A poll released this week found that a majority of registered voters support including women in a military draft.
The poll, conducted by the Florida-based CapitolSoup.com and Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, found that 59 percent of registered voters polled believe women should be included in a draft. Thirty-eight percent said women should not.
Women supported drafting women more than men, with 61 percent of women favoring such a draft, compared to 57 percent of men.
Democrats were also more likely to favor drafting women than Republicans and independents: 80 percent of Democrats supported it, compared with 53 percent of independents and 40 percent of Republicans.
“This poll documents a real evolution in public opinion about women serving in combat,” said CapitalSoup.com spokeswoman Michelle Ubben. “It reflects some interesting divides, with twice as many Democrats supporting women in the draft as Republicans.”
“Clearly, women are not shying away from an equal responsibility to serve our country,” she added
The poll comes as the Pentagon works out plans to integrate women into most combat roles, including special operations.
While the poll was released this week, the survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted on March 27 and 28 and April 1, 2013. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points.