Poll: Majority of Americans favor voter ID requirement, split on mail-in voting ban

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

President Donald Trump’s plans to “restore election integrity” and prevent voter fraud include banning mail-in voting and requiring that voters present identification at the polls. The majority of Americans support the voter ID requirement but are divided on a mail-in voting ban, according to a new poll.

The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, surveyed 2,565 registered voters from Oct. 2-6, 2025.

The poll sample included 978 Republicans, 948 Democrats, and 639 Independents, of which 262 lean toward neither major party. The poll weighted each party independently.

Trump’s proposal to ban mail-in voting nationally – something he could not do via executive order but may be able to pressure some states to implement – receives support from 47% of Americans nationally, while 48% oppose it.

There is a sharp gender divide, with 54% of males supporting the idea, versus 41% of females. A racial divide exists as well, with 55% of white voters in favor, compared to 31% of Hispanic or Latino voters and only 29% of Black voters.

The poll also found that support levels grow alongside rising income and education levels.

Generationally, younger voters and voters ages 65 or older oppose the idea the most, with only 41% and 42% supporting it, respectively. Members of Gen X hold similar views, giving the proposal a 45% approval rating. By contrast, 58% of the Millennial generation – those ages 30 to 44 – are in favor of banning mail-in voting.

Unsurprisingly, the favorable numbers are mostly bolstered by Republicans, with 77% in favor of banning voting by mail. Only 20% of Democrats and 41% of Independents support it.

Noble Predictive Insights CEO Mike Noble theorized that Democrats’ skepticism “may stem from concerns about election laws, misinformation, or unrest.”

Requiring voters to present ID at the polls is a much more popular proposal, with 71% of all surveyed voters supporting it and only 23% opposing.

An overwhelming majority of Republicans – 92% – are in favor of the idea. Nearly 60% of Independents are also in favor, while Democrats show less support, 49%.

The gender divide persists, though the majority of voters in both camps are in favor of the idea: 75% of males and 67% of females. Along racial lines, white voters strongly support the idea at 78%, while nearly 60% of Hispanic or Latino voters are in favor and half of Black voters support it.

Gen Z voters are significantly less likely to support it than their older counterparts, giving the proposal a 53% approval rating, versus 73% of Millennials, 70% of Gen Xers, and 77% of voters ages 65 or older.

As with the proposal to ban mail-in voting, support for an ID requirement rises as voters’ income and education levels rise.

The poll has a 2% margin of error.