A third of Americans say they will not accept election results if their candidate loses

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About a third of Americans in a recent survey said they would not accept the results of the US election if their candidate were to lose.

According to a report by the World Justice Project, nearly half of Republican respondents say they would not accept the election results if the Democratic candidate wins.

Included in those figures, 14 per cent Republicans and about 11 per cent of Democrats said they would take action to overturn election results if the other party won. The report did not specify what action respondents might take in response to the election not going as they hope.

“This points to a potential crisis of legitimacy that could undermine the stability of the electoral process,” said the report by the World Justice Project, a non-profit whose state mission is working to advance the rule of law worldwide.

Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of the organisation, told USA Today that the survey results were “startling” and said they seem “like a recipe for potential conflict in the aftermath of the election”.

As the US Congress met on January 6, 2021, to certify Joe Biden's electoral win in November, a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results.

The level of political polarisation in the country is again at such a pitch that there are fears there may be another attempt to change the outcome of the election.

The wider report from the World Justice Project showed a general deterioration in the public’s perception of the rule of law in the country compared to previous years.

A majority of Americans view the current state of the rule of law in the US negatively, “despite their positive associations with the concept of rule of law itself”, the report said.

“This dichotomy reflects growing concerns over the actual implementation and integrity of the rule of law in the country,” it added.

“While both Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly agree on the critical importance of the rule of law for the future of the United States, its democracy, and their own lives, these shared beliefs mask deeper concerns about the erosion of government accountability and institutional trust.”

The report also highlighted that a greater percentage of Democrats believe that high-ranking government officials are held accountable for misconduct, but indicated that Republicans have grown increasingly pessimistic on this topic.

Republican candidate Mr Trump is facing numerous criminal and civil cases as he continues his campaign for the White House. Many of his supporters view the cases as politically motivated.

At the same time, the percentage of respondents who agree the president must always obey the law has decreased since 2018, dropping from 87 per cent to 83 per cent.

“Overall trust in many key institutions has decreased since 2018, with a particularly pronounced decline in confidence in judges and the media,” the report said.

As to the electoral process itself, Democrats were more likely to respond positively to questions on electoral authorities including officials' trustworthiness – 67 per cent compared to 34 per cent of Republicans – and the process's ability to prevent fraud – 56 per cent compared to 29 per cent of Republicans.

Republicans, meanwhile, are more likely to believe that voting is equally accessible and convenient for all citizens.