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80% Of Americans Support Voter ID Rules—But Fewer Worried About Fraud, Poll Finds

This article is more than 2 years old.
Updated Jun 21, 2021, 02:17pm EDT

Topline

Americans adults overwhelmingly support both making in-person early voting easier and voter ID laws that critics say are unfairly discriminatory, a new Monmouth poll finds, suggesting the public remains largely conflicted on the national debate over voting rights legislation as the Senate considers major voting rights legislation this week and GOP state lawmakers continue to impose new restrictions.

Key Facts

The poll, conducted June 9-14 among 810 U.S. adults, found overwhelming support for certain proposals that would expand voter access, with 71% saying in-person early voting should be made easier and 69% backing national guidelines that mandate early voting and mail-in voting in every state for federal elections.

An overwhelming majority (81%) of respondents also said they support voters being required to show ID in order to vote, including 62% of Democrats, even as critics contend voter ID laws suppress turnout and unfairly discriminate against groups like low-income, elderly and minority voters.

Only 50% of respondents said voting by mail—which former President Donald Trump falsely criticized during the election as being more susceptible to fraud—should be made easier, versus 39% of respondents who said it should be made harder.

That support was driven by Democrats, as only 26% of Republicans said voting by mail should be easier versus 89% of Democrats.

More Americans were likely to believe voter disenfranchisement is a “major problem” as compared with voter fraud: 37% believe voter fraud is a “major problem” as compared with 50% who say the same about voter disenfranchisement.

A further 32% believe voter fraud is a “minor problem,” however—adding up to 69% of respondents in total who are somehow concerned about voter fraud, despite it being exceedingly rare—and only 29% say it is not a problem at all, versus 76% who are at least somewhat concerned about voter disenfranchisement.

Big Number

32%. That’s the percentage of respondents who continue to believe that President Joe Biden won the presidential election because of voter fraud, a theory that Trump and his allies have pushed but is not backed up by any credible evidence. That figure is unchanged from when Monmouth asked that question in previous polls in November, January and March, though slightly fewer voters now say Biden won the election “fair and square.” In January, 65% said Biden had won fairly and 62% said the same in March, versus 61% who believe he won fair and square now.

Tangent

Respondents were also largely opposed to the Republican-led election audit of the 2020 election that’s now taking place in Arizona and efforts like it across the country. A growing number of GOP state officials have expressed interest in auditing their own states’ vote counts in recent weeks, despite concerns that the investigations—which will not change the election results—will undermine public trust in the election results. A slight majority (57%) of respondents believed the audits are “partisan efforts to undermine valid election results,” though 33% believed they are “legitimate efforts to identify potential voting irregularities.” The poll also found 40% of respondents believe the audits will weaken American democracy, versus 20% who say they will strengthen it and 35% who believe the audits will have no effect.

Key Background

Republican lawmakers in state legislatures across the country have moved to enact new voting restrictions in the wake of the 2020 election after Trump and his allies alleged widespread voter fraud, enacting new limits in the name of “election integrity” and security. Laws have been enacted in major battleground states like Arizona, Florida and Georgia and are moving forward in other states like Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The Brennan Center for Justice reports 22 new restrictive laws in 14 states have been enacted since January as of May 14, and an  additional 61 bills are moving through state legislatures in 18 states. The laws have been met with widespread opposition from both Democrats and corporate America, and many are now being challenged in court.

What To Watch For

The Senate will vote this week on the For the People Act, a sweeping voting rights bill that would counteract many of the state-level restrictions now being imposed. Though the bill has passed the House, it stands little chance of success of getting the 60 votes it needs in the Senate, as Republicans remain staunchly opposed to the legislation and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.V.) has said he would vote against the bill in its present form because it is too “partisan.” Manchin has put forward changes to the bill that would get him on board with the legislation—which largely mirrors the measures voters backed in the Monmouth poll, with provisions that would both mandate early voting in federal elections while also imposing new requirements for voter ID. While Democrats have expressed openness to the senator’s changes, however, amending the bill is still unlikely to get the GOP on board, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell saying Manchin’s proposal retains the legislation’s “rotten core.”

Further Reading

NHL, Ben & Jerry’s Among 70+ Corporations Urging Senate To Pass For The People Act This Week — But Voting Bill Still Likely To Fail (Forbes)

Arizona Becomes Latest GOP State To Enact Voting Restrictions — Here’s The Full List (Forbes)

More Than Half Of Republicans Believe Voter Fraud Claims And Most Still Support Trump, Poll Finds (Forbes)

More Than Half Of Republicans Believe Election Audits Could Change Outcome, Poll Suggests (Forbes)

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