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August 31, 2020

Voting during COVID

This week we asked about voting during a pandemic. The answers that our users could choose from can roughly be summarized as

  1. Vote by mail (for everyone)
  2. No-fault absentee voting (for everyone)
  3. Expand locations and hours (but not vote-by-mail)
  4. Leave it to each state.
  5. Don’t change anything

We found that in general there was a ⅔ majority for allowing everyone to vote either absentee or by mail. However, there are some clear differences based on age and party affiliation.

The crosstabs
18-29
43%
15%
18%
20%
30-49
60%
20%
12%
50-64
24%
37%
27%
65+
88%
10%
vote-by-mailno-fault absenteeexpand hours and locationsleave to statedon't change anything
 See the details below →

About 60% of those in age groups from 18-64 believe in either universal vote-by-mail or no-fault absentee voting for everyone. A sizable minority of 40% prefers other solutions. For those 65 and older, the picture is entirely different: 90% believe that they should be able to vote by mail or absentee. It suggests that those most at risk during the pandemic are aware of those risks and are looking for an alternative to still vote.

The crosstabs
Dem
85%
Rep
26%
17%
23%
19%
15%
Ind
42%
22%
17%
14%
vote-by-mailno-fault absenteeexpand hours and locationsleave to statedon't change anything
 See the details below →

There is a clear partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats support by 92% universal vote-by-mail or absentee ballots for everyone who wants it. Only 43% of Republicans support these. A majority of over 60% of Independents and 3rd party voters, support vote-by-mail or universal no-fault absentee ballots.

Overall, it seems that while universal vote-by-mail may elicit some opposition, allowing everyone to vote absentee during the pandemic can count on strong support among most groups in our country.

The Details

The answers as asked

Charts and tables use the short label at the start of each line.

  1. vote-by-mail: Every state should move to a vote-by-mail system.
  2. no-fault absentee: Every state should move to no-fault absentee ballots.
  3. expand hours and locations: We should expand voting hours and/or polling locations to limit crowds during voting, but donΓÇÖt need to expand mail-in ballots.
  4. leave to state: Every state should make its own decisions.
  5. don't change anything: There is no need to make any specific changes related to the pandemic.

What voters said

Percentages over all 5 choices · 346 registered voters · MoE ±5.3%

vote-by-mail
52%
no-fault absentee
14%
expand hours and locations
15%
leave to state
14%
don't change anything
6%

The full crosstab table

ActiVote · Voting during a Pandemic · August 31, 2020
ActiVote 346 RV vote-by-mail no-fault absentee expand hours and locations leave to state don't change anything
National ±5.3% MoE 52% 14% 15% 14% 6%
Gender Men 48% 19% 17% 10% 6%
Women 58% 5% 12% 21% 5%
Age 18-29 43% 15% 18% 20% 5%
30-49 60% 1% 20% 6% 12%
50-64 24% 37% 8% 27% 4%
65+ 88% 2% 10% 0% 0%
Ethnicity White 53% 11% 16% 13% 6%
Black 66% 11% 5% 11% 7%
Latino 45% 15% 28% 8% 4%
Education High school 62% 11% 6% 19% 2%
Some college 50% 10% 16% 15% 9%
Bachelor's 42% 24% 23% 5% 6%
Income <50k 64% 2% 14% 16% 4%
50k-100k 48% 3% 19% 21% 10%
>100k 42% 44% 10% 0% 4%
Affiliation Dem 85% 7% 4% 4% 0%
Rep 26% 17% 23% 19% 15%
Ind 42% 22% 17% 14% 5%
Region Dark Red 27% 19% 10% 36% 8%
Light Red 74% 5% 11% 6% 4%
Swing 51% 12% 24% 0% 13%
Light Blue 53% 35% 0% 12% 0%
Dark Blue 54% 3% 25% 13% 5%
Methodology. Fielded August 2020 among 346 registered voters nationwide. Responses weighted by Demographics and Spectrum. Average expected error ±5.3%. See Why trust our polls? for the methodology, disclosures and accuracy record.