Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2023

CONTACT: press@securedemocracyusa.org

New Poll of GOP Voters Trust Management of Elections, Value Local Control


AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Republican voters all across the state overwhelmingly trust the management of Texas elections, prefer local control of elections, and support robust early voting options, according to a new statewide poll of Republican primary voters commissioned by Secure Democracy Foundation and Secure Democracy USA. 

The poll, conducted by Chris Perkins of Ragnar Research Partners, found strong support among GOP voters for countywide polling, expanding early voting, allowing for secure online voter registration, and remaining in ERIC to keep voting rolls updated and secure. 

Among the key findings, GOP voters all across Texas support:

  • Protecting voter access: 72% of GOP voters oppose the elimination of countywide polling on Election Day. 

  • Maintaining local control of elections: 57% of GOP voters trust local election officials over the state to conduct elections.

  • Ensuring voter rolls are clean: 84% of GOP voters support the state’s continued use of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) to help maintain clean voter rolls.

  • Increasing early voting opportunities: 74% of GOP voters support early voting the weekend before an election, and 61% support extending early voting by one week.

  • Allowing online voter registration: 54% of GOP voters support a secure online voter registration portal. 

"Texans want their lawmakers focusing on improving voter access and further strengthening trust in our elections,” said Daniel Griffith, Senior Policy Director for Secure Democracy USA and Secure Democracy Foundation. “Republican voters across Texas specifically and strongly value local control of their elections and hold an increasingly positive view of and trust in Texas elections. These same voters also want their leaders to expand, not limit, early voting options.”

"There is strong support among Republican voters to reject voter fraud narratives from 2020 and refocus on the essential basics of our elections, including preserving countywide voting and keeping the state of Texas in ERIC, a nonpartisan tool for ensuring clean voter rolls,” added Griffith.

Texas Republican voters’ confidence in elections is increasing:

  • Confidence increasing in 2020 vs. 2022 Elections: 45% of Texas Republicans expressed confidence in the 2020 Presidential Election, while 65% expressed confidence in the 2022 General Election. 

  • Elections are well run and voter experiences are strongly positive: 96% of Texas Republican voters said their voting experience was good in 2022, and 84% of Texas Republican voters said Texas Elections are well run and managed.

  • Texas GOP voters are ready to move on from 2020 Election voter fraud narratives: 54% of Texas GOP voters want to move on from 2020 election fraud investigations and a majority said they wouldn’t support a presidential candidate who asserted fraud.

"Republican voters are satisfied with the way elections in Texas were conducted in 2022 and show growing confidence in the election results in Texas since 2020,” said Chris Perkins of Ragnar Research Partners. “The essential basics of Texas elections, including preserving countywide voting and keeping the state of Texas in ERIC for ensuring clean voter rolls are strongly supported by Texas Republicans.”

Commissioned by Secure Democracy USA and Secure Democracy Foundation, the Ragnar Research Partners poll of 750 Republican primary voters across Texas was conducted April 16 - April 18, 2023, via live callers to landlines and cellphones and has a margin of error of +/- 4%.

The full memo from Ragnar Research Partners can be found here.


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