CNN Poll: Questions about accuracy of vote counting rise as most want to vote before Election Day

Confidence that votes for president will be accurately cast and counted has dropped significantly since 2016, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. And as the coronavirus pandemic enters its sixth month of changing nearly every aspect of American life, the poll also finds a majority of voters prefer to cast their ballots before Election Day, far more than have ever done so in previous presidential elections.

A majority of Americans (55%) say they don’t think President Donald Trump will concede should he lose. A slightly larger majority said that in 2016 (61%), but Trump was not a sitting president then. There is near unanimity, though, that once all states have certified their votes for president, the loser should accept the results and concede (87% feel that way, up from 77% in October 2016).

A sizable minority (36%) say their confidence in the count will be diminished if a winner cannot be determined on election night because it is taking longer than usual to count, a prospect that is increasingly likely as larger shares of the public turn to by-mail ballots to cast their votes.