Single-issue crypto voters weigh in on midterms ahead of US election day

On November 8th, registered voters across the United States will vote for political candidates to represent them at the local, state and federal levels – and for some people, crypto is the main issue.

Voters took to social media during early voting in certain US states and ahead of Election Day to declare that despite many of the issues driving people to the polls – including ensuring free and fair elections, gun control and abortion – digital assets were at the forefront of their decision-making process. President Joe Biden’s term does not end until January 2025, but future majority control of both the House and Senate is currently hanging in the balance, with a number of openly pro-crypto candidates running.

“Two thoughts on the heart at the ballot box tomorrow,” so Twitter user MetaSailor. “1. What is the candidate’s position on Crypto? 2. What is the candidate’s position on the decriminalization of cannabis?”

Although many Republican lawmakers and those in their base have supported crypto-related regulations and policies, promoting adoption or a framework for digital assets is not limited to one side of the political aisle. President Biden, a Democrat, signed an executive order establishing a regulatory framework for digital assets in March, and members of his party have been working with Republican lawmakers on stablecoin legislation.

“We need a few Democrats and a few Republicans in Congress who want their states to be crypto-friendly to pass a good bipartisan bill that protects Americans’ rights to buy, sell, and hold crypto,” said Reddit user Invest07723.

Related: US election update: Where do the pro-crypto candidates stand ahead of the election?

“It’s the most consistent choice that crypto has ever had,” Jeff Howard, North American head of business development at digital assets platform OSL, told Cointelegraph. “It will determine how crypto is regulated for many, many years to come.”

According to Howard, crypto has become a force to be reckoned with in elections because a number of political action committees that fund candidates and crypto groups have become “a true voting block.” However, the party that takes control of the House or Senate can influence ongoing digital asset legislation in the United States:

“Democrats are more concerned with consumer protection and financial inclusion, where Republicans are more concerned with financial innovation and a kind of free market economy.”

A survey initiated by asset management firm Grayscale in October suggested that about a third of US voters planned to evaluate political candidates’ positions on crypto in the midterm elections. According to a CNN report on November 4, approximately 41 million people in 47 states participated in early voting, but the majority of those ballots came from voters over the age of 65.