With Congress at a standstill on voting rights, college students want to see voting become more accessible for all Americans.
A College Pulse survey of 1,000 undergraduates finds that 98% say voting is important to democracy. Young Democrats and Republicans don’t exactly agree on the specifics of voting access, but almost two-thirds (64%) of students overall say they want more expansive initiatives to increase voting access, compared to 23% who want more restrictive initiatives to prevent voter fraud and 12% who are not sure.
What’s more, 4 in 10 (40%) students say it’s difficult to vote in the United States. And even more students believe people of color face additional barriers. A majority (63%) of students agree that it’s harder for Black and brown people to vote in the U.S. compared to white people.
On the whole, a majority of college students support early voting, voting by mail, and allowing people convicted of a felony to vote after they’ve served their sentence. Take a look at how students view various aspects of the voting rights debate.
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Methodology: This survey was designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted in April among a sample of 1,000 full-time and part-time students attending colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
