79% Of Voters, Including Most Republicans, Agree Russia Interfered In The 2016 Election; Current System Is Vulnerable; National Popular Vote Is Solution
WASHINGTON, March 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A new poll released by the Making Every Vote Count Foundation (MEVCF) today shows 79% of voters believe Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, and 70% agree that the current system makes it easier for Russia and other bad actors to manipulate balloting. As a result, there is overwhelming popular support among Democrats, Republicans and independents for passing a national popular vote plan for the election of President of the United States.
Reed Hundt, former FCC Chairman and co-founder of Making Every Vote Count said, "A huge percentage of Americans are right in identifying that the current method of selecting the President makes our democracy vulnerable to foreign interference. Too few voters play too big a role in selecting the President. If the entire national popular vote chose the President it would be nearly impossible for bad actors to twist the thinking of millions of people and thwart the true will of the people."
The survey of approx. 800 Americans aged 18+ who are eligible to vote was conducted by Claster Consulting and commissioned by Making Every Vote Count Foundation. Respondents were weighted to represent the US citizen voting-age population – 52% women, 48% men; 62% white, 11% African-American; 15% Hispanic; 6% Asian-American; 50% age 18-44; 50% age 45+.
A summary of the results are highlighted here:
- 79% of eligible voters nationwide agree that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, including 90% of Democrats, 79% of Independents and 63% of Republicans
- 70% of eligible voters nationwide agree that the current system makes it easier for Russia and other bad actors to manipulate our presidential election, including 93% of Democrats, 64% of Independents and 49% of Republicans
- 72% of eligible voters nationwide support using the national popular vote to choose the president, including 95% of Democrats, 62% of Independents and 55% of Republicans
- 74% of eligible voters nationwide support passing the National Popular Vote plan in their state, including 94% of Democrats, 68% of Independents and 57% of Republicans
A non-partisan nationwide movement is currently underway in support of the changes the majority of Americans desire. To date, ten states and the District of Columbia have enacted The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, under which electors from a participating state vote for the candidate who has the most national votes. These jurisdictions have 165 electoral votes. The Compact goes into effect when the number of states that passed it account for a majority of the electors in the Electoral College.
The remaining 40 states have 373 electoral votes. If states with only 105 pass the Compact, then the Republic at last would have a truly democratic method of selecting the President – one in which every vote in the United States is weighed equally in the balance when deciding who most of the people want as the Chief Executive Officer of the government.
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The Making Every Vote Count Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing citizen awareness of problems with the existing Presidential selection system. We support research and education concerning reasons why the United States would be better served if the person who wins the plurality in the national popular vote count were guaranteed to become President. MEVCF hopes to maximize civic engagement and public participation in a secure and reliable democratic process, with a focus on the method of selecting the President.
For more information on the poll, click here.
For more information on The Making Every Vote Count Foundation, visit: www.mevcFoundation.com
Contact: Elizabeth Heaton, [email protected]
SOURCE Making Every Vote Count Foundation
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