A national poll by RealClear Opinion Research, sponsored by Unite America and first shared with Semafor, finds strong support for opening congressional primaries to all voters: 70% back the idea and 20% oppose it.
Majorities also favor specific reforms: 60% support California's top-two system and 62% back an Alaska-style top-four ranked-choice model. The survey additionally finds 53% view US democracy as weak and about half disapprove of President Trump's job performance.
A new national poll sponsored by Unite America and released first to Semafor finds broad, bipartisan support for opening congressional primaries to all voters. The survey, conducted by RealClear Opinion Research, shows that seven in 10 registered voters want primaries opened to everyone rather than limited to registered party members.
The poll reports 70% of registered voters support open primaries while just 20% oppose. Large shares also backed two specific reform models: 60% favored California's "top-two" primary system, and 62% supported an Alaska-style top-four system that uses ranked-choice voting in the general election.
Many states still restrict primary participation to registered party members, which means a relatively small, partisan segment of voters often picks nominees. In heavily red or blue districts, the primary can effectively decide the general election—making reforms that broaden participation attractive to a wide swath of voters.
The poll also found that 53% of respondents view US democracy as weak, and roughly half of those surveyed disapprove of President Trump's job performance. These broader attitudes about democratic health and leadership may help explain the appetite for changes to the primary system.
Method note: The results come from a national survey of registered voters conducted by RealClear Opinion Research and shared first with Semafor. The poll was sponsored by Unite America.
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