How Did We Vote and What For

President Trump’s job performance was the most important issue for Biden voters, closely followed by the coronavirus. For Trump voters, the economy came first and then how the president did his job.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters voted for Democrat Joe Biden in this year’s presidential election. Forty-four percent (44%) chose Trump instead. Six percent (6%) liked some other candidate, while two percent (2%) were undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

For Biden voters, the most important issue to their vote in descending order was: Trump’s overall job performance (41%); the coronavirus (35%); racial justice (8%); the economy (7%) and national security (5%). Public safety and illegal immigration were most important to statistically 0%. Two percent (2%) opted for something else.

Among Trump voters, the most important voting issue was: the economy (42%); Trump’s overall job performance (36%); the coronavirus (7%); national security (4%); illegal immigration (3%) and public safety (2%). Racial justice was most important to statistically 0%, while three percent (3%) put something else first.

For those who chose some other candidate, the most important issue was: the economy (28%); racial justice (20%); Trump’s job performance (20%); the coronavirus (17%); national security (6%) and public safety (4%). Illegal immigration was the top voting concern for statistically 0% of these voters. Three percent (3%) emphasized something else.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted November 3-4, 2020 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Regardless of the winner, few voters expect us all to get along after Election Day. A Trump win is expected to trigger a more violent reaction than a Biden victory.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of all voters voted in person at the polls this election cycle. Twenty-seven percent (27%) voted by absentee ballot, while 13% chose some other mail-in ballot.

In late October, 62% told Rasmussen Reports they were likely to vote in person at the polls. Twenty-five percent (25%) planned to vote by absentee ballot and 12% by some other kind of mail-in ballot.

Among those who voted in person, 44% voted early. Fifty-five percent (55%) waited to vote at the polls on Election Day.

An absentee ballot was the choice of 22% of Trump voters, 32% of Biden voters and 38% of those who voted for someone else. Eight percent (8%) of Trump voters, 16% of Biden voters and 17% of those who voted for someone else used some other kind of mail-in ballot.

Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Trump voters opted to vote in person at the polls, compared to 51% of Biden supporters and 45% of those who chose some other candidate.

Among these in-person voters, 50% of Biden supporters voted early, compared to 43% of Trump voters and 15% of those who opted for some other candidate. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Trump voters, 50% of Biden voters and 63% of those who chose someone else voted in person on Election Day.

Forty-one percent (41%) of all voters said the country is headed in the right direction just before the election. That’s the highest finding since March when the coronavirus lockdown kicked in. By comparison, this number ran in the mid- to upper 20s for much of 2016, President Obama's last full year in office.

Democrats strongly agree with Biden that America is entering “a dark winter” because of the coronavirus, but other voters aren’t nearly as gloomy.Trump is more upbeat, promising a COVID-19 vaccine soon, and most voters say they’re likely to get one.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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