Under the Dome: Most NC voters satisfied with election results, new poll shows
Good morning and welcome to the Under the Dome newsletter. I’m Emily Vespa.
A post-election survey of North Carolina voters released Thursday by Meredith College found that 60% of North Carolinians are satisfied with the outcome of the election.
“Some might be surprised that so many North Carolinians were satisfied with the outcome of the November 5 elections, however, I feel that people are generally glad the campaigns are over,” Meredith Poll Director David McLennan said in a news release. “For a majority of voters who don’t live and breathe politics, they are ready to move on.”
The poll, conducted between Nov. 24 and 30, found voters’ views on the election outcome differed based on race and ethnicity. Nearly 70% of white voters were satisfied with the results, compared to 33% of Black voters. Hispanic voters were evenly split.
Almost 90% of respondents said they followed the news very or somewhat closely throughout the 2024 election cycle. One-third said they get their news primarily from social media, but most don’t find it a trustworthy source.
People’s social media site preference differed based on their political views: A majority of people who supported Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris favored TikTok and YouTube, while voters for Republican President-elect Donald Trump picked X, formerly Twitter.
The poll of 800 registered North Carolina voters also gauged opinions on policy. Here are some takeaways.
Immigration: Sixty-five percent of respondents — 49% of Democrats and over 80% of Republicans — said they supported using sheriffs and local law enforcement to enforce immigration policy. This comes after state lawmakers last month overrode the governor’s veto on a controversial measure that requires sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Trump’s plan to launch mass deportations of people who are in the country without legal authorization includes activating the military and state National Guardsmen, which will likely face legal challenges. According to the poll, 60% of respondents support using the military for immigration enforcement.
Higher education: Almost two-thirds of North Carolina voters said they support diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the state’s colleges and universities. Democrats were far more likely to favor these programs than Republicans, the poll found.
The board that governs North Carolina’s public universities passed a policy in May that restricts DEI programs. As a result, at least eight schools closed their DEI offices and others restructured them, Korie Dean previously reported.
Over half of both Democrats and Republicans supported setting federal standards to reduce bias in higher education curriculums.
Tariffs: Trump has promised to impose tariffs on imports to promote U.S.-made goods. A majority of voters said they supported the policy reasoning, but when asked if they’d support tariffs if it meant higher costs to consumers, support for the measure dropped to 20%.
“It is clear that most Americans know little about tariffs,” McLennan said in the poll report. “The economic impact of tariffs, especially in the short-run, will be difficult for consumers.”
CARRBORO SUES DUKE ENERGY
The Town of Carrboro sued Duke Energy on Wednesday, alleging that the energy behemoth knew the risks of burning fossil fuels for decades while it publicly downplayed concerns, reports Adam Wagner. The lawsuit claims that Duke engaged in a campaign of deceit that worsened climate change at the public’s expense.
“The climate crisis continues to burden our community and cost residents their hard-earned tax dollars,” Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee said in a statement.
Warming temperatures will increase costs to cool the town’s facilities, repair roads and upgrade public infrastructure, Carborro’s lawsuit says.
A Duke spokesman said the company is reviewing the lawsuit and is committed to providing affordable, increasingly clean energy.
WHAT ELSE WE’RE READING
NC Health News looks back on Gov. Roy Cooper’s yearslong efforts to expand Medicaid in North Carolina. Cooper said he plans to advocate for health care issues after he leaves office, including supporting Medicaid expansion in states that haven’t yet done so, the outlet reported.
Today’s newsletter was by Emily Vespa. Check your inbox tomorrow for more #ncpol.
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