National and Ohio Exit Polling Reveals No Mandate for Mass Immigration Agenda, Says FAIR

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Exit polling of Ohio voters conducted by Zogby Analytics on behalf of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) finds that voters strongly favor continued border restrictions and tight limits on admission of foreign guest workers during the ongoing health and economic crisis. The Ohio poll reveals that majorities of all voters ? Democrats, Republicans and Independents ? believe that longer-term, overall levels of immigration should be reduced to prevent excessive U.S. population growth. The findings of the Ohio poll closely mirror those of voters across the country in a nationwide exit poll.

"At both the national level and among Ohio voters, polling clearly shows that President-elect Biden does not have a mandate to institute radical immigration policies being promoted by his party's far left wing that include erasing borders and flooding the country with millions of new legal and illegal immigrants," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "Mr. Biden has a mandate from the voters to get the COVID-19 crisis under control, get millions of laid-off Americans back to work, and restore civility to Washington and the public square. While unchecked immigration may be a high priority for a loud and radical fringe of his party, it is not how the vast majority of voters believe the new administration should be spending their time and political capital."

Among the key findings of the Zogby Analytics poll of Ohio voters include:

• 86% support maintaining border closures and restrictions due to the COVID crisis.
• 76% favor maintaining restrictions on admission of new immigrants and guest workers while the crisis continues, while 61% believe those restrictions should remain in place even after the COVID crisis abates.
• 54% support long-term reductions in immigration to limit population growth.

Support of these positions crossed all ideological and demographic lines. Hispanic and minority voters supported limits on immigration, and particularly supported the President's decision to limit the entry of guestworkers during the pandemic. Hispanic support for the suspension of guestworker visas and the implementation of stronger border controls to manage the spread of COVID-19 were higher than the statewide average.

Ohio is a perennial battleground state in both presidential and senatorial elections. Yet this polling shows a clear preference by Ohio voters for immigration reform that includes reducing overall levels of immigration, rather than pursuing a massive amnesty. Although neither of the state's two senators were on the ballot in 2020, both incumbent Senator Rob Portman and Governor Mike DeWine face re-election in 2022. The voters of Ohio have clearly stated that they support immigration reforms that would protect Ohioans during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as beyond by reducing overall levels of immigration to the country as a whole. "With an important gubernatorial and Senate race, as well as several hotly contested House battlegrounds up for grabs in 2022, Ohio's political leaders would be wise to pay heed to where the voters stand on immigration policy, rather than to the shrill demands of the radical fringes," Stein cautioned.

"With tens of millions of Americans, including nearly 335,000 Ohioans, who have been displaced from their jobs due to the COVID shutdown and the nation bracing for yet another wave of the pandemic, now is certainly not the time to increase immigration or relax border security. If there's a mandate for the Biden-Harris administration, it is to end the nation's public health crisis and put the nation's workers back to work not to radically change immigration and border enforcement policies that are clearly working," Stein concluded.

Click here for Ohio crosstabs and frequencies.

Click here for national crosstabs and frequencies.

Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004 or [email protected]

ABOUT FAIR        

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)