Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

9 hours ago

US Senate Committee Backs $1 Billion for Ukraine in Pentagon Spending Bill

11 hours ago

Trump Says Mexico Trade Deal Extended for 90 Days

13 hours ago

Wall Street Jumps as Microsoft Enters $4 Trillion Club After Results

14 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

1 day ago

Neptune to Launch a Creator-First, Customizable Algorithm Social Platform to Rival TikTok

1 day ago

Kamala Harris Will Not Run for Governor of California in 2026

1 day ago

Trump Pushes for Release of Epstein, Maxwell Grand Jury Testimony

1 day ago
AP VoteCast: Many Trump Voters Skeptical of Vote Count
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
November 4, 2020

Share

WASHINGTON — Four years of partisan discord and a tumultuous election have left U.S. voters deeply divided on everything from public health, racial justice and the economy to whether votes would be counted fairly, according to AP VoteCast, a national survey of the electorate.

Supporters of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden found little common ground on the top crises facing the nation. But among the few shared views: Trump has changed the way things work in Washington. Most Trump voters say he has changed Washington for the better; most Biden voters say he’s changed it for the worse.

Here’s a snapshot of who voted and what matters to them, based on preliminary results from AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 133,000 voters and nonvoters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

Voter Confidence

Trump for months has sought to sow doubts about how the vote-counting — especially of mail-in ballots, which take longer to count and tend to favor Democrats —claiming without evidence that the process was ripe for fraud and that Democrats would try to steal the election.

The survey suggest his voters were listening.

Trump supporters were more likely to distrust the vote-counting process, though voters for both candidates had their doubts. About 7 in 10 voters were confident that votes would be counted accurately, though only about a quarter of voters were “very confident.” Almost 8 in 10 Biden voters were confident, compared with about 6 in 10 Trump supporters.

Trump voters felt more confident about another democratic institution that has already played a role in this year’s election — the Supreme Court. The high court, along with lower courts, handled lawsuits in recent weeks about the count of mail-in ballots in several states. That was before conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett filled her seat on the Supreme Court after the Republican-controlled Senate sped through her confirmation just before the election.

About 9 in 10 Trump voters were at least somewhat confident in the high court to be fair and impartial in its decisions, compared with about half as many Biden voters.

Two Different Worlds

Longstanding partisan divides have defined the past four years, explaining why roughly three-quarters of voters said they’ve known all along who they were supporting in this election. VoteCast shows stark differences between Trump and Biden supporters — on the virus, the economy, even on football.

As U.S. coronavirus cases rise, claiming more than 232,000 lives, a majority of Biden voters — about 6 in 10 — said the pandemic was the most important issue facing the country. And Biden voters overwhelmingly said the federal government should prioritize limiting the spread of the virus — even if that damages the economy.

But Trump voters were more focused on the economy. About half of Trump voters called the economy and jobs the top issue facing the nation, while only 1 in 10 Biden voters named it most important.

The two groups did not agree on the state of the economy, either. Trump voters remain adamant that the economy is in good shape: About three-quarters call national economic conditions excellent or good. About 8 in 10 Biden voters call them not so good or poor.

Partisanship even seemed to cloud views on football among voters in many states, including Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. When the coronavirus threatened the Big Ten’s college football season, Trump campaigned on ensuring the games would be played. Not surprisingly, across eight states, voters who approved of the Big Ten playing this year supported Trump over Biden. Those who saw it as a mistake were more likely to back Biden.

Loyal to Trump

Trump won four years ago with a message of disruption, promising to shake up the Washington establishment, roll back regulations and put America first — and his message still resonates with his supporters. They like what they’re seeing.

Trump voters overwhelmingly said their vote was an endorsement of him, not cast in opposition to Biden. And they were somewhat more likely than Biden voters to say they agreed with their candidate all or most of the time, 81% versus 74%.

An overwhelming majority of Trump voters continue to want to shake up the political system — even after four years of Trump’s leadership. But in a twist, a large majority of Democrats now agree — although they’d like a shake-up to oust Trump.

But both candidates’ voters expressed worries about Washington corruption, with an overwhelming majority saying they believe corruption would be a “major problem” in their opponent’s administration.

The Pandemic’s Personal Impact

Although a wide majority of voters said the coronavirus pandemic has affected them personally, there were deep racial and partisan disparities.

About 4 in 10 Black voters and about 3 in 10 Latino voters said they lost a family member or close friend to the virus, while just about 1 in 10 white voters said the same.

Latino and Black voters also were more likely to lose household income because of the pandemic: nearly half of Latino voters and about 4 in 10 Black voters, compared with about a third of white voters.

Voters in cities were more likely than those in other communities to say they have lost a close friend or family member. Urban voters also report income loss somewhat more than other voters.

All these groups of voters fall into Biden’s column, meaning his voters were somewhat more likely than Trump voters to say they’ve felt the impact in at least one of the ways the survey asked about, 73% to 62%.

RACIAL UNREST

A summer of protests and sometimes-violent clashes over racial inequality in policing exposed sharply divergent views on racism.

An overwhelming majority of Black voters said racism in the U.S. is a “very serious” problem, but fewer than half of white voters said it is.

Nearly two-thirds of Black voters and about 4 in 10 Latino voters said police are too tough on crime. But among white voters, only about a quarter said police are too tough and roughly as many said police are not tough enough.

Those divisions translate into partisan splits. Biden voters almost universally said racism is a serious problem in U.S. society and in policing, including about 7 in 10 who called it “very” serious. A slim majority of Trump voters — who are overwhelming white — called racism a serious problem in U.S. society, and just under half said it was a serious problem in policing.

But compared with the pandemic and the economy, relatively few voters deemed racism or law enforcement the country’s top issue: 7% said racism was most important and just 4% said law enforcement was.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Sets 10% to 41% ‘Reciprocal’ Tariffs on Dozens of Countries’ Exports

DON'T MISS

Fresno Fire Displaces Family of Three, Pets Rescued

DON'T MISS

Measure C Advisory Group Still Squabbling but Agrees on Mission Statement

DON'T MISS

Adopt Eevee and She’ll Bring Sunshine Into Your Life

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Arrest Suspect, Recover Firearms and Drugs in Fowler

DON'T MISS

Countries With No Trade Deal Will Hear From US by Midnight, White House Says

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Envoy Meets Netanyahu for Gaza Aid, Ceasefire Push

DON'T MISS

Fresno’s $100M Warehouse Project Means Big Things for City: Dyer

DON'T MISS

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Fire Responds to Three-Alarm Fire at Commercial Building Near Tipton

UP NEXT

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

UP NEXT

Yosemite’s Largest Campground Reopens Friday After $26.2 Million Renovation

UP NEXT

US Senate Committee Backs $1 Billion for Ukraine in Pentagon Spending Bill

UP NEXT

Trump Says Mexico Trade Deal Extended for 90 Days

UP NEXT

Judges Question Whether Trump Tariffs Are Authorized by Emergency Powers

UP NEXT

US Treasury Chief Says He Expects Fed Chair Announcement by Year’s End

UP NEXT

High Noon Recalls Mislabeled Vodka Seltzers Shipped in Celsius Cans, NBC Reports

UP NEXT

Trump Says US and Pakistan Have Concluded a Trade Deal

UP NEXT

Trump Imposes Scaled-Back Copper Tariff, US Prices Plunge

UP NEXT

Neptune to Launch a Creator-First, Customizable Algorithm Social Platform to Rival TikTok

Adopt Eevee and She’ll Bring Sunshine Into Your Life

7 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Arrest Suspect, Recover Firearms and Drugs in Fowler

7 hours ago

Countries With No Trade Deal Will Hear From US by Midnight, White House Says

8 hours ago

Trump’s Envoy Meets Netanyahu for Gaza Aid, Ceasefire Push

8 hours ago

Fresno’s $100M Warehouse Project Means Big Things for City: Dyer

9 hours ago

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

9 hours ago

Tulare County Fire Responds to Three-Alarm Fire at Commercial Building Near Tipton

10 hours ago

If Texas Gerrymanders Its House Districts, Costa Says California Must Follow Suit

10 hours ago

Yosemite’s Largest Campground Reopens Friday After $26.2 Million Renovation

11 hours ago

Two Men Shot During Fight at Tulare Apartment Complex

11 hours ago

Trump Sets 10% to 41% ‘Reciprocal’ Tariffs on Dozens of Countries’ Exports

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday imposing reciprocal tariffs ranging from 10% to 41% on U.S. imports from dozens...

4 hours ago

President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 8, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
4 hours ago

Trump Sets 10% to 41% ‘Reciprocal’ Tariffs on Dozens of Countries’ Exports

A fire sparked by oily rags displaced a Fresno family and damaged their home Thursday, July 31, 2025, but firefighters rescued three dogs, a chameleon, and a turtle with no injuries reported. (Fresno FD)
6 hours ago

Fresno Fire Displaces Family of Three, Pets Rescued

Measure C MeasureC Highway 41 HWY41 Transportation tax (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)
7 hours ago

Measure C Advisory Group Still Squabbling but Agrees on Mission Statement

Eevee Is GV Wire's Adoptable Cat of the Week, July 31, 2025
7 hours ago

Adopt Eevee and She’ll Bring Sunshine Into Your Life

Fresno County authorities helped Fowler police arrest a suspect on Thursday, July 31, 2025, and seize stolen firearms, drugs, ammunition, and cash following a grand theft investigation. (Fowler PD)
7 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Arrest Suspect, Recover Firearms and Drugs in Fowler

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 31, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
8 hours ago

Countries With No Trade Deal Will Hear From US by Midnight, White House Says

Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 30, 2025. (Reuters File)
8 hours ago

Trump’s Envoy Meets Netanyahu for Gaza Aid, Ceasefire Push

9 hours ago

Fresno’s $100M Warehouse Project Means Big Things for City: Dyer

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend