On Wednesday, Senate Democrats failed to bypass the filibuster to pass bills that would restrict states’ ability to enact measures designed to prevent election fraud.
There is strong evidence from recent public opinion research that the Democrats focus on this topic could hurt them in the polls.
A recent Rasmussen poll asked Americans about their priorities when it comes to election reform. Fifty percent of those surveyed believed the top priority for election reform should be making it more difficult to cheat. This contrasts with the 38% who thought the top priority of election reform should be making it easier to vote (the goal of the Democratic bill).
A separate poll showed that 80% of voters favor making it mandatory to show photo ID at the ballot box, which the Democrats’ bill would make much more difficult for states to require. The survey also found 85% of voters favor cleaning voter rolls; a procedure that would remove those who moved or died from registered voter lists. And 76% of Americans favor requiring all ballots to be received by Election Day.
Support for tightening up voter guidelines is seen across parties. Democrats and Independents favor photo ID requirements 77% and 75%, respectively and Hispanic and Black voters supported photo ID requirements at 71% and 65%.