By a 2-to-1 margin, more Americans say that the filibuster will create more gridlock than create more bipartisan compromise.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate is set to vote on a motion to proceed with S.1, the For the People Act, where it is expected to be blocked by a Republican filibuster. Ahead of this crucial vote, Navigator has released new polling that shows the increased popularity of reforming or eliminating the filibuster. Roughly three in five Americans say that eliminating the filibuster would have a positive impact on “making our government work better for the people it represents” (59 percent), and by a 24-point margin, more Americans say that the filibuster does more to “create gridlock” (50 percent) than “create more bipartisan compromise” in Washington, D.C. (26 percent).
The data also shows the popularity of a variety of filibuster reforms. Eliminating the filibuster for certain types of important legislation earns 53 percent support (with just 24 percent opposed), bringing back the “talking filibuster” has 50 percent support (with just 24 percent opposed), and restoring the filibuster to only allow senators to block an up or down vote if they are speaking on the floor has 49 percent support (with just 19 percent opposed), including 27-point net positive support from Republicans.
“Most Americans want to see changes to the filibuster, while even more still just don’t have a strong opinion about it — they just believe it could stand in the way of good governance,” said Bryan Bennett, Director of Polling & Analytics at The Hub Project. “Most Americans see the filibuster as an impediment to progress, and want their lawmakers to pass popular legislation instead of protecting an antiquated Senate rule.”
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About Navigator Research
The Navigator Research project is designed to act as a consistent, flexible, responsive tool to inform policy debates. By conducting research and providing reliable guidance to inform allies, elected leaders, and the press, Navigator helps top leaders in Washington and grassroots leaders around the country shape the debate on the issues that matter most. Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates.
About This Survey
This release features findings from a national online survey of 1,001 registered voters conducted June 10-14, 2021. Additional interviews were conducted among 99 Hispanic voters, 102 African American voters, 101 independents without a partisan lean, and 71 Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. The margin of error is +/- 2.8 percentage points. The survey recruited respondents from an opt-in online panel vendor and were verified against a voter file; special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample matched that of the national registered voter population across a variety of demographic variables.