Reader polls
Reader polls
Every other number on this site measures what a government did. These measure what our readers think about it — the one thing we can only find out by asking. Answer the open ones; the closed ones keep their results.
Reader poll — an opt-in sample of FreedomRankings visitors, not a representative survey of the public. Poll results never feed a state score, an official's record, or the Accountability Index.
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Should states ban universities from confining protest to free-speech zones?
At least 23 states have outlawed restrictive campus free-speech zones - small designated areas to which expression is confined. Public universities are already bound by the First Amendment; these laws add a specific state rule and a way for a student to enforce it.
Reader poll — an opt-in sample of FreedomRankings visitors, not a representative survey of the public.
Should cities be allowed to cap how fast rent can rise?
Eight states and DC allow some form of rent control; more than 30 prohibit their own cities from trying it. Nearly all modern rent control is rent stabilisation - a cap on how fast rent may rise each year - rather than a freeze.
Reader poll — an opt-in sample of FreedomRankings visitors, not a representative survey of the public.
Should more states abolish their income tax?
Nine states levy no broad income tax on wages; New Hampshire became the ninth in 2025. The revenue is not simply forgone - those states lean harder on sales, property or severance taxes, and total burdens are closer than the headlines suggest.
Reader poll — an opt-in sample of FreedomRankings visitors, not a representative survey of the public.
Should public education money follow the child to a private or home school?
In 2021 no state let every family take public education dollars outside the public system. Nineteen now do. Eligibility is not the same as a seat, though - EdChoice counts only five of those programmes as truly universal, and several run waitlists.
Reader poll — an opt-in sample of FreedomRankings visitors, not a representative survey of the public.
Should carrying a concealed handgun require a permit?
29 states now let most adults carry a concealed handgun without a permit; the other 21 and DC still require one. Permitless carry changes the carry rules only - age limits, prohibited-person rules and the federal background check on dealer sales apply either way.
Reader poll — an opt-in sample of FreedomRankings visitors, not a representative survey of the public.
Should police be able to keep seized cash and property without a criminal conviction?
Civil asset forfeiture lets law enforcement keep cash, cars or property without ever charging the owner with a crime. Since 2014, 39 states and the District of Columbia have changed their forfeiture laws, but what those changes require varies widely from state to state.
Reader poll — an opt-in sample of FreedomRankings visitors, not a representative survey of the public.
Should qualified immunity be abolished?
Qualified immunity shields government officials from being sued personally unless they violated law that was already 'clearly established'. A bill to abolish it, extended to federal officers, was introduced in Congress in 2026, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and California are weighing their own limits.
Reader poll — an opt-in sample of FreedomRankings visitors, not a representative survey of the public.
Should Supreme Court justices serve fixed 18-year terms instead of life tenure?
A Senate bill introduced in July 2026 would seat a new justice every two years for an 18-year term, done by statute rather than by constitutional amendment. Supporters call it a fix for a politicised court; critics argue Congress cannot restructure the bench without amending the Constitution.
Reader poll — an opt-in sample of FreedomRankings visitors, not a representative survey of the public.
Should members of Congress be barred from buying individual stocks?
In July 2026 the House passed a partial ban, 232-198. It would stop members, their spouses and dependent children from buying individual stocks, but let them keep and sell what they already own. The bill is now with the Senate.
Reader poll — an opt-in sample of FreedomRankings visitors, not a representative survey of the public.