Public Opinion on Private Funding of Public Elections

More than half of American states have sharply limited or banned private donations to public entities for the purpose of supporting election administration. Such legislation is largely consistent with public opinion: Americans are more wary than supportive of such funding, with support for outright bans about as strong as support for regulation, leaving very few who endorse an unregulated, laissez-faire approach. There is, however, a good-sized pool of undecided individuals, who might be nudged into the pro- or anti-ban camps by persuasive arguments. Our evidence, however, is that neither the main pro- nor the main anti- argument vetted in debates to date moves opinion dramatically, though the anti-ban argument might be a little more effective.