LGBTQ+ Americans are very motivated to vote in November, and most of them prefer President Joe Biden over Donald Trump, according to a recent poll by GLAAD released on Thursday.
Conducted by Pathfinder Opinion Research in late January, the nationwide survey asked 1,000 LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ registered voters about how likely they are to vote in the 2024 presidential election and other key campaign issues. Researchers also polled an additional sample of LGBTQ+ registered voters for a combined total of 869 LGBTQ+ respondents.
Among the poll’s key findings, 83 percent of registered LGBTQ+ voters said they would definitely vote in November, while 11 percent said they probably would. More than half of those voters said they prefer the Democratic incumbent, with 68 percent indicating they would likely vote for Biden versus 15 percent who said they prefer Trump.
These findings are especially significant. GLAAD mentioned a 2020 Washington Post analysis that found LGBTQ+ voters made up 7–8 percent of the total electorate that year, and played a deciding role in closely contested swing states. This week’s polling results found that likely voters who identify as LGBTQ+ in seven key battleground states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) prefer Biden to Trump by more than 57 percentage points.
With both the U.S. House and Senate up for grabs in 2024, LGBTQ+ voters could also play a key role in Congressional elections this year. According to GLAAD, queer likely voters said they preferred a generic Democrat to a Republican by 67 percentage points in seven states with the most competitive U.S. Senate races: Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Another important finding: most voters, both LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+, are against the right's persistent anti-trans campaign. more than half (53 percent) of registered and likely 2024 voters polled said they would oppose a candidate who campaigns on “restricting access to health care and participation in sports for transgender youth.” The vast majority of voters, including 83 percent of swing voters and 73 percent of Trump voters, said that healthcare decisions should be left to the parents of transgender youth.
Similarly, 94 percent of LGBTQ+ voters, 76 percent of registered voters, 76 percent of likely 2024 voters, and 82 percent of swing voters agreed that “Republicans should stop focusing on restricting women’s rights and banning medical care for transgender youth and instead focus on addressing inflation, job creation, and healthcare costs.”
In a statement, GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said that the polling numbers show that “LGBTQ Americans are ready to exert their significant power to shape electoral politics, choose responsible leadership, and use their voices to advocate for equality.”
In the midst of an alarming resurgence of vicious anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and misinformation in recent years, Ellis said the poll also indicates that “the majority of all voters reject harmful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and candidates who spread it.”
“Voters are demanding that politicians pay attention to the important problems our country is dealing with, such as rising prices, abortion rights, and climate change,” Ellis said. “Candidates, parties, strategists, and reporters need to be aware of the influence of the LGBTQ vote and the crucial issues that need to be addressed, including our basic rights and everyone’s safety and happiness.”
