I’ll start by saying it’s odd that this is being removed at all after being added; allowing residents to make their voter records private was a great idea that many states don’t have. SB 153 really slid under the radar but this seems like another miss from the legislature.

Mostly I find it wild that ALL “Law Enforcement Officers” are one of the at-risk groups being allowed to retain the privacy. Law enforcement officers are by definition public servants. As Don Draper says, “That’s what the money is for.” If someone isn’t ok with that, maybe law enforcement isn’t for them. I’m happy they didn’t try to include politicians in the list (though I suspect the “public figure” title will be generously applied).

For the first time since Donald Trump returned to the White House, his net approval rating among white working-class voters has turned negative, according to a CNN/SSRS pollconducted between 26 and 30 March 2026. The survey recorded 49 per cent of white working-class voters approving of Trump's performance, against 50 per cent who disapproved — a net rating of minus one. It is the first time that the figure has dipped below zero in his second term.

The pace of the reversal is equally notable. As recently as mid-February, CNN/SSRS polling had Trump at 54 per cent approval and 46 per cent disapproval among this group — a net positive of eight points — a cushion that evaporated in under six weeks.

A Year-Long Slide in the Numbers

The March result did not emerge in isolation. In late February 2025, two CNN polls showed Trump at 63-37 and 61-38 among white working-class voters. By July 2025, the split had narrowed to 54-45. By January 2026, it stood at 52-47 — still positive, but shrinking — before crossing into negative territory by late March.

Fox News polling pointed in the same direction. Among white non-college men specifically, a Fox News survey in March 2025 showed Trump at 58 per cent approval against 41 per cent disapproval. By March 2026, that had shifted to 48 per cent approval and 52 per cent disapproval — a swing of 21 net points over twelve months. The trajectory is consistent across different polling organisations, which makes it harder to dismiss as a single-outlet anomaly.

CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten has been among the most direct in his assessment. Drawing on CNN exit poll data, his own polling aggregate, and Pew Research Center figures, Enten described what he called a '23-point switch' — from Trump winning working-class voters by 14 points over Kamala Harris in 2024, to a current net approval of negative nine. 'He is absolutely collapsing with the group of voters that helped put him into the White House,' Enten said.

Economy Central to the Discontent

The White House has pointed to economic progress, but polling tells a different story. Trump's approval rating for handling the economy has fallen to a new career low of 31 per cent, with roughly two-thirds of Americans saying his policies have worsened economic conditions — up 10 points since January. Just 27 per cent approve of how he has handled inflation, down from 44 per cent one year ago.

Petrol prices, now averaging above $4 per gallon (approximately £3.02) nationally following the US strike on Iran, are compounding the pressure. More than six in ten Americans say they are still cutting back on groceries and discretionary spending, and 45 per cent say they have reduced how much they drive, up five points over the past year. Overall, 63 per cent say higher costs at the pump have caused at least some financial hardship in their household.

A University of Massachusetts Amherst poll conducted between 20 and 25 March 2026 placed Trump's overall approval at 33 per cent, the lowest of his second term, with 17 per cent of people who voted for him in 2024 now expressing reservations about that choice.

The administration has pushed back on the data without engaging with it directly. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said: 'The ultimate poll was November 5, 2024, when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda.' A separate spokesperson added that 'the president has already made historic progress not only in America, but around the world,' and that it was 'not surprising that President Trump remains the most dominant figure in American politics.'

What It Means for the Midterms

The Republican Party's standing with working-class voters has also softened more broadly. Republicans carried this group by 13 points in the 2024 presidential cycle; new polling puts that margin at just four. 'When you can count it on one hand, you know that you're in trouble,' Enten said.

Whether Democrats can convert that discontent into actual votes in November remains an open question. Scott Tranter, director of data science at Decision Desk HQ, offered a measured assessment: 'If a team fumbles and you get the ball, you don't actually score until you do something with it.'

White working-class voters have formed the majority of Trump's coalition across all three of his presidential campaigns. A sustained shift among this group — not a momentary dip, but a trend line running consistently in one direction for over a year — would represent something more than a rough patch.

LANSING – Today, Willie Reed, of Pompano Beach, Florida, was sentenced by Judge James Maceroni in the 16th Circuit Court in Macomb County to 24 months to 240 months’ incarceration after being convicted by a Macomb County jury of conducting a criminal enterprise and defrauding gubernatorial candidates James Craig, Perry Johnson, Michael Markey, and Ryan Kelley in the 2022 election cycle, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Reed was also ordered to pay $333,817 in restitution to the victims.

A man who participated in a training session at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office was arrested for stealing sensitive computer equipment, authorities announced Sunday.

John Panicci was taken into custody Saturday at his home following an investigation into the theft of an encrypted access key from a voter registration terminal at the elections office.

The incident occurred during a volunteer training session on March 19 for the March 24 election. According to detectives, Panicci stole the encrypted access key during the training at the elections office located at 4301 Cherry Road.

While the stolen key was configured only for training databases, officials expressed concern that someone with technical knowledge could reverse-engineer the encryption and reintroduce it into a voter registration kiosk for malicious purposes.

The theft was reported to authorities on March 27, prompting an investigation by Palm Beach County detectives. After identifying Panicci as the suspect and establishing probable cause, investigators obtained both an arrest warrant and a residential search warrant.

During the search of Panicci’s home, detectives recovered the stolen items along with a substantial amount of electronic and digital storage devices. Panicci was transported to the Palm Beach County Jail and booked on charges.

He made his initial court appearance Sunday morning. 

Online jail records show he is being held on a $6,000 bond.

The investigation highlights security concerns surrounding election equipment, even when configured for training purposes only. The elections office had been conducting the volunteer training session in preparation for the March 24 special election.

The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections said Monday that Panicci was a paid poll worker who worked three previous elections — 2016, 2018 and 2024. Panicci was invited back to work on the March 24 election. 

Panicci was terminated the same day as the training session after the encryption key was missing, and officials reviewed surveillance cameras. The supervisor of elections said Panicci never worked the polls during the election held on March 24.

We've also updated our relevant early voting explainer with details on what a yes vote or a no vote actually votes for regarding this amendment.