End Citizens United has released a new poll studying voter attitudes on Citizens United, money in politics, and the presidential election.
Nationwide, voters expressed serious concerns about the state of our campaign finance system, and they believe that the amount of money that corporations and the wealthy spend on political campaigns impacts their families. They are worried about anonymous and foreign money in elections, strongly dislike the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, and favor candidates who support reform – including Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. Clinton has called for reversing the Citizens United decision and pledged to push a constitutional amendment to do so in her first 30 days in office.
Among Independent voters, reducing the influence of special interest money in American politics was the third highest rated priority, following protecting America from terrorism and creating jobs and increasing incomes.
The poll, conducted by Normington, Petts & Associates, was released August 19. It is a nationwide live telephone poll of 1,000 registered voters, including both cellphones and landlines.
It’s clear that voters understand that a handful of billionaires and mega-millionaires have rigged the system for their own benefit. Across the political spectrum, they’re concerned about the damage Citizens United is causing in our democracy, and they want leaders who will fight for them by reducing special interest money in our elections. At End Citizens United, we’re proud to support campaign finance reform champions. We will continue to fight to overturn Citizens United and reverse the damage it is doing to our democracy.
Key takeaways from the poll include:
- Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump 50 percent – 40 percent and Democrats lead Republicans on a generic congressional ballot 48 percent – 41 percent.
- Seventy-three percent of voters have an unfavorable opinion of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, compared to just eighteen percent who favor it.
- Americans strongly favor a Democrat who opposes Citizens United against a Republican who supports Citizens United, by more than a two-to-one margin.
- Independent voters see reducing the influence of special interest money in government and politics as a top priority, ranking only behind protecting America from terrorism and creating jobs and increasing incomes.
- Eighty-three percent of voters are concerned about “dark money,” secret political contributions that hide the identity of the donor.
- Eighty-nine percent of voters said they are concerned about the influence of foreign money in American elections, and seventy-nine percent of voters think foreigners and foreign governments often attempt to influence American politics through their donations.
To read the full polling memo, click here.