Poll: Most Republicans believe voter fraud prevalent, would support postponing 2020 e
Poll: Most Republicans believe voter fraud prevalent, would support postponing 2020 election to root it out
Updated on August 10, 2017 at 10:59 AM Posted on August 10, 2017 at 10:54 AM
By Shannon Young
A majority of Republicans believe undocumented immigrants voted in the 2016 election and would support postponing the 2020 contest until the U.S. could ensure only eligible citizens cast ballots, according to a new poll.
The survey, which was conducted by two academic authors and published in The Washington Post Thursday, found that more than two-thirds of self-identified Republicans, or 68 percent, believe that millions of immigrants living in the country illegally voted in last year's presidential election.
Even more, or 73 percent, meanwhile, said they believe voter fraud happens somewhat or very often, according o the poll's results.
Amidst such widespread concerns over voter fraud among GOP voters, more than half of respondents who identified themselves as Republicans, or 52 percent, said they would back a hypothetical request from President Donald Trump to delay the 2020 election until the country could make sure that only eligible voters cast ballots.
Fifty-six percent further said they would support postponing the 2020 presidential vote if both Trump and Congressional Republicans called for its delay, the poll found.
Support for such a postponement was more prevalent among younger, less educated Republicans who strongly identified with the party, according to the Washington Post, which surveyed more than 1,300 Americans via the internet from June 5 to 20, including 650 self-identified Republicans.
The newspaper, however, stressed that the survey measures reactions to a hypothetical situation and that public opinion could change significantly if such a scenario were actually proposed.
The survey came as the Trump administration seeks to crack down on voter fraud with his Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
The panel, formed in May, is tasked with examining the registration and voting processes used in federal elections. It must report to the president on practices that enhance and undermine Americans' confidence in voting integrity.
The commission's efforts to secure voter data, including names, addresses, dates of birth and other information, have met pushback from states across the country, including Massachusetts.
Trump has repeatedly raised concerns about voter fraud, announcing in January that he would investigate any possible fraud committed by "those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time)."
The president's comments came just days after he reportedly told congressional leaders that he lost the popular vote due to undocumented immigrants fraudulently voting in the presidential contest.
Elections officials in several states, however, have reported no instances of widespread fraud to back up Trump's claims and, in turn, expressed confidence in the U.S. election process.
http://www.masslive.com/politics/ind...ans_would.html
