AP VoteCast: Florida voters sour on state of nation
Steven Wine | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 1 month AGO
Voters in Florida made their pick for president while holding negative 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 42% of Florida voters said the U.S. is on the right track and 57% 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 3,698 voters and 792 nonvoters in Florida -- conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.
TRUMP VS BIDEN
In the race for president, Biden had an advantage over Trump among voters under 45 but older voters were more likely to prefer Trump over Biden.
Biden appeared to lead among Latino voters. Black voters were more likely to back Biden over Trump. Trump was preferred among white voters.
Voters without a college degree appeared to prefer Trump over Biden. Trump was roughly even with Biden among college-educated voters.
Voters in cities were more likely to prefer Biden. Suburban voters appeared to prefer Trump over Biden. Voters in small towns and rural areas were more likely to favor Trump.
FACING THE PANDEMIC
The coronavirus pandemic has spread through the U.S. for roughly eight months, killing more than 230,000 Americans. Overall, 22% of voters said the virus in the U.S. is completely or mostly under control, and 31% said it’s somewhat under control. Forty-seven percent of voters think the coronavirus is not at all under control in this country.
ON THE ISSUES
The coronavirus pandemic was top of mind for many voters in Florida. Forty percent said it is the most important issue facing the country today.
Voters also considered the economy a major issue, with 29% saying it ranked at the top.
Nine percent named health care, 7% named racism and 4% named law enforcement.
NATIONAL ECONOMY
Voters were slightly negative in their assessments of the nation's economy. Overall, 46% described economic conditions in the U.S. as excellent or good, and 54% called them not so good or poor.
STAYING AT HOME
Among registered voters who chose not to cast a ballot in Florida, 24% said that was because they don't like politics generally, 22% said they don't like the candidates and 15% said their vote doesn't matter.
In Florida, 63% of nonvoters were younger than 45 and 78% did not have a college degree.
---
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 3,698 voters in Florida 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 percentage points. Find more details about AP VoteCast's methodology at https://ap.org/votecast.
---
Online:
For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. presidential elections: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2020
ARTICLES BY STEVEN WINE
Dolphins sign 4 likely starters, including CB Byron Jones
MIAMI (AP) — After months of hoarding resources for rebuilding, the Miami Dolphins finally started spending Monday when they sealed deals with four likely starters in the early hours of free agent negotiations.
No. 13 Florida State prevails
Mountaineers roll in Orange Bowl
MIAMI - The West Virginia Mountaineers were tough to slow down, and only the Orange Bowl mascot could stop Darwin Cook.