Pew: Half of US Voters Would Replace Trump AND Biden on the Ballot If Given Chance

2024 ballot
Photo by Katelyn Perry on Unsplash+. Unsplash+ license obtained by author.
Created: 25 Apr, 2024
2 min read

Photo Credit: Katelyn Perry / Unsplash

 

US voters are largely unhappy with the options the two major parties have given them in the 2024 presidential election. While Hillary Clinton says these voters need to get over themselves, Pew Research has found that she is talking to most of the country.

Pew released new polling Wednesday on how voters feel about the presidential election. It turns out they are still as unhappy about the rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump as they were going into the current cycle.

"A defining characteristic of the contest is that voters overall have little confidence in either candidate across a range of key traits, including fitness for office, personal ethics and respect for democratic values," Pew reports.

Pew surveyed nearly 9,000 US adults, including 7,166 registered voters. About two-thirds of respondents said they had little to no confidence in Biden's physical and mental fitness. Nearly the same number question Trump's ethics.

It is worth noting that these are two focus areas for both candidates in the media. Biden's age and mental fitness have been the subject of scrutiny by many. Trump's legal issues are even more front and center.

More voters are likely to view Trump's presidency through a positive lens. However, both presidencies are viewed as "poor" or "terrible" by nearly the same percentage of voters -- 50% on Biden and 47% on Trump.

And if given the option, half of voters (49%) would replace both candidates on the ballot. Sixteen percent (16%) said they would "keep Biden, replace Trump" while 18% said "keep Trump, replace Biden."

IVP Donate

Only 15% said they are good with both candidates being on the ballot. 

Pew notes that the desire to replace both candidates is largely seen among young voters. "Roughly two-thirds of voters under 30 say they would replace both Biden and Trump on the 2024 ballot," the report states.

While the poll divided respondents among "Trump supporters" and "Biden supporters," other polling and research shows that young voters are much more likely to be independent and/or independent-minded. 

It is further evidence that voters are fed up with the candidates the major parties force on them each election cycle, and an increasing independent electorate wants change in a system controlled by two tone-deaf political corporations.

The parties have made it clear they are aware of how voters feel. Partisan officials and pundits have said they know how frustrated people are with the two-party system, but they should not express that frustration at the ballot box.

They know how much they have failed to represent the American electorate and provide for their interests and needs. They just don't care and have explicitly told voters to get over it and vote the way they want them to vote. 

In this article

Related articles

businessman holding his hands to his face.
New Poll: Half of US Voters Say They Voted For 'Lesser of Two Evils' in 2024
Photo by  Citizen Data polled US voters following the 2024 elections and found that nearly half (47%...
09 Dec, 2024
-
2 min read
Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang: Democrats Have Only Themselves to Blame
Photo Credit: ...
11 Nov, 2024
-
2 min read

Latest articles

A young woman voting.
Pennsylvania Rep Chris Rabb: There Should Be No Second-Class Voters In Our State
A bill that would open Pennsylvania primary elections to over 1.4 million registered independent voters, HB 280, cleared its first major hurdle to becoming law this week when it cleared the House State Government Committee....
15 May, 2025
-
3 min read
Boston
Boston City Council Backs Ranked Choice Voting Home Rule Petition in 8–4 Vote
On May 14, the Boston City Council voted 8–4 in favor of a Home Rule Petition allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference, a shift that could change how Bostonians elect their leaders....
14 May, 2025
-
3 min read
Man in suit sitting at desk writing on a document with a stethoscope on the desk and a map of California in the background.
AB 955 Revisited: How to Expand Cross-Border Care Without Sacrificing Patient Protections
IVN recently examined AB 955, by Assemblymember David Alvarez. The bill seeks to expand a healthcare service program I created in 1998 as the author of SB1658....
14 May, 2025
-
4 min read