AP VoteCast: Illinois voters sour on state of nation

Voters in Illinois 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 36% of Illinois voters said the U.S. is on the right track and 64% 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 2,878 voters and 666 nonvoters in Illinois -- conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

TRUMP VS BIDEN

In the race for president, Biden was preferred over Trump among voters under 45. Older voters leaned toward Biden over Trump.

Both Black voters and Latino voters were more likely to back Biden but Trump was preferred over Biden among white voters.

College-educated voters were more likely to back Biden over Trump while Biden was neck and neck with Trump among voters without a college degree.

Biden led among both voters in cities and suburban voters but voters in small towns and rural areas were more likely to back Trump over Biden.

RACE FOR SENATE

In the race for U.S. Senate, Durbin was preferred over Curran among voters under 45. Richard Durbin had an apparent advantage among older voters.

Both Black voters and Latino voters were more likely to support Durbin. Curran had an apparent advantage among white voters.

Voters without a college degree appeared to prefer Durbin. Durbin led Curran among college-educated voters.

Durbin was preferred among both voters in cities and suburban voters. Voters in small towns and rural areas were more likely to support Curran.

FACING THE PANDEMIC

The coronavirus pandemic has spread through the U.S. for roughly eight months, killing more than 230,000 Americans. Overall, 16% of voters said the virus in the U.S. is completely or mostly under control, and 28% said it’s somewhat under control. Fifty-five 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 Illinois. Forty-four percent said it is the most important issue facing the country today.

Voters also considered the economy a major issue, with 27% saying it ranked at the top.

Eight percent named health care, 7% named racism and 4% named law enforcement.

NATIONAL ECONOMY

Voters were more negative than positive in their assessments of the nation's economy. Overall, 36% described economic conditions in the U.S. as excellent or good, and 63% called them not so good or poor.

STAYING AT HOME

Among registered voters who chose not to cast a ballot in Illinois, 22% said that was because their vote doesn't matter, 19% said they don't like politics generally and 14% said they don't like the candidates.

In Illinois, 76% of nonvoters were younger than 45 and 82% 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 2,878 voters in Illinois 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 2.3 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