Nine things on US voters' minds ahead of midterm elections

THE COST OF LIVINGSome 48% of registere voters in the poll say the cost of living is the top issue for deciding how they will vote, compared with 26% who say democratic norms and 13% who point to immigration. US fuel prices have surged since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran in February.

DONALD TRUMPTrump has urged supporters to pretend he is on the ballot in an effort to energize his Republican Party. The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed ⁠that 48% of people who planned to vote — or already had done so — said they thought of their ballots as a vote against Trump, compared to 25% who said they were voting for him.

Some 25% said Trump was not a factor in their vote. IRANTrump has argued that war was necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Some 25% of voters think military action has been worth the cost, and 55% say it has not been worth it.

Some 18% weren't sure. ELECTION INTEGRITYVoters overall trust the US electoral process, with 77% saying they are confident their ballots will be counted but 45% saying they think voter fraud is a widespread problem.

Trump has falsely claimed that massive numbers of non-citizens vote illegally and election officials worry the administration could disrupt the election or certification of results it views unfavorably. The White House says its goal is to safeguard election integrity and voting security.

HOUSEHOLD FINANCESSome 49% of Americans think their household ⁠finances have gotten worse since January 2025, when Trump returned to power, compared with 13% who said their finances have gotten better and 37% who say things are about the same.

Trump campaigned ahead of the November 2024 presidential election with a promise to turbocharge the economy, but his presidential approval has fallen in recent months to the lowest levels of his political career, including among Hispanic Americans who swung in his direction in 2024.

The latest poll showed 54% of Hispanics said their household ⁠finances have suffered, while 10% said they had improved.

TRANSGENDER SPORTSSome 38% of voters ahead of the election said keeping transgender girls and women out of women's sports was a very important issue or the most important issue, compared to 25% who said that about protecting the rights of transgender people.

DATA CENTERSSome 42% of registered voters in the poll ⁠said limiting the construction of data centers used to power AI was very important or the most important issue. MEGA DONORSThe ultra-rich face few limits on how much they can spend to influence federal elections.

A bipartisan majority of registered voters — including 93% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans — think it is ⁠inappropriate for billionaires to contribute tens of millions of dollars to influence elections. POLITICAL OPTIONSWhile poll respondents appeared to narrowly favor Democrats over Republicans for this year's congressional elections, they remain divided on which party has good ideas.

Some 43% of registered voters in the poll said Democrats had at least some good ideas, while 39% said the same of Republicans.