As Election Day 2018 approaches, pundits and reporters are asking, “What Next?” as they survey the harsh and extremely partisan landscape of this election. Can we, as a democratic nation, move beyond the gridlock that has forced us to operate at the political extremes for more than a decade? Who are we as a nation?  Are we willing to bridge the ideological and partisan divide to solve the nation’s pressing problems?

For a plurality of American voters, the answer is “yes.” Forty-three percent of voters are eager to do so, according to research conducted by bipartisan pollsters, Vince Breglio & Associates and Hart Research Associates among 1204 registered voters in August 2018.  The research was commissioned by the Civil Society Institute and is part of a long-term five-year effort to find issues where there is agreement among U.S. voters.  We have called these voters “Solution Voters” and compared to just a year ago, their numbers are growing –43 percent of Solution Voters in 2018 compared to 38 percent in 2017.

However, for this election, it is important to note that Solutions Voters are more likely to vote against their preferred party and ideology to give support to the solutions they believe in.   Political candidates who have the ability and courage to cross party dogma to offer the right mix to a solutions voter stand to gain their vote.  These voters are also primed to be key to breakthroughs on policy issues that have polarized the country. 

Based on five years of research we believe there is an emerging movement of voters working for a ‘post-partisan’ policy environment that starkly counters the hyper-negative partisanship that still engulfs the Democrats and Republicans and is reinforced by media reports that focus on outdated left/right analyses.

• Solutions Voters and their informed optimism are an unrecognized constant force in American politics and embody the political DNA of unique American democratic values and principles.
• Solutions Voters are primed to move beyond polarized politics because they disrupt the left/right, conservative/liberal images we have of ourselves and our politics.
• Solutions Voters are not bound by political dogma. Therefore, they are more open to embrace solutions that arise from anyplace across the political spectrum.
• Solutions Voters most likely to vote against their preferred party and ideology to give support to the solutions he/she believes in.
• Political candidates who have the ability and courage to cross party dogma to offer the right mix to a solutions voter can hold special appeal to the Solutions Voter.  
• Solution Voters are primed to be key to policy breakthroughs on the following issues:
• Health Care 
• Immigration
• Criminal justice 

As your organization considers Election 2018 and draws conclusions about where we go from here, we hope that you will find this research helpful in analyzing this unique election and difficult period in our democracy.  The attached powerpoint, Solutions Voters: A Force in American Politics includes some of key findings of our 2018 poll and shares insights into this voting segment.  We but can share the entire analysis with you if you are interested.   To receive the full analysis or talk directly to either Vince Breglio or Molly O’Rourke (Hart), please contact Andrea Camp at andreacamp@comcast.net.