Less than 4 in 10 voters think the system of checks and balances between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government is working well, while more than half of voters think it is not working well, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University national poll of registered voters released today.
Thirty-eight percent of voters think the system of checks and balances in the federal government is working either very well (9 percent) or somewhat well (29 percent), while 54 percent think it is working either not so well (24 percent) or not well at all (30 percent).
There are big differences by party identification.
Among Republicans, 57 percent think the system is working either very well (16 percent) or somewhat well (41 percent), while 34 percent think it is working either not so well (22 percent) or not well at all (12 percent).
Among Democrats, 14 percent think the system is working either very well (1 percent) or somewhat well (13 percent), while 80 percent think it is working either not so well (32 percent) or not well at all (48 percent).
Among independents, 41 percent think the system is working either very well (11 percent) or somewhat well (30 percent), while 52 percent think it is working either not so well (24 percent) or not well at all (28 percent).
"In a perfect world, the three great pillars of U.S. government stand firm, functional, and aligned with the Constitution. It's clear at the moment that registered voters sense dysfunction,"said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.
