Views on AI in elections
Core finding
U.S. adults use chatbots for some political information tasks, but discomfort is stronger when AI is used to help choose a candidate.
Roughly 56% of adults say they never use chatbots to inform themselves about politics. About 63% say they are not comfortable using an AI chatbot to help decide which candidate to vote for in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
U.S. adults are uncomfortable with AI-assisted vote choice
About six-in-ten U.S. adults (63%) say they are not comfortable using an AI chatbot to help decide which candidate to vote for in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
The largest single response is complete discomfort. Nearly four-in-ten adults (38%) say they are completely uncomfortable with using a chatbot this way. Another 25% say they are somewhat uncomfortable, 25% are somewhat comfortable, and 11% are very comfortable.
Stacked breakdown
63% are uncomfortable letting AI help with vote choice.
n = 1,000 · Mar 6–16, 2026 · MoE ±3.4%
Adults report little political chatbot use
Roughly 56% of adults say they never use chatbots to inform themselves about politics.
Roughly 24% say they use chatbots to fact-check something they saw online or heard from someone. Another 23% use them to learn more about an ongoing current issue. Some 13% use them to process recent events from the past week. About 8% use them to gather information to win an argument with someone else.
Topline
56% never use chatbots for political information.
n = 1,000 · Mar 6–16, 2026 · MoE ±3.4%
Older adults are less comfortable with AI vote choice
Adults ages 65 and older are less likely than adults ages 30 to 49 to say they are comfortable using an AI chatbot to help decide which candidate to vote for, 22% vs. 48%.
Roughly 65% of adults ages 65 and older say they never use chatbots to inform themselves about politics, compared with 47% of adults ages 30 to 49.
Among partisans, 59% of Republicans, 63% of Democrats, and 67% of independents say they are not comfortable using an AI chatbot to help decide their 2026 midterm vote.
Crosstab view
Adults 65 and older are less comfortable with AI vote choice, 22% vs. 48%.
n = 1,000 · Mar 6–16, 2026 · MoE ±3.4%
Concern about AI bots reaches policy and business surveys
Eight-in-ten adults (80%) say they are concerned that AI bots, rather than real people, are answering surveys used to inform government policy and business decisions.
This includes 38% who are very concerned and 42% who are somewhat concerned. Roughly one-in-five adults (21%) say they are not concerned.
Stacked breakdown
80% of adults are concerned about AI bots answering policy and business surveys.
n = 1,000 · Mar 6–16, 2026 · MoE ±3.4%
Adults reject autonomous-speech treatment for harmful political AI
Roughly 45% disagree that false and harmful political content generated by AI should be treated as autonomous speech under freedom of speech principles rather than as a tool used by humans.
Another 23% agree that harmful political AI should be treated as autonomous speech, while 31% neither agree nor disagree.
Stacked breakdown
45% disagree and 23% agree on treating harmful political AI as autonomous speech.
n = 1,000 · Mar 6–16, 2026 · MoE ±3.4%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | Mar 6–16, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.4% |
| Module | Module 1: Technology, Finance, & Media |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044
How comfortable would you be using an AI chatbot to help you decide which candidate to vote for in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections?
- reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044
When using AI chatbots to inform yourself about politics, what best describes your reason for doing so? (Select all that apply)
- reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044
How concerned are you that AI bots, rather than real people, are answering surveys used to inform government policy and business decisions?
- reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044
To what extent do you disagree or agree with the following statement: "When an AI system generates false and harmful political content, it should be treated as an autonomous speaker under freedom of speech principles rather than as a tool used by humans."
Cite this topic
Verasight Client Omnibus Survey #2026-044, fielded March 6-16, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.4%.