Heartland/Rasmussen Poll: Large Majority of Voters (62%) Are Concerned Cheating Will Impact 2024 Election

Published July 24, 2024
Heartland Rasmussen election fraud

More than six in 10 likely voters nationally and in battleground states believe cheating will affect outcome of 2024 election

Nearly 20% of voters nationally and in swing states received multiple ballots via mail in 2020

Among all voters, the economy remains number one issue

Voters also highly concerned about border security

Despite the mainstream media’s constant messaging that the 2020 election was the most safe and secure election in U.S. history, an overwhelming majority of national and swing state voters are worried that cheating will affect the outcome of the 2024 election.

A new Heartland Institute/Rasmussen Reports poll asked 2,466 likely voters nationwide: “How concerned are you that cheating will affect the outcome of the 2024 election?” A combined 62% expressed concern about election integrity, with 37% saying they are very concerned, 25% somewhat concerned, 20% not very concerned, 15% not at all concerned, and 3% answering they were not sure.

The poll was conducted from July 9-12, 2024, which was before the attempted assassination against Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump and before Biden announced he was withdrawing from the race.

The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen also asked the same question to 5,605 likely voters in battleground states – Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan – and the results were almost identical. A combined 62% of those surveyed thought the 2024 election could be affected by cheating with 38% very concerned, 24% somewhat concerned, 18% not very concerned, 18% not at all concerned, and 2% answering they were not sure.

Giving credence to their concerns about cheating affecting the 2024 election, nearly 20% of national and battleground state voters admit that they received more than one mail-in ballot at their residence in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election.

The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports also asked voters, “In the 2020 election, did you personally receive more than one official ballot in the mail or receive a ballot for someone who does not live at your address?”

Among national voters, 18% admit they personally received multiple official ballots via the mail or received a ballot for someone who no longer resides at that residence, 74% say they did not receive multiple ballots at their home address, and 8% are not sure.

For voters in the all-important swing states, where the 2020 election was decided by less than 20,000 votes in most cases, 20% say they personally received more than one ballot in the mail at their home address or a ballot intended for someone who no longer lives at that address. Meanwhile, 73% responded that this did not occur at their residence and 7% were unsure.

Likely voters at the national level and across the swing states were also asked to list their top concerns for the country as they prepare to vote for the president and U.S. Senate. Among both of these groups (27% national and 28% swing states), voters say the economy is the most important issue facing the nation. In second place, (20% national and 21% swing states) likely voters identify border security as a pressing issue. In a distant third (10% national and 12% swing states), likely voters cite abortion as a paramount concern.

In terms of swing state voters, 12% believe government corruption is the most important problem whereas only 8% of likely national voters think that government corruption is a primary concern. In both polls, less than 10% of voters picked climate change, education, violent crime, and global conflicts as their top concern.

The following statements from experts who worked on the poll at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/377-4000 or (cell) 312/731-9364.


“Millions of Americans watched normal election rules be thrown out the window in 2020, and then watched the count drag on and on in just the states that Joe Biden needed to win the election by the narrowest of margins. It’s no wonder, then, that a strong majority of Americans are worried that cheating will affect the outcome this November. And they have good reason to worry when this poll shows that 20% of likely voters in battleground states report receiving multiple ballots in the mail or a ballot for someone who doesn’t even live there.

“The tools for election fraud are everywhere, and that’s why people are rightly worried that millions of illegal ballots might be cast in November. Most states have done little to nothing to fix their broken election laws, which is a recipe for conducting ‘the most important election in our lifetimes’ that is also the least-secure in the Western world.”

Jim Lakely
Vice President and Director of Communications
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]


“The fact that more than 60% of likely voters are concerned about election integrity should be a massive wake-up call to all those who refuse to admit that potential cheating in elections is a major problem. As the 2020 election demonstrated, mass mailing of ballots based on outdated voter rolls, ballot harvesting, unattended drop boxes, and no excuse mail-in voting has made it easier than ever for those who are committed to breaking the law and illegally voting. The fact that nearly one-in-five likely voters received multiple ballots before the 2020 election cements the case for the urgent need for election integrity reform measures across the states.”

Chris Talgo
Editorial Director
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]


“Over the past several months, we have conducted extensive polling on issues relating to election integrity. In December of last year, we discovered that more than one in every five voters admitted to voting fraudulently during the 2020 election. In April of this year, we found that 28% of likely voters admitted they would cheat in the upcoming 2024 election if given the opportunity. Given these past results, it should come as no surprise that a large majority of voters are concerned that cheating will impact the 2024 election. These findings collectively illustrate a dire need for comprehensive election integrity reforms to be instituted in all 50 states.”

Donald Kendal
Director, Socialism Research Center
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]

The Heartland Institute is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our website or call 312/377-4000.


Survey of 2,466 US Likely Voters, and Survey of 5,605 Battleground State Likely Voters (AZ, NV, GA, PA, WI, MI)

Conducted July 5-12, 2024 By Rasmussen Reports and the Heartland Institute

  1. How concerned are you that cheating will affect the outcome of the 2024 election?

NATIONAL
Very 37
Somewhat 25
Not very 20
Not at all 15
Not sure 3

BATTLEGROUND
Very 38
Somewhat 24
Not very 18
Not at all 18
Not sure 2

  1. In the 2020 election, did you personally receive more than one official ballot in the mail or receive a ballot for someone who does not live at your address?

NATIONAL
Yes 18
No 74
Not sure 8

BATTLEGROUND
Yes 20
No 73
Not sure 7

  1. When thinking about the elections for President and US Senate, which of these is the most important to you?

NATIONAL
Economy 27
Border Security 20
Abortion 10
Climate 9
Crime 8
Corruption 8
War 5
Other 5
Education 4
Not sure 4

BATTLEGROUND
Economy 28
Border Security 21
Abortion 12
Corruption 11
Climate 7
Crime 6
Other 5
War 4
Not sure 4
Education 3

NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence