Trust in American Elections Headed toward the 2026 Midterms

About the Program

As Americans prepare to vote in another critical contest, do they trust that it will be a free and fair election and that ballots will be counted accurately?

Professor Thad Kousser will share findings from a new national survey on trust in elections and draw on the work of a team of scholars centered at UC San Diego that partners with election officials across the country. Since the 2020 election, these officials have conducted public-information campaigns designed to provide voters with factual, nonpartisan information about election safeguards. The research team has supplied rigorous, real-time data to support those efforts and strengthen public confidence in American democracy. This timely discussion will examine the lessons learned and what they mean as the nation approaches the 2026 midterms.

About Thad Kousser

Thad Kousser is a professor of political science at UC San Diego and an associate dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. He co-directs the Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections and the Yankelovich Center for Social Science Research. His research focuses on American state and national politics, election administration, voting reforms, direct democracy, public opinion, and trust in elections.

Professor Kousser joined the UC San Diego faculty in 2003 and served as chair of the Department of Political Science from 2016 to 2022. He has worked as a staff assistant in the California, New Mexico, and United States Senates and regularly comments on American politics for outlets including NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, and San Diego Union-Tribune. He received his B.A. from Harvard University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Related research: Read the September 2026 national survey on trust in elections and visit UC San Diego's Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections.