Washington, DC— A new poll by Public Policy Polling finds Senate voting rights legislation is highly popular with voters in Arizona and West Virginia, and that voters want their senators to act to protect those rights. The poll, commissioned by People For the American Way, finds that 53% of Arizona voters want the Senate’s Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act voting rights bill to pass, versus just 28% who do not. In West Virginia, 50% support the legislation, versus just 38% who do not.

In addition, more voters in both states want their U.S. senators to modify the rules to pass voting rights than those who did not. In Arizona, 51% of voters said Sen. Kyrsten Sinema should vote to change Senate rules if necessary to pass voting rights, versus 36% who said she should not.  In West Virginia, 48% said Sen. Joe Manchin should vote to change Senate rules to pass voting rights, versus 42% who said he should not. Sens. Manchin and Sinema have both taken stances against changing filibuster rules to protect voting rights.

Click here to see the polling results for Arizona.

Click here to see the polling results for West Virginia.

“Voters in Arizona and West Virginia want their U.S. senators to pass voting rights bills and to do whatever it takes to accomplish that,” said Ben Jealous, president of People For the American Way. “Senators go to Washington to represent the people who elected them. And it’s clear that if Sens. Manchin and Sinema want to faithfully represent their constituents, they need to vote in favor of voting rights legislation and in favor of changing Senate rules if that’s what’s necessary.”

The voting rights bill, incorporating the Freedom to Vote Act and John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act into one measure, is currently being debated in the Senate. Voting rights advocates are urging its passage in the midst of ongoing efforts to suppress the vote and subvert our elections, including the dozens of voter suppression bills passed at the state level last year.

Public Policy Polling surveyed 554 Arizona voters from January 17-18, 2022. The margin of error is +/- 4.2%. 66% of interviews for the survey were conducted by text message and 34% by telephone.

Public Policy Polling surveyed 550 West Virginia voters from January 17-18, 2022. The margin of error is +/- 4.2%. 50% of interviews for the survey were conducted by telephone and 50% by text message.

# # #

About People For the American Way

People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org