What’s on Pa.’s mind before Election Day? A new poll points the way | The Numbers Racket

By: Cassie Miller - November 2, 2020 6:30 am

In the last few days before Election Day, Franklin & Marshall College has released it’s October polling data.

The poll surveyed 558 likely voters in Pennsylvania, including 268 Democrats, 229 Republicans and 61 independents.

The October poll has a 5 percent margin of error.

Let’s take a look:

99 Problems

Respondents ranked COVID-19 the most important problem facing Pennsylvania (27 percent).

Rounding out the top 5 were:

Government and politics; 16 percent
Unemployment, personal finance; 10 percent
Economy, finances; 8 percent
Taxes; 6 percent

Voting

Up slightly from September, 98 percent of respondents said they were certain to vote in the Nov. 3 general election.

42 … the percentage of respondents who said they would vote by mail-in ballot.

4 … the percentage of respondents who said they would vote by absentee ballot.

53 … the percentage of respondents who said they would vote in person.

1 … the percentage of respondents who said they did not know how they plan to vote.

Of those respondents who said they would vote via mail-in or absentee ballot, 85 percent said they have completed and returned ballot.

For or Against?

Seventy-eight percent of respondents who said they were voting for Donald Trump said the vote was for him, rather than against Biden.

Fifty-four percent of respondents who said they were voting for Joe Biden said the vote was against Trump while 44 percent said their vote was for Biden.

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Cassie Miller

A native Pennsylvanian, Cassie Miller worked for various publications across the Midstate before joining the team at the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. In her previous roles, she has covered everything from local sports to the financial services industry. Miller has an extensive background in magazine writing, editing and design. She is a graduate of Penn State University where she served as the campus newspaper’s photo editor. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in professional journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In addition to her role at the Capital-Star, Miller enjoys working on her independent zines, Dead Air and Infrared. Follow her on Twitter: @Wordsby_CassieM.