond the Horse Race: Track voter confidence, election trust, representation, and participation trends ahead of the 2026 election.
Better Choices for Democracy is proud to partner with AlphaRoc on the Election Confidence Tracker for 2026, a new public dashboard designed to help journalists, civic leaders, election officials, advocates, and the public understand the election beyond the traditional horse-race frame.
Most election coverage focuses on who is ahead, who is behind, and what the outcome is likely to be. The Better Choices tracker asks a different set of questions: What matters most to voters? What helps people feel confident their votes will be counted as intended? Where are voters feeling represented—or not represented—by the political system? And what can we learn from voters themselves about the health of one of our most important shared American traditions?
The tracker brings together topline trends, demographic drilldowns, and open-ended responses to provide a fuller picture of public confidence, participation, political stress, and democratic representation ahead of the November 2026 general election. Rather than treating voters only as data points in a forecast, the tracker centers what voters are saying in their own words about why they plan to vote, what makes them doubt the process, and what would strengthen their confidence.
“Elections are not just about predicting winners. They are about whether people believe the process is fair, whether they feel represented, and whether they trust that their voice matters,” said Carah Ong Whaley, Executive Director of Better Choices for Democracy. “This tracker is intended to help us listen more carefully to voters and identify practical ways to strengthen our elections.”
The dashboard currently tracks measures including confidence that votes will be counted as intended, plans to vote, views of Congress, perceptions of Democratic and Republican representation, political anxiety, and coded themes from open-ended voter responses. It also allows users to explore differences across demographic groups and to examine what respondents say builds confidence or raises doubts.
The goal of the Election Confidence Tracker is not simply to diagnose public opinion, but to support a healthier civic conversation. By identifying where trust is strong, where it is fragile, and what voters say they need from candidates, institutions, and election systems, Better Choices for Democracy aims to provide a clearer evidence base for improving elections and strengthening democratic participation in 2026 and beyond.
Explore the tracker: https://www.betterchoices.vote/elex26
