In an election year in the middle of a global coronavirus pandemic, a new study finds the majority of Americans, about 80 percent, are confident in-person polling places will be run safely.
Surveyrespondents also seem to agree that it is important for Americans to learn who won the election within a day or two of Election Day, about 82 percent, but only about 50 percent feel confident this will actually happen.
Other questions asked on a recent Pew Research Center study appear to have strong partisan divisions.
When it comes to being confident about in-person versus mail-in ballots being counted, overall 90 percent of respondents feel good about in-person ballots being counted as voters intended.
The confidence in mail-in ballots being counted as voters intended differs; just 37 percent of those who support President Donald Trump say they are confident in mail-in ballots, compared to 77 percent of those who support Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
These feelings lead to a 30-point difference in which supporters are planning to cast their ballot in person on Election Day; 50 percent of Trump supporters say they will vote in-person, while just 20 percent of Biden supporters say they will.
Roughly 20 percent of both Trump supporters and Biden supporters reported they had already voted or planned to vote in-person during their state’s early voting.
The sides also differ on their feelings about how Election Day will be administered around the country. About 90 percent of all survey participants have confidence in their local community elections to be run well.
However, 72 percent of Biden supporters feel confident about elections around the country and just 50 percent of Trump supporters feel confident about elections being run well around the country.
The survey was conducted the first week of October, talking to more than 11,900 American adults.
