Vast Majority of Likely Voters Oppose Allowing Illegals to Vote In Elections

The vast majority of likely voters say illegal immigrants should not be allowed to vote, despite a recent push to achieve just that in New York City, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll.

According to Rasmussen, 67 percent of likely U.S. voters say illegal immigrants should not be allowed to vote, even “if they can prove that they live in this country and pay taxes.” Twenty-six percent said they think tax-paying illegals should be allowed to vote.

This most recent poll represents a shift away from the opinion that illegal immigrants’ voices should be counted in elections. Last May, when Rasmussen posed the same question, 60 percent said they would oppose allowing tax-paying illegal immigrants to vote and 35 percent said illegal immigrants should be allowed to vote.

The poll question comes as New York City officials are weighing a proposal that would open local elections up to illegal immigrants.

According to the survey, 71 percent of likely U.S. voters oppose allowing illegal immigrants vote for local officials in their communities. Another 19 percent are in favor of the idea, and 10 percent are undecided.

Republicans are most likely to oppose illegals voting with 80 percent rejecting the prospect, followed by independents with 70 percent opposing.

But now most Democrats agree. Last May, Democrats by a 53% to 42% margin were in favor of allowing tax-paying illegal immigrants to vote. Now, those numbers are reversed, with voters in President Obama’s party opposed by a 52% to 39% margin,” Rasmussen Reports added in its analysis.

The poll of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 2-3, 2016 and has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.