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More US voters want AI rules before the 3 November vote

A US poll tells that 66% of voters want more AI rules, but only 21% name AI a top issue.

In the US, more voters want federal AI rules before the midterm elections on 3 November. A Navigator Research poll from October found that 66% of registered voters want more AI control. This is 6 points more than in December 2025, but lawmakers have not agreed on a law. Lawmakers in Washington do not agree on how to test models before release.

What is new

Axios told that banks in the US limit AI agents from other companies. Reports tell that agents went into customer accounts.

A bill in the US House allows the Commerce Department to stop an advanced model after a written decision. California and New York make safeguards.

The numbers

  • Navigator Research: 66% want more AI rules.
  • Navigator Research: 21% name AI a top 5 issue.
  • Reuters and Ipsos, 7 October: 80% of Democratic voters and 61% of Republican voters want stricter federal rules.

What is not known

Senate talks stopped in late September. Senators do not agree if government experts or companies must test models. The chair of a House committee will not agree to a vote this year.

A lawyer at Morrison Foerster tells that for most voters, AI is part of an economic story.

Insight: Three US efforts place AI tests at the Commerce Department

A House bill allows the Commerce Department to stop a model. 2 senators want more tests by its group CAISSI. A US group wants a new Commerce office to get reports from AI developers. This reads as a race to control the test gate, and the 3 November vote can show who is first. If you make models, prepare for tests by external groups.

Sources

  1. AI regulation push gains steam ahead of midtermsciodive.com
AI MATTER · NEWS · AI MATTER · NEWS ·28 OCT2026

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