A majority of voters oppose President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate on private businesses, a poll found Monday.
The poll, which was conducted by Convention of States Action and the Trafalgar Group, found that nearly 59 percent of voters say Biden lacks the constitutional authority to force private businesses to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for their employees. That number includes around 68 percent of independents, 84 percent of Republicans, and 27 percent of Democrats.
Nearly 56 percent of voters, including 58 percent of independents, say Biden's mandate sets a dangerous precedent that future presidents could abuse. Fifty-six percent of voters also support governors' efforts to oppose Biden's order.
The president on Sept. 9 announced the unprecedented and legally dubious mandate on private businesses, which the Department of Labor will carry out through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The mandate is a significant change for Biden, who last year said forcing the vaccines on Americans was "not the role of the federal government." The move will likely harm poor and minority Americans, many of whom have not received the vaccines.
"Any punitive measures against those refusing vaccinations—loss of jobs, bar on entrance to public spaces or travel—will disproportionately fall on those who are most economically vulnerable," left-wing journalist Glenn Greenwald warned after Biden announced the mandate.
At least seven governors and the Republican National Committee have pledged to sue the administration over the mandate, which pro-vaccine Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson (R.) said "disrupts and divides the country."
The Trafalgar Group, which conducted the poll, is best known for accurately predicting a Donald Trump victory in the 2016 presidential election. It inaccurately predicted a Trump victory in the 2020 election.