Press releases
Voters support checks and balances and limits on executive power according to new multistate polling
Media Contact
Cory Combs
Director of Media Relations
A strong bipartisan majority of voters across five states want elected leaders who respect the checks and balances defined in the U.S. Constitution, according to new polling released today by Issue One and YouGov. The findings come as the second Trump administration continues to challenge democratic processes and institutions — from imposing unilateral tariffs to deploying members of the military to quell protests.
The survey of registered voters across Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, and Utah found similar levels of support for limits on executive power and a robust belief that elected officials should work within America’s system of checks and balances to achieve consensus, even if it means the majority doesn’t always get its way.
A majority of voters in Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Utah, and a plurality in Mississippi do not believe that the president should be able to impose unilateral tariffs, a signature policy of President Trump, without congressional approval. That sentiment registered most strongly in Maine, where 62% of voters believe the president should not be allowed to impose tariffs unilaterally.
Large bipartisan majorities do not believe that the president should be able to use military force against peaceful protestors or send U.S. citizens to prisons in foreign countries. Voters also strongly support Congress’ authority under Article I of the Constitution, which grants it oversight and spending powers.
“Since our republic’s founding nearly 250 years ago, a government based on a system of checks and balances has been a core American value,” said Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman. “Our founders recognized that the only way to represent the interests of the people was to ensure that power was not concentrated in the hands of a king — which is why the Constitution established three co-equal branches of government. Today, the second Trump administration is mounting unprecedented challenges to this well-established system of government, but voters from across the political spectrum remain committed to our founding principles. They are unified around the fact that they want their members of Congress to represent them — not merely rubber stamp the president’s agenda.”
He added: “No matter what political party they belong to or how much pressure the president puts on them, members of Congress should listen to their voters and defend the Constitution’s core principles. Americans will remember who stood up for their interests and the country’s interests the next time that they go to vote.”
The same poll found that a majority of voters in Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, and Utah — and a strong majority of independents in each of the five states surveyed — expressed concern that President Trump is going too far to get his policies passed and going outside the bounds of our system of checks and balances. That includes 31% of Republicans in Utah, 27% of Republicans in Iowa, 26% of Republicans in Kentucky, 24% of Republicans in Maine, and 17% of Republicans in Mississippi.
The poll was conducted by YouGov from July 16 to July 28, 2025, with a sample of 2,666 voters across Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, and Utah.
Learn more about Issue One’s Check the Exec campaign, a crosspartisan effort urging members of Congress to defend the Constitution and uphold our system of checks and balances.