Wide partisan divide on whether voting is a right or a privilege

[Edge-]

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...ponsibilities/

As political battles continue around the nation over voting access and restrictions, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that a majority of Americans (57%) say voting is “a fundamental right for every adult U.S. citizen and should not be restricted in any way.”



Fewer (42%) express the view that “voting is a privilege that comes with responsibilities and can be limited if adult U.S. citizens don’t meet some requirements.”


Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents overwhelmingly say voting is a fundamental right that should not be restricted in any way – 78% hold this view, while fewer than a quarter (21%) say it is a privilege. Two-thirds of Republicans and Republican leaners say voting is a privilege that can be limited if requirements are not met, compared with about half as many (32%) who say it is a fundamental right.

The survey, conducted July 8-18, 2021, also finds a rare point of partisan agreement when it comes to the importance of all qualified citizens being allowed to vote. However, there are sizable differences in confidence about whether this is happening – and even wider differences in confidence in whether people not legally qualified to vote are prevented from voting.



Nearly all Americans (94%) – including 95% of both Republicans and Democrats – say it is important that people who are legally qualified to vote are able to cast a ballot, with 82% saying it is very important.

A large majority of Republicans (87%) are at least somewhat confident that legally qualified people are able to vote if they want to, including 54% who are very confident this is the case. Democrats express less confidence: 69% say they are at least somewhat confident that legally qualified people are able to cast a ballot, and just 28% say they are very confident in this.

Most Americans (81%) also say it is at least somewhat important to prevent people who are not legally qualified to vote from doing so. While large majorities in both parties say this is at least somewhat important, Republicans are considerably more likely than Democrats to say it is very important to prevent this (78% vs. 44%). In contrast, Democrats are much more confident than Republicans that this happens: 79% say they are either very or somewhat confident it does, compared with just 30% of Republicans.

In a survey conducted last October, Democrats and Republicans were similarly divided over whether people who were not legally qualified to vote would be prevented from casting ballots in the then-upcoming 2020 presidential election.



Black Americans are more likely than those in other racial and ethnic groups to see voting as a fundamental right, while White Americans are the least likely to say this. About three-quarters of Black Americans (77%) say voting is a right for every U.S. citizen and should not be restricted, as do 63% of Hispanic Americans and 66% of Asian Americans. White Americans are about evenly divided: 51% say voting is a right, while 48% say it is a privilege.

Younger adults are more likely than older adults to say that voting is a fundamental right for U.S. adult citizens: 62% of Americans ages 18 to 49 say that voting is a fundamental right, while 52% of Americans 50 and older say this.

Those with higher levels of education are somewhat more likely than those with less education to take the view that voting is a right rather than a privilege.

While ideological divides within the two partisan groups are far more modest than the overall partisan differences, conservative Republicans are more likely than moderate and liberal Republicans to say that voting is a privilege that can be limited (74% vs. 56%). At the same time, liberal Democrats are more likely than conservative and moderate Democrats to say that voting is a fundamental right that should not be restricted (87% vs. 70%).

Within partisan groups, views about whether voting is a fundamental right vary with age, race and ethnicity, and education.



Although majorities of Republicans – across age groups – view voting as a privilege with responsibilities that can be limited, younger Republicans and GOP leaners are more likely than older Republicans to say that voting is a fundamental right for every U.S. adult citizen: 44% of Republicans and Republican leaners under 30 say it is a fundamental right, compared with 37% of those ages 30 to 49, 29% of those 50 to 64 and just 22% of those 65 and older.

By contrast, there are more modest age differences in these views among Democrats, with seven-in-ten or more across all age groups viewing voting as a fundamental right. However, Democrats ages 65 and older are somewhat more likely to say this than younger Democrats.

About eight-in-ten White (81%) and Black (80%) Democrats say that voting is a fundamental right, as do 75% of Asian American Democrats and 70% of Hispanic Democrats. Among Republicans, Hispanic Republicans are more likely than White Republicans (44% vs. 28%) to view voting as a fundamental right.

Among Democrats, those who have obtained a college degree (85%) are somewhat more likely than those who have not (74%) to view voting as a fundamental right. The reverse is true among Republicans: Those with a bachelor’s degree or more education are slightly less likely than Republicans without a college degree to say voting is a fundamental right (29% vs. 33%).

So, the anti-democracy shift for Republicans continues - 1/3 think it's a right (vs. roughly 80% of Democrats) and 2/3 think it is a "privilege which can be limited".

And it's primarily older Republicans that hold that view.

[szechuan]

yet even more proof that right wingers are either ignorant or willfully ignorant.

[PC2]

Democrats think voting is a fundamental right that should not be restricted and yet they're prejudiced against children and won't give them their rights. That is pure hypocrisy.

[Endus]

The USA has always held a pretty significant anti-democratic streak. Several of the Founding Fathers were heavily opposed to democracy as a system of government. It's compromise with those types that led to anti-democratic institutions like the Electoral College's existence.

Plus, the USA actively treats the franchise as a privilege, systemically, already. That's why you can lose it due to felony convictions. So the status quo of today isn't exactly all that pro-democracy, either.

It should be a fundamental, inalienable right. It pretty objectively isn't, in the USA, however.

[uuuhname]

well I mean, republican's aren't necessarily wrong to assume that, seeing as voting as it was laid out in the constitution was reserved for rich, property (land, slaves) owning men. so really they are holding up the tradition that only rich old men should be allowed to have a say in our political system. the Jordan B. Peterson school of thought; let your betters be in charge, clean your room!

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Democrats think voting is a fundamental right that should not be restricted and yet they're prejudiced against children and won't give them their rights. That is pure hypocrisy.

their rights to what?

[Calfredd]

Democrats think voting is a fundamental right that should not be restricted and yet they're prejudiced against children and won't give them their rights. That is pure hypocrisy.

That's them not entertaining the musings of a madman.

[beanman12345]

I like that black and asian rep/rep leaning are statistically non existant to even be included in the poll.

[jonnysensible]

*desire to know more intensifies*

[unfilteredJW]

Democrats think voting is a fundamental right that should not be restricted and yet they're prejudiced against children and won't give them their rights. That is pure hypocrisy.

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Go back to the kids table.

[PACOX]

Sadly voting as a right is a ridiculously new concept in the US. You can argue that the US has never had open and free elections, in practice not what the laws should say. Voting rights will be an uphill battle.

[PC2]

their rights to what?

Their fundamental right to vote... Citizens are equal but society doesn't want to give everyone the right to vote.

For Republicans I can understand their reasoning because they think voting is a privilege to be earned, even though I disagree with their position.

[Blur4stuff]

It's because republicans don't want people voting if they disagree with them. Fraud isn't a problem even though they claim that's the reason. They just want to make it easier for republicans to win.

It's similar to their thinking on many issues. Take the current CRT nonsense. It's not even taught in grade school and the vast majority of people had never even heard of it until recently. This is because what they really want to do is pretend blacks liked being slaves, native genocides either didn't take place or were their own fault, etc... They want to teach children an alternate version of history that is completely false.

At this point you can be certain when a republican gives you a reason for something it's a lie. They real reason is something much shittier.

[Calfredd]

Their fundamental right to vote... Citizens are equal but society doesn't want to give everyone the right to vote.

For Republicans I can understand their reasoning because they think voting is a privilege to be earned, even though I disagree with their position.

I don't know if you ever called yourself a libertarian but you are most certainly an anarchist.

[Rustedsaint]

Kinda torn alittle on it. I personally don’t think convicted serial killers/pedos/rapists deserve voting rights.
Minor crimes(drugs/theft/etc) are fine to retain rights.

[uuuhname]

Their fundamental right to vote... Citizens are equal but society doesn't want to give everyone the right to vote.

For Republicans I can understand their reasoning because they think voting is a privileged to be earned, even though I disagree with their position.

what the fack? I have never seen a republican say we should lower the age to vote. I've seen plenty of left leaning people make that case, and it's always met with conservatives crying about how kids are not educated enough to make choices like that all while grandmas and grandpas with the mental capacities OF AN ACATUL CHILD still get to.

[Zan15]

I don't know if you ever called yourself a libertarian but you are most certainly an anarchist.

nah he is being a contrarian just to troll the forum.

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Kinda torn alittle on it. I personally don’t think convicted serial killers/pedos/rapists deserve voting rights.
Minor crimes(drugs/theft/etc) are fine to retain rights.

whelp then they shouldn't have to pay taxes either since they are not going to have the right to vote for representation. remember the country was built on "criminals" being all criminal like in the eyes of their home countries

[Paranoid Android]

The Republicans are fascists. While nothing is ever simple, it's almost simple here where the majority white are afraid of losing power. So now they somehow justify voting as a privilege since well the first voting was super majority white men in the US.

I just have found this overall stupid that you truly had the power for lets say past 250 years plus and you just can't allow our country to change. Simply put "the Browning of America". My simple explanation is they fucked over the minority for the 250 plus years and likely know that its coming to them. Do two wrongs make a right? No.

[postman1782]

Democrats think voting is a fundamental right that should not be restricted and yet they're prejudiced against children and won't give them their rights. That is pure hypocrisy.

Amazing, do you come in here just to intentionally be this fucking ignorant, or was this taught to you?

[Mihalik]

The fundamental right to vote is a privilege that must be appreciated and protected at all cost, especially from fascists....er I mean from Republicans.

[Calfredd]

Amazing, do you come in here just to intentionally be this fucking ignorant, or was this taught to you?

Of course he wasn't taught; school is just a punishment on kids. /s