From Trump to Biden, here’s what Georgia voters think

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Almost half of Georgia’s voters believe former President Donald Trump should be disqualified from running for president again if the accusations in his Fulton County election interference case are true, a poll suggests.

The poll, conducted by non-partisan political research company SSRS and commissioned by CNN, asked more than 1,000 voters their opinion on several political topics, ranging from the 2020 election to Joe Biden’s presidency. Sampled from Nov. 30 to Dec. 7, the answers reveal a state split on several issues — including fissures related to the 2024 presidential election.

When asked if they approved of the decision to bring criminal charges against Trump in Fulton County, 52% of those polled said yes. And in a situation where the charges are true, 47% said Trump should be disqualified from the presidency. Fourteen percent said the conviction would cast doubt on his fitness for the job but not necessarily disqualify him, while 39% said it wouldn’t be relevant to his fitness for the presidency.

MORE FROM NEWS 12:

When asked who they would vote for if the presidential election were held today between Biden as the Democratic Party’s candidate and Trump as the Republican Party’s candidate, those polled were similarly split. Forty-nine percent picked Trump and 44% picked Biden, with 6% saying they would vote for someone else and 1% saying they didn’t plan to vote at all.

Trump, alongside 18 of his allies, was named in a sweeping August indictment alleging an attempt to overturn his Georgia defeat during the 2020 presidential election. Part of the case centers around a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where he told him to “find 11,780 votes.”

The ongoing case has seen several twists and turns. On Dec. 18, Trump’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charges on 1st Amendment grounds.

Georgia voter Trump poll results(Contributed)

The Fulton County case is one of four court cases Trump faces nationwide. The others were brought forth in Florida, New York and the District of Columbia.

Among other conspiracy charges, the federal case alleges that Trump and his ers fueled the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters. While the trial has yet to begin, the Colorado Supreme Court voted to remove Trump from the state’s 2024 presidential primary ballot, citing a Civil War-age amendment that bars those who “engaged in insurrection and rebellion” from office.

MORE | Fleming to become judge; commissioner running for House seat

The decision was paused after the Colorado Republican Party appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. But other states are considering following Colorado’s example.

Even though the ballot battles are outside Georgia, their outcome will likely still impact Georgia voters, political strategist Brian Robinson told Atlanta News First — especially independent voters, who could dictate if Georgia will lean left or right.

“Whoever wins is going to win by a pretty small margin, more than likely,” Robinson said. “So there could be any number of small issues that impact who gets just over the line and gets our 16 electoral votes.”

According to SSRS, 61% of the Georgia voters polled said they are “extremely motivated” to vote in the next presidential election, while 16% considered themselves “very motivated.” The 2020 presidential election boasted the highest voter turnout in the 21st century, with nearly 67% of the adult population casting their ballots, according to the United States Census Bureau.