Poll confirms Americans deeply divided on election issues

• Scott LaMar
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Scott LaMar has worked in both radio and television for more than four decades.
  
  Currently, LaMar is the Host and Executive Producer of The Spark program on WITF-FM, 89.5 & 93.3 in Harrisburg, Pa.
  
  Previously, LaMar was WITF TV’s Sr. Public Affairs producer and produced the station’s award-winning weekly public affairs TV program, Smart Talk.
  
  In addition to his on-air duties, LaMar has moderated political candidate debates, including those for candidates running for Pennsylvania governor and the U.S. Senate and was a regular contributor to BBC World News TV before and after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
  
  LaMar often emcees or moderates local events and has gone as far as California to emcee a national event.
  
  The American Society of Civil Engineers honored LaMar with their national Excellence in Journalism award in 2020. He has been nominated for five Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
  
  LaMar and The Spark have been recognized throughout the Central Pennsylvania community including ADVOZ Lancaster’s “Dignity in Dialogue Award”, the South-Central Assembly’s “Regional Citizen Award” and was named a “Humanitarian Hero” by The Humane Society of the United States/Pennsylvania.
  
  A native of Coatesville, Pa., LaMar has also worked as a broadcast news anchor, sports play-by-play announcer and manager.

 Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo

In this Nov. 6, 2020, file photo, ballots from the Nov. 3, 2020 general election are counted at the Allegheny County Election Division warehouse on the Northside of Pittsburgh.

Airdate: January 19, 2022

A poll by Muhlenberg College and Keep Our Republic finds that Pennsylvanians continue to be polarized when it comes to elections and voting.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the poll is how Democrats and Republicans view the 2020 presidential election and see the threats to voting in 2022 differently. For example, 57% of Democrats say voter suppression is what could keep the state from having a safe, secure and accurate election, while most Republicans identified voter fraud and the use of mail-in ballots as what could derail this year’s election when voters will choose members of Congress and the state General Assembly.

The January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol was another area of disagreement. 56% of Democrats say it was an insurrection against the U.S. government while 63% of Republicans say it was not. Trump supports stormed the Capitol that day in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe’s Biden election as president.

The poll also showed 57% of voters disapprove of the way President Biden is handling his job and 51% disapprove of how Gov. Tom Wolf is handling his job.

On Wednesday’s Smart Talk, we break down the results of the poll with Christopher Borick, Director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion and Mark Medish, co-founder of Keep Our Republic, a non-partisan, national civic education non-profit.  He served as Special Assistant to the President, Senior Director on the National Security Council and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury in the Clinton administration. He also worked on foreign assistance at the State Department and the U.N. Development Program.