MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: RE: DATE: SECURE DEMOCRACY TONY FABRIZIO & DAVID LEE AMERICAN VOTERS WANT CHOICES TO SAFELY CAST BALLOTS APRIL 29, 2020 Fabrizio, Lee & Associates completed a survey of registered voters nationwide and here are several key findings: Bottom Line: Coronavirus has American voters worried that not everyone will be able to cast a ballot in November in a way that keeps them safe. They want as many options as possible to vote, especially the ability for all voters to request and cast an absentee ballot regardless of their circumstances. They support a number of proposals that would help bring this to fruition and agree that Congress should provide additional funding to cover the increased costs of conducting elections due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Voters are Worried Not All Can Safely Vote; Options in Voting are VERY Important A 57% majority of voters are worried about the possibility that some voters will not be given the choice to vote in a way that allows them to protect their health. Because of this, an overwhelming 80% of voters say it is important for state and local governments to provide alternatives to inperson voting for all voters, including 56% who say this is VERY important. At the same time, 81% say it is important for state and local gov’t to continue in-person voting. Huge Majorities Favor Proposals that would Allow all to Cast Absentee Ballots if Desired RANDOMIZE PROPOSALS Continuing to provide in-person voting as an option for voters so long as the voting locations conform to CDC safety guidelines. Keeping polling locations open and also giving all voters the option to vote absentee. Providing postage-paid return envelopes for anyone who chooses to vote by absentee ballot. Allowing all voters to request an absentee ballot. Counting absentee ballots that are post-marked by Election Day Establishing secure drop box locations that are monitored for voters to drop off their absentee ballots Allowing voters to request an absentee ballot online through a website. Having local election officials notify voters if they forget to sign their absentee ballot envelope and giving them time to correct the mistake Sending every voter an absentee ballot application. Page 1 of 3 TOTAL FAVOR TOTAL OPPOSE 81 11 76 16 76 17 76 75 18 16 74 18 73 20 66 23 64 27 Voters strongly favor continuing to provide in-person voting by an 81% - 11% margin, so long as the voting locations conform to CDC safety guidelines. By a more than 4-to-1 margin, voters favor keeping polling locations open and also giving all voters the option to vote absentee, 76% - 16%. Just over three quarters of U.S. voters (76%) favor allowing all voters to request an absentee ballot, including a near equal 73% who favor allowing them to request an absentee ballot online. Voters strongly favor (76%) states and localities providing postage-paid return envelopes for anyone who chooses to vote by absentee ballot. Exactly three quarters of voters favor counting absentee ballots that are postmarked by election day and 74% are in favor of establishing secure drop-off locations for absentee ballots. Two-thirds of all voters are in favor of having local election officials notify voters if they forgot to sign their absentee ballot envelope and giving them time to fix the mistake. A strong 64% majority are in favor of sending every voter an absentee ballot application. More Federal Money for Elections Voters overwhelmingly agree that Congress should appropriate more funding so our elections are able to handle this crisis. 78% of voters say “it’s important for the federal government to provide additional funding to states and counties to cover the increased costs of conducting elections due to the Coronavirus outbreak.” Protect Democracy & Public Health with Absentee Voting A massive 81% of voters agree that “It is critical to American democracy and to protect public health that all voters have the choice to vote absentee for the November 2020 election.” Page 2 of 3 METHDOLOGY STATEMENT: Fabrizio, Lee and Associates conducted a survey of 1,000 registered voters nationwide between April 17-20, 2020 using an online sample of known registered voters. Sample frame was stratified to represent registered voter distribution by state. Final data was weighted to reflect actual voter universe. Margin of sampling error for this survey is +/- 3.1% at the 95% confidence interval. KEY DEMOGRAPHICS PARTY Republican Democrat Independent Something else Prefer not to say 31 36 31 2 * RACE/ETHNICITY White African American/Black Latino/Hispanic Asian American Other Prefer not to say 72 12 11 4 1 * EDUCATION High School or Less Some College/Tech School College Degree 16 41 43 AGE 18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ 25 16 17 19 23 REGION GENDER Male Female 47 53 South Midwest West Northeast Page 3 of 3 38 23 21 18