Majority of Americans back early voting, mail-in ballots and voter ID

WASHINGTON — Most Americans support expanding access to early voting and keeping mail-in ballots available, even as former President Donald Trump pledges to lead a campaign against mail voting, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

The survey, conducted Aug. 4-10 among 3,554 adults, found that 58% of Americans favor allowing any registered voter to cast a ballot by mail. But partisan differences remain stark: 83% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents support no-excuse mail voting, while 68% of Republicans oppose it.

Broad support for other election reforms

Beyond mail voting, the survey shows overwhelming bipartisan support for several proposals intended to secure or expand ballot access.

• Paper ballot backups: 84% of Americans favor requiring voting machines to produce a paper copy of ballots.

• Voter ID: 83% support requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification.

• Early voting: 80% back making at least two weeks of in-person early voting available.

• Election Day holiday: 74% favor making Election Day a federal holiday.

Each of these proposals drew backing from majorities in both parties.

Other measures also received majority support, though along more partisan lines. About 59% of Americans favor automatic voter registration, and 58% back same-day voter registration. Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to support both policies.

Proposals facing opposition

Two election-related changes faced more opposition than support:

• Ballot collection bans: 52% of Americans oppose banning third-party groups from returning completed ballots, a practice opponents call “ballot harvesting.”

• Voter roll purges: 56% oppose removing people from voter lists if they have not voted recently or confirmed their registration.

Republicans are more supportive of both measures than Democrats.

A widening partisan gap on mail voting

Support for mail-in voting has dropped sharply among Republicans since the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, nearly half of Republicans (49%) supported allowing all voters to cast ballots by mail. Today, just 32% do.

By contrast, Democratic support has remained high, with 83% backing mail voting in the latest survey.

Voting behavior also reflects partisan divides. In the 2024 presidential election, about one-third of all voters cast ballots by mail, another third voted early in person, and the remainder voted on Election Day. Trump voters were more likely to vote in person on Election Day (38%) compared with Harris supporters (29%).

Geography and state rules

The survey found that attitudes toward mail voting vary by state election rules.

• In states with universal mail voting, such as California and Colorado, 73% of adults favor allowing all voters to use mail ballots.

• In states with no-excuse absentee voting, like Florida and Pennsylvania, support falls to 58%.

• In states requiring an excuse, such as Texas, just 45% support allowing all voters to use mail ballots.

Other findings

• Convicted felons’ voting rights: 66% of Americans favor restoring voting rights once sentences are complete, including 77% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans.

• Racial and ethnic breakdowns: At least seven in ten adults across White, Black, Hispanic and Asian groups support paper ballot backups, voter ID, and early voting. Black adults are more likely than other groups to support restoring voting rights for felons (76%).

Long-term trends

Support for expanding ballot access has grown since 2018, particularly for making Election Day a holiday. Republican support for the idea has climbed nine percentage points over the past six years.

At the same time, partisan divisions on mail voting have widened significantly. In 2020, the gap between Democrats and Republicans on mail voting stood at 38 percentage points. Today it has grown to 51 points.

The findings highlight a mix of consensus and division in how Americans view election rules, underscoring how election security and voting access remain deeply contested political issues ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

This is an edited version of the report published by Pew Research Center.