New statewide survey conducted by the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service and Better Choices for Democracy finds confidence in Washington's election administration, but widespread concern about false information and doubts that political parties care about people like them.
With less than one week until Election Day, Washingtonians are concerned about mail ballots arriving in time to be counted, according to a new statewide survey from the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University and Better Choices for Democracy.
Respondents also expressed deep concern about people being misled by AI-generated images, audio or video, and about the potential for federal interference in elections. At the same time, they reported confidence in how state and local election officials administer elections.
The survey was fielded Oct. 14-24 to 1,000 Washington residents, including 874 registered voters, using The Harris Poll's integrated panel.
"Washingtonians report high confidence in the officials who run their elections, alongside real concern about whether mail ballots will arrive in time and whether false information, including AI-generated content, will mislead voters," said Thessalia Merivaki, Thomas S. Foley Distinguished Professor and director of the Foley Institute and a member of Better Choices for Democracy Advisory Board. "This benchmark gives election officials, policymakers and civic organizations evidence on how Washingtonians experience elections, and a baseline for tracking how those perceptions change over time."
Download a pdf of the full report and explore the interactive dashboard of data below.
