For Immediate Release
Contact: Natalia Pérez Santos
Email: NPerezSantos@afscme.org

Voters in seven key states express strong support for $1 trillion in state and local aid

A new slate of opinion polls conducted by Public Policy Polling of voters in Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Montana and North Carolina shows strong support for $1 trillion in aid to states, cities, towns and school districts to prevent cuts to public services

Seven new surveys conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP) of voters in Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Montana and North Carolina shows strong bipartisan support for $1 trillion in aid to states, cities, towns and school districts in the next coronavirus relief package. In each state, no fewer than seven in 10 voters support the federal aid to prevent cuts to public services such as health care, education and emergency response as cash-strapped states and localities face deep budget shortfalls due to the pandemic.

The polling also shows strong disapproval toward Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's statements that Congress should allow states to go bankrupt rather than provide federal aid. In addition to the new polling released today, PPP recently surveyed voters in Arizona and Kentucky, where respondents also overwhelmingly backed $1 trillion in aid, with 75% and 77% support respectively.

Below is a memo from PPP with key findings from the seven new surveys.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders said, “Speaker Pelosi and the U.S. House passed this aid, as well as unemployment insurance, weeks ago as part of the Heroes Act. Meanwhile, Senator McConnell decided to ‘hit pause’ and go on vacation. Now, as a surge of the virus continues across the country, senators can no longer ignore the calls of voters, local elected officials and economists who have repeatedly called for this relief. The Senate must not leave Washington until this aid is delivered so that we can beat the pandemic and safely reopen the economy. If senators don’t do the right thing and services are cut when our communities need them most, in November voters will know whom to blame.”

The memo from PPP with key findings from the seven new polls can be found here.