News Outlets Combine Surveys to Analyze 2026 Midterm Voters

Seven major US news organizations have joined forces to examine voter behavior in the 2026 midterm elections through a nationwide polling project involving approximately 100,000 participants. Conducted by research firm SSRS, the initiative combines traditional in-person interviews with pre-election surveys to explain voting decisions and the issues shaping the electorate. The project, known as The Voter Poll, involves MS NOW, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, NBC News and The Associated Press.

Its findings cover the national electorate and provide state-level insights into voting preferences, political attitudes and demographic patterns. According to CNN, approximately 80,000 participants completed surveys before Election Day, between October 19 and November 3. Another approximately 22,000 voters were expected to participate through in-person interviews at selected polling locations.

MS NOW reported that the project aims to collect responses across all 50 states, including a national sample exceeding 75,000 respondents. The research examines congressional elections nationwide, alongside Senate, gubernatorial and selected ballot measure contests in individual states.

The methodology combines several approaches to account for early voting, mail-in ballots and Election Day participation. Researchers contact registered voters through postcards, telephone calls, text messages and email, while additional participants come from online survey panels. SSRS matches respondents against official voter registration records to verify their eligibility and voting history. Researchers also use demographic and political information to adjust the sample through statistical weighting, helping make the findings representative of the electorate.

Participants who have not been verified as having voted receive follow-up contact shortly before or on Election Day. Researchers then confirm whether they cast ballots and whether their candidate preferences remained unchanged. In 15 states with highly competitive contests, pre-election responses are combined with traditional exit polling. Interviewers distribute confidential paper questionnaires to randomly selected voters at polling locations selected through a separate sampling process.

According to MS NOW, participants can complete surveys in English or Spanish. Responses remain anonymous, while researchers use verified voting records to distinguish actual voters from people who have not participated in the election. The polling schedule also includes safeguards against prematurely revealing election outcomes.

CNN reported that the first estimates could appear after 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Election Day, but candidate preference data would remain unpublished until the relevant polling locations had closed. Survey results can change throughout election night as additional interviews arrive and researchers adjust estimates to reflect actual election outcomes.

CNN reported a margin of error of plus or minus 0.6 percentage points for the full national sample, with larger margins for individual states and demographic subgroups.

Early findings published by CBS News also highlighted widespread dissatisfaction among voters. President Donald Trump's approval rating stood at 38% in the preliminary exit polling, below his first-term midterm performance and George W. Bush's rating in 2006.

Approximately six in 10 voters said Trump influenced their decision in House elections. Opposition to the president was particularly strong among Democratic voters, while most Republicans outside the MAGA movement indicated that he was not a significant factor in their voting decisions. Economic concerns emerged as another major influence.

Approximately three-quarters of voters expressed dissatisfaction with the country's direction, while respondents were more than twice as likely to describe their personal financial situation as worse rather than better. The cost of living remained important across party lines, with concerns involving gasoline, groceries and utilities. Economic conditions ranked as the leading issue overall, followed by the state of democracy, according to CBS News' preliminary findings.

Government corruption also featured prominently, with approximately nine in 10 voters describing it as a major factor in their decisions. Around six in 10 believed Trump prioritized his personal interests over the country's interests.

Foreign policy and emerging technology also influenced voter attitudes. Most respondents opposed the US military action against Iran, including approximately one-quarter of Republicans, while majorities in Senate battleground states opposed building data centers in their communities. Despite widespread political dissatisfaction, large majorities expressed at least some confidence that their ballots would be counted accurately nationwide and within their states. The Voter Poll findings continued to be updated throughout Election Night as additional verified responses were processed.