ACTA conducted a poll which raises serious questions of whether Americans care about elections and understand the basics:
Although 97% of college graduates (Bachelor’s degree or higher) agreed it is somewhat or very important to understand the American election process, the survey, structured in a multiple choice format and conducted for ACTA by the polling firm GfK, found that:
- 37% of Americans overall and 22% of college graduates could not correctly identify when Election Day is held.
- About a third of Americans (31%) and 13% of college graduates could not correctly define the Electoral College.
- One in three Americans (33%) were unaware that membership in the Republican or Democratic parties is not a requirement to run for President.
- And, perhaps most disconcerting of all, more than one in four Americans (29%, including 15% of college graduates) could not correctly identify who Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine is.
Recent college graduates, individuals aged 18–34, fared especially poorly when asked questions about the government and the economy when compared to older college grads
