Poll: GOP voters more motivated than Dems

by Peter Sullivan - 10/08/14 3:23 PM ET

A new Gallup poll finds that the public overall is less motivated to vote this November than in the past two midterm election years, but Republicans remain more engaged than Democrats.

Only 32 percent of adults say they are “extremely motivated” to vote, down from around 50 percent in 2010 and 2006. That suggests turnout could be lower, a dynamic that tends to favor Republicans.

{mosads}More good news for Republicans comes in the makeup of those who are motivated. Republicans have a 19 percentage point advantage among those who are extremely motivated to vote, with 44 percent of Republicans and 25 percent of Democrats describing themselves that way.

That margin is similar to 2010’s breakdown, when Republicans had strong gains in the House.

By contrast, in 2006, when it was Democrats picking up seats, the margin went the other way and Democrats had a 5-point advantage in motivation.

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Democrats have been investing in a ground game to try to turn out minorities and young people. Those groups tend to vote more in presidential years, giving Democrats an edge, but then more stay home in midterm years.

Compared to Washington’s focus on the midterms, the public appears uninterested. The poll finds only 33 percent of adults have given “quite a lot” or “some” thought to the elections. That is down from the 40 percent range in the last two midterms.

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