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Exclusive / Poll: US voters want significant primary election reforms

Burgess Everett
Burgess Everett
Congressional Bureau Chief
Jan 27, 2026, 5:31am EST
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Voting booths
Emily Elconin/Reuters

Large majorities of Americans in both parties support requiring states to open up congressional primaries to all voters, according to new polling sponsored by Unite America and shared first with Semafor.

Seven in 10 of registered voters polled in the national survey by RealClear Opinion Research want to open up primaries while only 20% oppose doing so.

Many states only allow registered partisan voters to participate in primaries, resulting in small percentages of voters choosing nominees. And in many deep red or blue districts, primaries effectively decide the general election.

With that in mind, 60% of those surveyed support “top two” elections like California’s system and 62% support an Alaska-style ranked-choice “top four” election.

The poll also found that 53% of respondents view US democracy as “weak,” and half of respondents disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president.

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