Crypto and decentralization could influence voters in 2022 US midterm elections: Report

A poll of 800 likely midterm voters in four U.S. swing states suggested that the overwhelming majority favored ideas around decentralization, and many were HODLers.

According to a Sept. 29 report from venture capital firm Haun Ventures on a survey conducted by business intelligence company Morning Consult, roughly one in five voters polled in New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania said they owned cryptocurrency or nonfungible tokens. In addition, 91% of respondents supported a “community owned, community governed” internet that “gives people greater control over their information.”

“Significantly, and reflective of how the values that voters associate with Web3 will drive electoral behavior, voters are less likely to support candidates perceived as standing in the way of a decentralized internet,” said Haun Ventures. “In other words, as both parties consider how good Web3 policy will translate into good politics, the values of Web3 are what voters want to see elected officials supporting, not standing in the way of.”

Today, we’re sharing a poll commissioned by Haun Ventures and conducted by Morning Consult of likely 2022 midterm voters in four key swing states (OH, PA, NH and NV) that surveyed voters’ views on web3 and how they might impact their vote in November. https://t.co/NhMSviztDJ

— Haun Ventures (@HaunVentures) September 29, 2022

The survey noted that the voters polled leaned slightly Democratic, but promoting a decentralized and democratized internet seemed to be a bipartisan issue, with both sides having “limited faith in the government’s ability” to regulate Web3. Haun Ventures reported that 55% of voters surveyed would be less likely to vote for political candidates who opposed internet decentralization policies, while 72% of HODLers in the poll said they owned digital assets “because they want an economic system that is more democratized, fair, and works for more people.”

“This poll makes it clear that in these swing states, Web3 Voters now represent a significant cohort of the middle class electorate, and are younger and more diverse than the population as a whole.”

Related: US lawmaker hints at calling for Republican votes in 2022 midterms over crypto policies

The poll targeted people planning to vote in the 2022 midterm elections in the United States, to be held in November with candidates taking office in January. Morning Consult conducted the survey from Sept. 15–20. Katie Haun, a Coinbase board member and former board member for OpenSea, raised $1.5 billion to form Haun Ventures in March for investments in Web3.