Poll: Most voters say VRA still needed, even after Supreme Court destroyed it

Even as the U.S. Supreme Court bludgeoned the Voting Rights Act (VRA) into a coma — still technically alive, but hardly kicking — most voters still think the landmark civil rights law is needed, new polling finds. 

The survey, conducted by YouGov Blue on behalf of The Downballot, found that 55% of respondents believe the VRA remains necessary, while just 31% disagree and another 14% say they don’t know. 

A plurality -– 46% — of voters said they disagreed with the Court’s decision to eviserate the law in Louisiana v. Callais, while 35% agreed with it, 12% neither agreed nor agreed, and a remaining 7% said they weren’t sure.

The responses fell down predictable party lines, with Democrats far more likely to support the VRA and oppose the Supreme Court’s decision. Independents were closer to Democrats — 60% said the VRA was still needed, compared to 81% of Democrats and 28% of Republicans. A bare majority of GOP respondents — 54% — said the VRA was no longer needed. 

Similarly, while 79% of Democrats disagreed with the Callais ruling, independent voters were more split: 42% disagreed, 35% agreed, and a combined 23% said they were unsure or neither agreed nor disagreed. Republicans, however, largely backed the Court majority, with 63% agreeing with it and just 14% opposed. 

While the decision outraged most Democrats, it only thrilled some Republicans — 66% of Democrats “strongly” disagreed with Callais, but only 44% of Republicans “strongly” agreed, suggesting the ruling could be an asymmetrical motivator for partisan voters. 

The poll was launched on April 30, the day after Callais was issued, and surveyed 1,004 registered voters on the internet over five days.