Exit polls show AI ranked last among voter priorities in the 2026 U.S. midterms

AI and data center expansion ranked last among voter priorities in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. In exit polls by NBC News and SSRS, 56 percent of respondents called AI and data centers a decisive or important factor in how they voted. That put the issue at the bottom of the five topics surveyed. Government corruption led at 90 percent, followed by cost of living at 89 percent, the war in Iran at 74 percent, and immigration enforcement at 73 percent. Public interest in AI has surged in recent months, but the topic still trailed every other issue by a wide margin.

Exit poll results from the 2026 U.S. midterms showing the share of voters who rated each issue as decisive or important. AI and data centers came in last at 56 percent. | Source: NBC News