Strong support for progressive solutions to help working families and ensure the accessibility of elections
A recent poll commissioned by the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) shows Arizona voters hold deep concerns over the risk that COVID-19 poses to their health and the impact on the economy. The poll showed that Arizonans believe that the government should play a constructive role in people’s lives.
The Role of Government in Issues Facing Arizona
When asked if the state government should play a role in some of the issues facing working families, voters overwhelmingly supported government engagement in:
- Safely and fairly administering elections (93%);
- Stopping the spread of the coronavirus (89%);
- Ensuring equal access to high-quality K-12 education (86%);
- Ensuring struggling families and children have access to food (85%);
- Ensuring access to affordable health care (77%); and
- Equal pay for equal work (77%).
Voters Overwhelmingly Support Steps to Ensure Safe and Accessible Elections
Arizona voters overwhelmingly believe that the state government has a role to play in safely and fairly administering elections (93%). The majority of Arizonans report that they will vote by mail in the November election (77%). However some Arizonans still report that they will go to the polls on Election Day (14%), or that they will vote early in person (7%).
Voters overwhelmingly supported policies to ensure the election is safe and accessible:
- Allow any registered Arizona voter to vote by mail (87%);
- Open additional polling locations to reduce crowds and lines (85%);
- Lengthen the window for early voting and allow voters to cast ballots in person up through the day before Election Day (80%);
- Allow Arizona voters to cast their ballots at any polling location in their county (74%); and
- Mail all registered voters applications to vote-by-mail (72%).
Voters Concerned about COVID Impact and Strongly Support Progressive Economic Policies
Two out of three voters believe Arizona state government should invest more in its residents to ensure they are safe, healthy, and economically secure (65%) rather than state government keeping taxes low and cutting funds to key services like education, unemployment, and health insurance (16%).
Arizona has been hard hit by the pandemic with one in three reporting that they have been laid off or had their hours cut (34%). Arizonans report they are concerned about the people losing work and income due to the virus (87%), small businesses and restaurants closing down permanently (85%), unable to afford their rent or mortgage (76%) and people being forced to choose between their health and their job (72%).
Given the current crisis, Arizonans support policies that will address the economic hardships being faced by many and make life easier:
- Providing low-interest loans to small businesses to help them make it through the crisis (91%);
- Banning the practice of surprise medical billing (89%);
- Extending the grace period for people to pay insurance bills before their coverage can be canceled (88%);
- Offering people in Arizona the option to buy into the same public health insurance plans that are available to state employees if they want to (87%); and
- Limiting what drug companies can charge for prescription drugs (85%).
Click here for more results.