32% of Iowa adults doubtful votes will be properly counted nationally in 2022 midterms

Nearly one-third (32%) of Iowans in a new poll said they are "mostly doubtful'' or "very doubtful" that votes "across the country" in the 2022 general election will be counted as voters intended.

The remainder in the November Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll were very confident (26%), mostly confident (37%) or not sure (6%) votes would be counted properly. Selzer & Co. conducted the poll of 810 randomly selected Iowan adults between Nov. 7 and Nov. 10.

The votes of confidence appeared to correlate with partisan identification. Independents' votes of confidence echoed the overall results (62% confident, 34% doubtful). Democrats were much more likely to say they are "very confident" (48%) results will be counted correctly compared with Republicans (8%). Eighty-eight percent of Democrats said they are "very confident" or "mostly confident," while 9% are "mostly doubtful" or "very doubtful." 

The survey found that 47% of Trump 2020 voters are "mostly doubtful" or "very doubtful" the results will be counted as voters intended. Former President Donald Trump challenged the results in the past presidential election in several states, claiming they were fraudulent.

Rita Hart had contested the election against Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District up until March 31. She had taken her contest before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Administration, challenging the results.

"Iowans should feel confident about the integrity of the vote in our state," Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate told The Center Square in an emailed statement. "We have taken numerous measures to protect the sanctity of the ballot. Iowa has Voter ID at the polls and on absentee ballot requests. We conduct statewide post-election audits. The 2020 general election results matched perfectly in all 99 counties."

Pate said the office works with local, state and federal government to protect the election infrastructure. Those partners include the Iowa National Guard, the FBI, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, he said.

"There is no evidence of any unauthorized intrusions into Iowa's election system, and we are constantly vigilant about protecting the process," he said. "Our elections are secure, transparent, and bipartisan every step of the way. We will continue to educate Iowans about all the steps we take to ensure their vote is protected and safe."

Voting laws in Iowa changed this year. Measures included shortening early voting periods, closing polls an hour earlier on Election Day, and preventing anyone except family members or household members of a voter from returning ballots on another voter's behalf, with some exceptions.

Iowa's redistricting map for the next 10 years was approved in October. Election Day for the midterm elections is Nov. 8, 2022. Primaries will be held June 7.