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The Vote: Most Agree with Photo-ID Requirement, English-Only Ballots
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Seventy-seven percent (77%) of likely voters across the country agree that displaying a photo ID should be required to cast a vote. Democrats and liberals are a bit less likely to agree than members of other groups identified in our survey.

The photo-ID requirement is being implemented in seven states this election season as a measure to combat voting fraud. The new mandate will be tested first in Georgia, where it has received a go-ahead from the Justice Department but is still being challenged by critics who say it violates the voting rights of minorities, the elderly, and rural residents. The state's primary elections are on July 18.

The controversy over photo-ID is occurring in the context of an allied debate over renewal of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which some argue is no longer necessary. Others cite the push for a photo-ID requirement as evidence that the Act must be fully renewed without further ado.

A smaller majority of the survey's 1,000 respondents, 68%, say that the text of election ballots should be English-only. Twenty-nine percent (29%) say ballots should be posted in both English and Spanish. About three quarters or more of Republicans, unaffiliated voters, conservatives and moderates agree with an English-only requirement; only 54% of Democrats and 55% of liberals also agree.

On the broader question of whether elections are generally fair to voters, a plurality of 48% say Yes; 37% say No. Seventy percent (70%) of Republicans say Yes, joined by only 31% of Democrats and 43% of unaffiliated voters.

Over the years we've polled on this question, the percentage of voters who say elections are fair has usually been in the high 40s. Democrats were more likely to say Yes when Bill Clinton was President. Republicans are more likely to say Yes with George W. Bush as President.

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Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.

The Rasmussen Reports Election Edge™ Premium Service offers the most comprehensive public opinion coverage available anywhere.

Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.

Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
June 22, 2006

Should Photo ID Be Required to Vote?

Yes

77%

No

18%

Not Sure

5%

What Language Should Be Placed on Ballots?

English Only

68%

English & Spanish

29%

Not Sure

3%

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