Ahead of State of The Union, Trump’s call for a federal takeover is at odds with voter opinion
More than 60% of voters nationwide, including two thirds of Independents, are opposed to Donald Trump’s call for a federal takeover of elections, according to a new poll commissioned by Defend The Vote Action Fund and conducted by Public Policy Polling.
At tonight’s State of the Union, Donald Trump is expected to once again call to nationalize elections, calling for a takeover based on misinformation and lies.
“Americans want voters to decide the outcomes of elections, period,” said Defend The Vote Action Fund Executive Director Brian Lemek. “They don’t want Donald Trump attacking their freedom to have their voices heard and to hold elected leaders accountable. We recommend that every member of Congress stand up to these efforts to undermine our elections and instead support local election officials working to ensure safe, accessible, and transparent elections.”
- When asked about Trump’s call for a federal takeover of elections, 62% expressed serious or somewhat serious concerns, including 53% who expressed serious concerns.
- For Independents, 66% expressed serious or somewhat serious concerns, including 57% who expressed serious concerns.
Specifically voters were asked: “Donald Trump has said he wants the federal government to take over elections, have Republicans run them in 15 key states, give the Department of Homeland Security more power, and expose election workers to the threat of criminal penalties, including jail. Does this give you very serious concerns, somewhat serious concerns, minor concerns, or no concerns?”
| Overall: | Independents: |
| Very serious concerns: 53% Somewhat serious concerns: 9% Minor concerns: 10% No concerns: 26% Not sure: 3% | Very serious concerns: 57% Somewhat serious concerns: 9% Minor concerns: 9% No concerns: 24% Not sure: 1% |
The nationwide poll of 597 registered voters was conducted on February 23-24 over a combination of text and landline calls with a margin of error of 4%.