A majority of Americans believe that the November 2024 election will be essential in preserving democracy, but differ in their reasoning, according to an AP-NORC poll released Thursday.

Nearly 75% of respondents said that the upcoming presidential election will be “extremely” or “very” important for “the future of democracy in the U.S.,” according to the poll. A majority of both Republicans and Democrats responded that democracy “could be at risk” depending on who wins in November.

Ernie Wagner, a Republican from New York, told the Associated Press the Biden-Harris administration abused their executive power, citing concerns from the party that the administration “weaponized” the Department of Justice.

“Biden has tried to erase the student loans, and he’s been told by the courts that it’s unconstitutional to do that,” Wagner told the outlet. “He’s weaponized the FBI to get at his political opponents.”

Pamela Hanson, a Democrat from Wisconsin, told the AP, however, that she worries for the country’s future if former President Donald Trump is elected back to office.

“His statements tend towards him being a king or a dictator, a person in charge by himself,” Hanson said. “I mean, the man is unhinged in my opinion.”

Only 24% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats responded that democracy will prevail “no matter who wins”, while 17% and 12%, respectively, said that democracy “is already so seriously broken that it doesn’t matter who wins,” the poll shows. Among independents, 37% believe the nation’s democracy is already beyond saving.

“When [Trump] was in the White House, we had peace, we had prosperity, we had energy independence,” Wagner said, according to the AP. “What’s undemocratic about that?”

Patricia Seliga-Williams, a Maryland independent, reminisced over Trump’s economy and immigration policies, but said she is now leaning towards voting for Vice President Kamala Harris over fears that Trump would become a “dictator”, according to the AP.

“We all know Donald Trump could run the country, but he’s just too aggressive anymore, and I don’t think I can trust that as a voter,” Seliga-Williams told the AP. “I believe that this is the most important election of my lifetime.”

On top issues, 82% of respondents said the upcoming election is important for the economy while 70% said the same for immigration. Several polls have indicated that the two issues are at the top of voters minds heading into November.

“Making the claim that the other candidate is trying to destroy democracy, it doesn’t really land for me,” Michigan independent voter Daniel Oliver said, according to the AP. “I think that we have things in place that should safeguard against when you kind of play at destroying democracy. We have other branches of government. We have people that believe in voting. So, it would be hard for a candidate to take over and become some kind of dictator.”

The poll was conducted July 25 through July 29, soon after President Joe Biden dropped from the race and endorsed Harris. The poll sampled 1,143 adults and has a margin of error of +/- 4.1 percentage points.

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