U.S. Election Officials Implement Safeguards as Betting Hits $133 Million

Election officials across the United States are implementing new safeguards to prevent prediction markets from undermining trust in the November 3 midterm elections. In Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, officials now require election workers to sign oaths affirming they have no interests in betting markets. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Cook County clerk Monica Gordon have also reinforced policies banning staff from using non-public information for personal gain.

These measures follow a massive surge in election betting. According to the Anti-Corruption Data Collective, wagers have already reached $133 million, surpassing the $92.4 million seen during the 2024 congressional cycle. The group reports that platforms have opened 16 times as many markets for 2026 as they did in 2024, with total wagers potentially reaching $1.6 billion.

Platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket maintain that their markets are self-correcting financial tools for hedging risk, a view supported by the Trump administration. This growth follows a 2024 legal victory by Kalshi against the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. However, critics and officials like Los Angeles County clerk Dean Logan warn that discrepancies between market odds and certified results can fuel disinformation and aggression toward poll workers. In Wisconsin, the Elections Commission warned that betting on a race may prohibit a person from voting in it, a move Kalshi staff called active voter suppression.