Pew Research: Most Americans Support Early Voting. So Why Is It Under Attack?

In 2018, most Republicans agreed: Americans should be able to vote early or absentee without having to give a reason. Fifty-seven percent of them said so.

Today, only 34% say that.

That 23-point collapse didn't happen because voting became less safe or less reliable. It happened because a political party decided that making voting harder was worth more than making it fair. New Pew Research data lays it out plainly: while Democrats' support for no-excuse early and absentee voting has held steady at around 80% for eight years, Republican support has been cut nearly in half.

The broader public hasn't followed. Fifty-nine percent of Americans still say any voter should be able to cast a ballot early or absentee without having to document a reason. Among Black adults, that number rises to 76%. And here's the reality on the ground: in the 2024 presidential election, only about one in three voters cast their ballot in person on Election Day. Two-thirds of the country already votes the way Republicans now want to restrict.

The argument that expanding access threatens election security doesn't hold up either. Six in ten Americans say making it easier to register and vote would not make elections less secure. The evidence backs them up.

Voting is power. Restricting who can vote — and how — is how you hold onto power when your ideas can't win on their own. No-excuse early and absentee voting isn't a partisan preference. It's how most of America votes.

Know your voting rights. Use them.

🔗 Read the full Pew Research article: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/06/16/republicans-democrats-continue-to-differ-sharply-on-voting-access-2/