Elections
AP-NORC poll: Nearly half of Americans say democracy isn’t functioning properly
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that almost half of Americans think democracy isn’t functioning properly and that our country is headed in a wrong direction.
The nationwide poll, conducted Jan. 28 – Feb. 1, surveyed 1,055 adults.
Only 16% of those surveyed said democracy is working well or extremely well. Nearly half of Americans, 45%, think democracy isn’t functioning properly, while 38% say it’s working only somewhat well.
The majority of people surveyed in the poll believe our nation is deeply divided. So much so, that 62% think the country will become even more divided or stay the same over the next five years.
49% of Americans think we are heading in the right direction, while 49% think we heading in the wrong direction.
A majority of Republicans had a positive view of the direction of the country for most of the Trump Administration. The numbers dropped over the summer and the numbers dropped even more following Joe Biden’s inauguration. Currently, only 20% of Republicans say the country is heading in the right direction, while 79% think it’s heading in wrong direction.
Overall, about two-thirds of Republicans are pessimistic about the future, while three-quarters of Democrats are optimistic. Interestingly, the public’s view of Congress has improved since the November election, according to the survey.
Democrats have favorable impressions of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Republicans do not share favorable impressions of their party’s congressional leaders. They have mixed views of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and 52% of Republicans have an unfavorable impression of Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell.
Complete results can be found here.
Elections
New York City Dems Push Law to Allow 800,000 Non-Citizens to Vote in Municipal Elections
The New York City Council will vote on December 9 on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections
New York’s Democratic party is battling over the constitutionality of voter laws. On December 9, the New York City Council will vote on a law to allow green-card holders and residents with work permits to vote in municipal elections.
“Around 808,000 New York City residents who have work permits or are lawful permanent residents would be eligible to vote under the legislation, which has the support of 34 of 51 council members, a veto-proof majority” reports Fox News.
“It’s important for the Democratic Party to look at New York City and see that when voting rights are being attacked, we are expanding voter participation,” Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a sponsor of the bill and Democrat who represents the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, told the New York Times. Rodriguez immigrated from the Dominican Republic and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.
Laura Wood, Chief Democracy Officer for the mayor’s office, said at a hearing on the bill in September that the law could violate the New York State Constitution, which states that voters must be U.S. citizens age 18 or older.
Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated he could veto the bill following the September hearing.
“We’ve done everything that we could possibly get our hands on to help immigrant New Yorkers—including undocumented folks—but…I don’t believe it is legal,” de Blasio told WNYC radio at the time.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams, however, submitted testimony to the September hearing in favor of the bill. “In a democracy, nothing is more fundamental than the right to vote and to say who represents you and your community in elected office…Currently, almost one million New Yorkers are denied this foundational right.”
The legislation was first introduced two years ago, but had not yet gained traction due to the legal concerns.
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