AP Voter Poll: about 70% of voters want Congress to put more checks on Trump

Voters casting ballots on Tuesday are unhappy with the president and want Congress to rein him in. That is the finding of the AP Voter Poll, a large survey of the electorate released on Election Day ¹.

Roughly 6 in 10 voters said they disapprove of how Trump is handling the presidency. About 70% said they want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the presidency ¹.

Few think Congress is doing enough

Only about 2 in 10 voters said Congress is doing "about the right amount" to check the presidency. About 1 in 10 said Congress is doing "too much" ¹.

Voters are not happy with Congress itself, either. About three-quarters disapprove of the way it is handling its job ¹.

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Anger and high prices

About three-quarters of voters said they are angry or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country ¹. About 6 in 10 said Trump's policies, more than factors outside his control, are responsible for higher-than-usual prices ¹.

About 4 in 10 voters named the economy as the most important issue facing the country. About 3 in 10 named democracy. Both were well ahead of crime, health care and immigration ¹.

That matters because democracy ranked ahead of several issues that usually dominate a midterm. The pattern is that voters tie their daily money worries to the president, and they want a branch of government that can say no to him.

Other polling points the same way

An earlier survey backs this up. The Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll was conducted Oct. 13-19 among 2,028 respondents, with a margin of sampling error of 2.2 percentage points ².

In that poll, 58% said it was more important to elect a Congress that acts as a check and balance on Trump. Only 25% said it was more important to elect one that will help him pass his agenda ². It found 62% disapproved of Trump and 34% approved ².

G. Elliott Morris, who writes the Strength In Numbers newsletter, said the president's ratings hit new lows on seven of the 10 issues tracked since May 2025 ².

What happens next

Results are expected to come in over the coming days, and a poll of voters is not a vote count. The AP survey gives no sign that voters want Congress to stay passive. How far a new Congress, if one emerges, would go in checking the White House is not answered by this poll.

For readers over 55, the question is concrete. Prices, Social Security and Medicare all depend on decisions made in Congress, and voters told pollsters they want that branch to push back.

The Record

1. Oct 21, 2026The Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll, taken Oct. 13-19, found 58% wanted a Congress that checks Trump versus 25% wanting one that helps him pass his agenda ².
2. Nov 3, 2026The AP Voter Poll found roughly 6 in 10 voters disapprove of Trump and about 70% want more checks and balances from Congress ¹.

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<h2>AP Voter Poll: about 70% of voters want Congress to put more checks on Trump</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/ap-voter-poll-about-70-of-voters-want-congress-to-put-more-checks-on-trump">The GOP Files</a> on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.</em></p> <p>Voters casting ballots on Tuesday are unhappy with the president and want Congress to rein him in. That is the finding of the AP Voter Poll, a large survey of the electorate released on Election Day .</p> <p>Roughly 6 in 10 voters said they disapprove of how Trump is handling the presidency. About 70% said they want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the presidency .</p> <h2>Few think Congress is doing enough</h2> <p>Only about 2 in 10 voters said Congress is doing &quot;about the right amount&quot; to check the presidency. About 1 in 10 said Congress is doing &quot;too much&quot; .</p> <p>Voters are not happy with Congress itself, either. About three-quarters disapprove of the way it is handling its job .</p> <h2>Anger and high prices</h2> <p>About three-quarters of voters said they are angry or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country . About 6 in 10 said Trump&#39;s policies, more than factors outside his control, are responsible for higher-than-usual prices .</p> <p>About 4 in 10 voters named the economy as the most important issue facing the country. About 3 in 10 named democracy. Both were well ahead of crime, health care and immigration .</p> <p>That matters because democracy ranked ahead of several issues that usually dominate a midterm. The pattern is that voters tie their daily money worries to the president, and they want a branch of government that can say no to him.</p> <h2>Other polling points the same way</h2> <p>An earlier survey backs this up. The Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll was conducted Oct. 13-19 among 2,028 respondents, with a margin of sampling error of 2.2 percentage points .</p> <p>In that poll, 58% said it was more important to elect a Congress that acts as a check and balance on Trump. Only 25% said it was more important to elect one that will help him pass his agenda . It found 62% disapproved of Trump and 34% approved .</p> <p>G. Elliott Morris, who writes the Strength In Numbers newsletter, said the president&#39;s ratings hit new lows on seven of the 10 issues tracked since May 2025 .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Results are expected to come in over the coming days, and a poll of voters is not a vote count. The AP survey gives no sign that voters want Congress to stay passive. How far a new Congress, if one emerges, would go in checking the White House is not answered by this poll.</p> <p>For readers over 55, the question is concrete. Prices, Social Security and Medicare all depend on decisions made in Congress, and voters told pollsters they want that branch to push back.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/ap-voter-poll-about-70-of-voters-want-congress-to-put-more-checks-on-trump">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/ap-voter-poll-about-70-of-voters-want-congress-to-put-more-checks-on-trump.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. PBS NewsHour (AP), “AP Voter Poll: Voters want Congress to impose more checks on an unpopular president” (2026-11-03). pbs.org/newshour/politics/ap-voter-poll-voters-want-congress
2. NPR via WLRN, “Poll: Voters want Congress to be a check on Trump, trust Democrats more on issues” (2026-10-21). wlrn.org/national-politics/2026-10-21/poll-voters-want-congr

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