Wide partisan divide on whether voting is a fundamental right or a privilege with responsibilities
57% of Americans view voting as “a fundamental right for every adult U.S. citizen and should not be restricted in any way.”
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Election System & Voting Process
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Election System & Voting Process
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More U.S. locations experimenting with alternative voting systems
We identified 261 U.S. jurisdictions that have adopted some voting method other than the winner-take-all system most American voters know.
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Many Western Europeans think mandatory voting is important, but Americans are split
Around two-thirds of adults in Germany, France and the UK say it is important for their national government to make voting compulsory.
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Republicans and Democrats Move Further Apart in Views of Voting Access
Among Republicans, support has declined for allowing early or absentee voting without an excuse and for automatically registering all eligible citizens to vote.
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Share of Republicans saying ‘everything possible’ should be done to make voting easy declines sharply
An 85% majority of Democrats say everything possible should be done to make voting easy; 28% of Republicans say this.
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How lawmakers’ social media activity changed in the days after the U.S. Capitol riot
Social media activity by members of Congress changed in notable ways following the rioting at the Capitol by supporters of President Trump.
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Biden Begins Presidency With Positive Ratings; Trump Departs With Lowest-Ever Job Mark
68% of the public does not want Donald Trump to remain a major political figure in the future.
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Black voters were most likely to say November election was run very well
Black voters were more likely to say the 2020 election was administered very well both nationally and locally.
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Biden’s victory another example of how Electoral College wins are bigger than popular vote ones
Looking back at presidential elections since 1828, the winner’s electoral vote share has, on average, been 1.36 times his popular vote share.
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It’s not just 2020: U.S. presidential elections have long featured close state races
Here’s a look back at some of the closest races of elections past and an assessment of just how common such races are.
