MSNBC Broadcasts 19 Segments On Voter I.D. This Week, Ignores Poll Showing 74% Support For I.D. Laws
Aug 17, 2012 No Comments ›› Pat Dollard
Excerpted from Noah Rothman’s piece in Mediaite: On Monday, a Washington Post poll that asked Americans to voice their feelings on the issue of voter I.D. sent shockwaves through the political world. The findings of that poll shattered the assumption that voter identification is viewed as a threat to American enfranchisement, but you would not know that from watching MSNBC. The network has devoted a number of segments in the last week to voter identification laws and the threat they pose, but they have conspicuously avoided mentioning this poll which debunks the presumption that Americans are concerned about disenfranchisement resulting from voter identification laws.
The Washington Post poll showed 74 percent of adults support requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls to 23 percent who oppose such measures. 48 percent said they feel voter fraud is a “major problem” and 33 percent said this was a “minor problem.” Only 14 percent said voter fraud was “not a problem.”
Across ideology and demographics, support in the poll for voter I.D. was strong. 86 percent of self-identified Republicans support voter I.D. measures. 67 percent of independents and 60 percent of Democrats also voiced their support. 78 percent of white adults, 65 percent of African Americans and 64 percent of Hispanics support voter I.D. 75 percent of men and 73 percent of women agree: voter I.D. laws are necessary.
