October Current Events Survey
In October 2026, Galvanize Action surveyed ideologically moderate women to see how they were feeling about current events.
QUESTION #1
Thinking about the upcoming midterm elections in November, how confident are you that votes nationwide will be counted as voters intend?
| Very confident | 27% |
| Somewhat confident | 44% |
| Not too confident | 16% |
| Not at all confident | 8% |
| Don’t know/Not sure | 5% |
More than two-thirds (71%) of women surveyed say they are very or somewhat confident that votes nationwide will be counted as voters intend, which is higher than what Galvanize Action found in March (55%) and September (55%).
QUESTION #2
Normally, state and local election officials run polling places and are responsible for securing voting machines and ballots after Election Day.
Thinking about this November’s elections, would you support or oppose each of the following?
| Strongly support | Somewhat support | Somewhat oppose | Strongly oppose | |
| State and local election officials continuing to run polling places and oversee voting machines and ballots, as is done in a typical election | 47% | 42% | 10% | 1% |
| Sending federal Justice Department monitors to polling places, in addition to state and local election officials | 13% | 36% | 27% | 24% |
| Sending National Guard troops to monitor polling places, instead of relying only on state and local election officials | 11% | 27% | 26% | 36% |
| Sending immigration enforcement (ICE) agents to polling places, instead of relying only on state and local election officials | 11% | 16% | 23% | 49% |
| Having federal officials, rather than state and local election officials, take custody of voting machines or ballots after Election Day | 13% | 28% | 27% | 32% |
| Having the military, rather than state and local election officials, take custody of voting machines or ballots after Election Day | 13% | 25% | 21% | 40% |
The vast majority of respondents (89%) support state and local election officials continuing to run polling places and oversee voting machines and ballots as they typically do, with almost no opposition (11% combined). In contrast, majorities oppose every alternative presented: sending immigration enforcement (ICE) agents to polling places draws the strongest opposition (72% oppose), followed by sending National Guard troops to monitor polling places (62% oppose), having the military take custody of voting machines or ballots (61% oppose), and having federal officials take custody of voting machines or ballots (59% oppose). Sending federal Justice Department monitors to polling places draws comparatively less opposition (51%), though it is still opposed by a majority. These findings show a clear preference among our audience for keeping election administration at the state and local level, with the most pushback reserved for ICE involvement specifically.
QUESTION #3
Do you think higher than usual prices are more because of President Trump’s policies or more because of factors outside Trump’s control?
| More because of Trump’s policies | 63% |
| More because of factors outside Trump’s control | 24% |
| Not sure | 13% |
The majority of respondents (63%) say higher than usual prices are more because of President Trump’s policies, while less than a quarter (24%) say they are more because of factors outside Trump’s control. An additional 13% say they are not sure. This is consistent with findings from the 2026 Mid-Year Survey, when the majority of women in our audience who rated the economy negatively placed blame on Trump specifically.
QUESTION #4
The war in Iran has been underway for several months without a formal congressional authorization. Which comes closest to your view of what Congress should do about it?
| Congress should approve the funding the Pentagon has requested to continue the war | 13% |
| Congress should require Trump to get congressional approval before the war can continue, but shouldn’t cut off funding in the meantime | 38% |
| Congress should cut off funding for the war immediately | 33% |
| Not sure | 16% |
A plurality of respondents (38%) say Congress should require Trump to get congressional approval before the war in Iran can continue, but shouldn’t cut off funding in the meantime. However, a substantial portion (33%) say Congress should cut off funding immediately, and only 13% say Congress should approve the funding the Pentagon has requested. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (71%) want Congress to impose some kind of check on the war, whether through a funding cutoff or a required approval step, rather than letting it continue unchecked.
QUESTION #5
Thinking about actions that elected officials in the U.S. government might take, which of the following would be most concerning to you? Please select up to two options.
| Manipulating election rules (such as redistricting and voter registration rules) to entrench their own party’s power | 44% |
| Appointing unqualified family members or loyalists to powerful positions | 26% |
| Instructing agencies (such as the Department of Justice or FBI) to investigate and punish political opponents | 20% |
| Giving individual donors who contribute to their campaign special access and influence over their decisions | 17% |
| Pardoning family members, allies, or business associates | 16% |
| Trading stocks or otherwise profiting from inside government information | 14% |
| Accepting foreign gifts, payments, or business deals while in office | 14% |
| None of these are concerning to me | 10% |
| Refusing to disclose financial conflicts such as refusing to release tax returns or business activities | 9% |
| Using their position to promote products or businesses owned by them or their family | 6% |
| Using their government experience to get a job on Wall Street or a prominent consulting or lobbying firm | 4% |
When asked to select their top two concerns from a list of actions elected officials might take, respondents most frequently selected manipulating election rules to entrench their own party’s power (44%), followed by appointing unqualified family members or loyalists to powerful positions (26%), and instructing government agencies to investigate and punish political opponents (20%). Actions related to personal financial gain, such as trading stocks on inside information (14%) or using their position to promote products or businesses they own (6%), ranked lower. These findings suggest that women in this audience are most worried about actions that undermine democratic processes or institutions, rather than actions that are self-enriching but don’t directly affect elections or governance. Additionally, 10% of respondents said none of the listed actions concerned them.
QUESTION #6
You may have seen reports about seven Cornell University students accused of sexually assaulting a fellow student in 2024. Local prosecutors did not pursue criminal charges at the time, and the case was only reopened this year after facing public criticism.
| A great deal | 36% |
| A fair amount | 27% |
| Only a little | 7% |
| Not at all | 4% |
| Not sure / Don’t know enough to say | 25% |
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) say the students’ wealth or social status played a great deal (36%) or a fair amount (27%) of a role in why charges weren’t initially pursued, versus only 11% who say it played only a little or no role at all. At the same time, a full quarter (25%) say they aren’t sure or don’t know enough to say. Among those who do have an opinion, however, the majority believe wealth and status affected how the case was initially handled by prosecutors.
METHODOLOGY
- Audience: Ideologically Moderate US White Women
- Sample size: 564
- Date in field: October 19, 2026
