Voters in Alabama made their pick for president while holding mixed views about the country’s direction, according to an expansive AP survey of the American electorate.
The race between President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden concluded Tuesday as the nation remains in the throes of a global public health crisis and mired in the economic downturn it brought on. AP VoteCast found that 52% of Alabama voters said the U.S. is on the right track and 48% of voters said it is headed in the wrong direction.
Here’s a snapshot of who voted and what matters to them, based on preliminary results from AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of about 133,000 voters and nonvoters — including 1,905 voters and 526 nonvoters in Alabama — conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.
TRUMP VS BIDEN
In the race for president, Trump led Biden among both voters under 45 and older voters.
Black voters were more likely to favor Biden over Trump but Trump was preferred among white voters.
Trump had an advantage among both voters without a college degree and college-educated voters.
Voters in cities were more likely to back Biden but Trump was preferred among both suburban voters and voters in small towns and rural areas.
RACE FOR SENATE
In the race for U.S. Senate, Tommy Tuberville appeared to lead Doug Jones among voters under 45. Older voters were more likely to prefer Tuberville.
Black voters were more likely to support Jones over Tuberville but Tuberville led among white voters.
Both voters without a college degree and college-educated voters were more likely to back Tuberville.
Voters in cities were more likely to back Jones. Tuberville had an edge over Jones among suburban voters. Voters in small towns and rural areas were more likely to support Tuberville over Jones.
FACING THE PANDEMIC
The coronavirus pandemic has spread through the U.S. for roughly eight months, killing more than 230,000 Americans. Overall, 25% of voters said the virus in the U.S. is completely or mostly under control, and 35% said it’s somewhat under control. Forty percent of voters think the coronavirus is not at all under control in this country.
ON THE ISSUES
The coronavirus pandemic and the economy were top of mind for many voters in Alabama. Thirty-three percent said the coronavirus pandemic is the most important issue facing the country today. Thirty-two percent named the economy.
Ten percent named racism, 9% named health care and 5% named law enforcement.
NATIONAL ECONOMY
Voters were more positive than negative in their assessments of the nation’s economy. Overall, 55% described economic conditions in the U.S. as excellent or good, and 45% called them not so good or poor.
STAYING AT HOME
Among registered voters who chose not to cast a ballot in Alabama, 28% said that was because they don’t like politics generally, 18% said they don’t like the candidates and 14% said they are concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus.
In Alabama, 72% of nonvoters were younger than 45 and 88% did not have a college degree.
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AP created this story automatically using results from AP VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for Fox News, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Univision News, USA Today Network, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press. The survey of 1,905 voters in Alabama was conducted for eight days, concluding as polls closed. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. The survey combines a random sample of registered voters drawn from the state voter file and self-identified registered voters selected from nonprobability online panels. The margin of sampling error for voters is estimated to be plus or minus 2.7 percentage points. Find more details about AP VoteCast’s methodology at https://ap.org/votecast.
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For AP’s complete coverage of the U.S. presidential elections: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2020
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