{"id":59563,"date":"2026-06-01T05:36:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T13:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/?p=59563"},"modified":"2026-06-01T05:36:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T13:36:04","slug":"poll-bipartisan-opposition-to-a-military-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/01\/poll-bipartisan-opposition-to-a-military-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Poll: Bipartisan Opposition to a Military Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new poll by Overton Insights<\/a> shows the breadth and depth of opposition to a military draft \u2013 and how far members of Congress lag behind popular anti-draft (and anti-war) sentiment.<\/p>\n

All categories of Americans who were polled would oppose a draft: Republicans, Democrats, and independents; women and men; people of draft age and people too old to be drafted; and people of all races.<\/p>\n

The wording of the poll reflected the confused nature of most recent reporting<\/a> about U.S. planning and preparation for a draft. There was no mention of the impending shift<\/a> from self-registration to automatic<\/a> registration of young men for a future draft.<\/p>\n

Respondents to the poll were asked, \u201cIf President Trump implemented a military draft, would you support or oppose it?\u201d, which implies (incorrectly) that the President could activate a draft without authorization from Congress.<\/p>\n

But the focus of the question on whether respondents would approve of an action by President Trump makes it even more noteworthy that a preponderance of Republicans \u2013 presumably supporters of the President \u2013 would oppose an attempt by Trump to activate a draft. 41% of Republicans would oppose a Trump draft, compared to 33% who would support it. Among Republicans as among all other groups, most opponents of a draft hold their views \u201cstrongly\u201d, while most supporters would only \u201csomewhat\u201d support a draft.<\/p>\n

Members of Congress have long been afraid that speaking out against trying to maintain \u201creadiness\u201d for a draft, even if draft registration has been a failure<\/a> and trying to activate a draft would be a fiasco<\/a>, would hurt them at the polls.<\/p>\n

The takeaway from this latest opinion poll is that members and candidates for Congress regardless of party have much more to gain than to lose by taking a clear, strong stand against any draft.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Selective Service Repeal Act<\/a> (S.4537) has bipartisan support in the Senate, but it doesn\u2019t yet have a sponsor in the current session of the House of Representatives. It\u2019s unlikely to be enacted (or even given a hearing or brought to a vote) as a standalone bill, rather than as part of some larger \u201cmust-pass\u201d bill. The best chance for passage of the Selective Service Repeal Act would be if it is included in the annual National Defense [sic] Authorization Act (NDAA).<\/p>\n

This Thursday, 4 June 2026, the House Armed Services Committee<\/a> (HASC) will begin its markup<\/a> of this year\u2019s NDAA.<\/p>\n

Opponents of the draft, especially those who are represented by <\/strong>members<\/strong><\/a> of the HASC, should call their Congressional representatives this week and urge them to introduce the Selective Service Repeal Act as an amendment to the NDAA as well as a standalone bill.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let them know that \u2013 as the latest poll clearly shows \u2013 opposing a draft will win them far more votes than it will lose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new poll by Overton Insights shows the breadth and depth of opposition to a military draft \u2013 and how far members of Congress lag behind popular anti-draft (and anti-war) sentiment. All categories of Americans who were polled would oppose a draft: Republicans, Democrats, and independents; women and men; people of draft age and people 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