Most Americans Support Reforming Electoral Law That Trump Tried to Use to Overturn 2020 Election, Poll Finds

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A new Politico and Morning Consult poll out today found that 55 percent of Americans support reforming the Electoral Count Act of 1887 – the law then-President Donald Trump cited in justifying pressuring his vice president, Mike Pence, to not certify the 2020 election on Jan. 6.

Pence broke with Trump and has certified the 2020 election, causing a major rift between the two Republican leaders.

The poll asked:

“As you may know, the Electoral Count Act of 1887 does not clarify whether or not the vice president’s role in certifying U.S. presidential election results is ceremonial, or if they have the power to reject state-certified electoral votes.Do you think the Electoral Count Act should be changed to clarify that the vice president cannot reject state-certified electoral votes in U.S. presidential elections?”

Twenty percent of respondents replied they did not support reforming the law, while another 25 percent said they did not know or had no opinion.

The poll was published the day after President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris went to Atlanta to rally support for the Democrats’ sweeping electoral reform legislation. Biden gave a fiery speech, which critics called divisive, arguing for the urgency of the legislation.

The poll also asked what electoral reform should be Congress’s top priority, with 32 percent of respondents saying Congress should not focus on electoral reform.

Twenty percent said they want to see lawmakers focus on “reforming Congress’ role in counting Electoral College votes,” while 26 percent were in favor of “expanding voting access in federal elections” as the top priority.

Twenty-two percent of respondents want to see Congress focus on “expanding oversight of states’ changes to voting practices.”

The poll of 2,000 registered voters was conducted between January 08-09 and has a margin of error of 2 percent.