The share of Republicans who say “everything possible” must be done to make the vote easy has been declining since 2018, according to a Pew poll published this week.
Why it matters: State lawmakers have introduced at least 361 voter restriction bills this year, according to an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice. Advocates for suffrage say many of the bills, if passed, will affect voters of color, as well as those with disabilities, disproportionately.
By the numbers:
To make the voice easier:
- 59% of American adults say that everything possible must be done to make it easy for every citizen to vote, while 39% say that citizens must prove that they want to vote by registering in advance.
- 85% of Democrats and Democratic Independents say everything must be done to make it easy for every citizen to vote, while 14% say citizens must prove they really want to vote by registering in advance.
- 28% of Republican and Republican leaning independents say everything must be done to make it easy for all citizens to vote, while 71% say U.S. citizens must prove they really want to vote by pre-registering.
- “While 84% of black adults and 69% of Hispanics say that everything possible should be done to make it easy to vote, only about half of white adults say the same,” Pew wrote.
About security safety:
- 61% of American adults say it would not make elections less secure if election rules are changed to make it easier to register and vote.
- 82% of Democrats and Independent Democrats say the same.
- 37% of Republicans and independent Republicans say the same.
Flash back: According to Pew, the most dramatic shift since 2018 was among Republicans.
- Before the 2018 by-elections, 48% of Republicans said everything should be done to make it easy to vote, while 51% said citizens should prove they really want to vote by registering in advance.
Methodology: Data are extracted from a panel survey conducted March 1 to March 7, 2021. A total of 12,055 panel members responded from 13,545 sampled for a 89% response rate. The margin of sampling error for the complete sample of 12,055 respondents is ± 1,5 percentage points.