Published on Tuesday, May 31,
2016
A new poll found that 90
percent of voters lack confidence in the country's political system
This year's presidential
primary has left many voters feeling helpless and alienated from their
political parties, according to a new poll, which found that Democrats and
Republicans alike want to see major changes in the way presidential candidates
are chosen.
The survey,
conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and
published Tuesday, reported that a full 90 percent of voters lack confidence in
the country's political system while 40 percent went so far as to say that the
two-party structure is "seriously broken."
Seventy percent of voters,
including equal proportions of Democrats and Republicans, said they feel
frustrated about the 2016 presidential election and 55 percent reported feeling
"helpless."
The survey, which was
conducted May 12-15, comes as voters on both sides of the aisle have expressed
historic
dislike for the two leading candidates, GOP nominee Donald Trump and
Democratic frontrunner Hillary
Clinton.
The issue of
superdelegates—elected officials and Democratic elites—has gotten a lot of
attention this year because of the overwhelming number that, even before the
primaries began, backed
party favorite Clinton over challenger Bernie Sanders. According to AP's
numbers, Clinton has won just 274 more pledged delegates than Sanders, but
boasts having the support of 525 superdelegates to his 39.
According to the survey, 53
percent of voters say that the Democrats' use of superdelegates is a "bad
idea" while just 17 percent support the system.
Moreover, 70 percent of voters
said they prefer that primaries and caucuses would be open to all voters,
rather than "closed" to all but registered party members.
"It's kind of like a
rigged election," Nayef Jaber, a 66-year-old Sanders supporter from San
Rafael, California, told
AP. "It's supposed to be one man one vote. This is the way it should
be."
Most Americans believe that
neither political party represents the views of ordinary voters. Just 14
percent say the Democratic Party is responsive to the opinions of the average
voter while 8 percent say the same about the Republicans.
Similarly, voters said that
neither party is receptive to fresh perspectives. "Only 17 percent of the
public say the Democratic Party is open to new ideas about dealing with the
country's problems; 10 percent say that about the Republican Party," the
survey reports.
And despite arguments that
Sanders' refusal to step down has hurt Clinton's chances in the general
election, 64 percent of Democrats say his bid for the nomination has been good
for the party, along with 43 percent of Republicans.
Overall, the survey found that
while the 2016 election has captured the public's interest, "only 37
percent are feeling hopeful about the campaign, 23 percent are excited, and
just 13 percent say the presidential election make them feel proud."
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