New Civil Rights Monitor Poll Finds 82% of Voters Fear Rights and Freedoms Are Being Taken Away and 77% Fear Political Leaders Will Pressure Election Officials to Change Outcomes

Civil Rights, Civil Rights Enforcement News 09.30.26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2026
Contact: [email protected]

National poll also finds 71% oppose cutting Medicare and SNAP to fund ICE, 92% say America’s diversity makes it stronger, and a majority supports a Third Reconstruction

WASHINGTON — Voters are heading into the 2026 midterm elections with deep anxieties about their rights and the health of American democracy, according to a new national poll commissioned by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and conducted by polling firm Brilliant Corners Research. Now in its fifth year, the Civil Rights Monitor shows a record of American values and attitudes on human rights. This is a national survey of 1,000 likely voters, conducted by phone using professional interviewers from August 23 to September 6, 2026.

Key Findings

  • Voters Fear Interference in the 2026 Elections: 77% are concerned about political leaders pressuring election officials to change outcomes, 65% about the federal government trying to stop the elections by declaring a state of emergency, and 62% about ICE showing up at polling places to intimidate or interfere with voters.
  • Anxiety About Rights and Democracy Reached Poll Series Highs: 82% of voters are concerned that rights are being rolled back and 76% are convinced that democracy is under major threat, the largest year-over-year increases in the Civil Rights Monitor.
  • Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Cutting Social Programs to Fund ICE: 71% oppose taking money from programs like Medicare and SNAP to cover the agency’s budget increase from $10 billion to $85 billion, including 61% who strongly oppose.
  • A Majority Says Race Relations are Getting Worse: 53% of voters believe race relations in America are getting worse, a view that has reached a series high among Black voters, while only 14% believe they are getting better.
  • Black Voters are the Most Alarmed and the Most Motivated Group in the Electorate: They register a series high on the view that race relations are getting worse, 83% of them disapprove of the Supreme Court, and 83% are very concerned about their rights being taken away.
  • Despite Fears on Race Relations, Core Civil Rights Values Remain Broadly Shared: 92% of voters say America’s diversity makes it stronger. 

Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference, said: “What worries voters most right now ought to worry all of us, because they are describing threats to the machinery of democracy itself. Majorities of Americans fear political leaders pressuring election officials to change outcomes, a federal government willing to declare a state of emergency to stop the elections, and ICE showing up at polling places to intimidate voters. More than eight in 10 are worried that our rights and freedoms are being stripped away in this country. Black voters have seen this playbook before, which helps explain why they are both the most alarmed group in the electorate and are highly motivated to vote. The civil rights community will match that resolve, and we will spend this fall protecting every voter and every freedom under attack.”

The Issues

  • Immigration Enforcement Declined as a Priority: Border security dropped to 14% from 20% and deportations to 9% from 10%, a combined slide from 30% to 23% over the past year.
  • Voting Rights is a Top Issue in its First Year on the List: Protecting voting rights was chosen by 14% of voters, matching border security and outpacing abortion rights (10%) and fighting racial discrimination (9%).

ICE and Immigration Enforcement

  • A Majority of Voters Disapprove of ICE: 38% approve of the agency’s performance against 58% who disapprove, and opponents feel it more strongly, with 48% strongly disapproving compared with 25% who strongly approve.
  • Voters See ICE Violating Due Process and Rights: Half of voters strongly agree (rating their agreement 8 or higher on a scale of zero to 10) that ICE is violating due process and undermining people’s rights and the law, while 44% agree at that level that the growth and use of the agency is designed to intimidate people of color.
  • Critiques of ICE Differ by Community: Black voters agree most intensely that ICE is a political tool meant to reduce the number of Black and Brown people in the country (74%, compared with 40% among all voters). 
  • 71% Oppose Cutting Medicare and SNAP to Fund ICE: Voters oppose funding the agency’s growth from $10 billion to $85 billion out of social programs, with 61% strongly opposed.

Democracy and the 2026 Elections

  • Voter Motivation Remains High for a Midterm: 84% of voters say they will definitely vote in November, with a mean motivation score of 8.7 on a scale of zero to 10. 69% are dissatisfied with the direction of the country.
  • Voters Fear Efforts to Change Election Outcomes: 80% worry about foreign governments interfering with our elections, and 77% about political leaders pressuring election officials to change outcomes, with 55% very concerned about that pressure.
  • Majorities Fear Federal Interference at the Polls: 65% are concerned about the federal government trying to stop the elections by declaring a state of emergency, and 62% about ICE showing up at polling places to intimidate or interfere with voters.
  • A Majority of Voters Want Calmer Politics: 56% of voters say they would like to see our politics return to something calmer and less divided, compared with 36% who want leaders to keep up the pace of change while ensuring it helps families like theirs.

Race, Rights, and Discrimination

  • A Majority Says Race Relations are Getting Worse: 53% of voters believe race relations in America are getting worse, a view that has reached a series high among Black voters, while only 14% believe they are getting better.
  • Worry About White Supremacy has Risen Every Year Since 2023: Concern about the rise of white supremacy now stands at 57% overall, with 39% of voters very worried.
  • Disapproval of the Supreme Court Has Grown Every Year Since 2023: Disapproval of the Court now reaches 57% among all voters and 83% among Black voters, with 39% of all voters strongly disapproving.
  • Fewer Voters See Reverse Discrimination as a Big Problem: Agreement that reverse discrimination against white people is a big problem has fallen to 37%, with the decline concentrated among white voters, and only 32% agree that forced diversity and inclusion amounts to racism against white people.
  • Black Voters are Now Most Likely to Say Their Heritage is Under Attack: Agreement that “your heritage, traditions, and cultural identity is under attack in America” stands at 52% overall and is increasingly driven by Black voters, whose agreement has ranged from 71% to 83% in every poll since 2023 and stands at 81% today, while agreement among white voters has fallen from 54% in 2022 to 45%. A question long treated as a measure of white resentment now captures Black voters’ sense that their culture is under threat.

The Economy and Technology

  • 71% Say the American Dream is Increasingly Out of Reach: Stagnant wages and rising costs drive that view, and 67% say the same about the concentration of power and wealth in the hands of a few.
  • Large Majorities Back a Higher Minimum Wage and Universal Healthcare: 74% want the minimum wage raised to match the cost of living and 71% support universal healthcare coverage, while narrower majorities back a universal basic income (53%) and a $25 minimum wage (51%).
  • 83% Say Americans are Sacrificing Too Much Privacy to Big Tech: Voters say too much privacy is being given up for the convenience and profit of big tech, and they also view artificial intelligence as a threat to jobs (66%) and to democracy and elections (66%).
  • Half of Voters Want Data Center Construction Paused: 50% say construction should be paused or even banned until better regulations are in place, another 33% want companies to pay their utility and infrastructure costs in full and invest in community programs, and only 11% have no problems with it.

A Third Reconstruction

  • Voters Support a Third Reconstruction: Voters back the idea of a systemic, constitutional, and cultural overhaul to secure a robust multiracial democracy by 54% to 36%, including 32% who strongly support it. The concept would ensure voting rights, institute term limits for Supreme Court justices, and reduce income inequality through public programs.
  • Every Racial and Partisan Group Rated Voting Rights as the Top Priority: Protecting the freedom to vote earned the highest importance ratings of any civil rights work tested, rated 8 or higher out of 10 by 57% of white voters, 81% of Black voters, 88% of Hispanic voters, and 84% of Asian American voters.

Methodology

This is a national survey of 1,000 likely voters with an oversample of 100 Asian American likely voters, conducted by phone using professional interviewers from August 23 to September 6, 2026. The sample was drawn randomly from the voter file, geographically stratified for proportional representation, and weighted to the population demographics of voters in the file. The overall margin of error is +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence interval, and margins for sub-groups are higher depending on sample size.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

###