Most US voters believe democracy is under threat: election polls

Washington:

Nearly three-quarters of voters in Tuesday's presidential election believe American democracy is under threat, according to data from Edison Research's national election poll. This reflects the deep concern facing the nation following a contentious election campaign between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.

According to the data, democracy and the economy were by far the most important issues for voters, followed by abortion and immigration. The poll found that 73% of voters believed democracy was in danger, while only 25% said it was safe.

The numbers reflect only a portion of the tens of millions of people who voted both before and on Election Day, and the preliminary results may change throughout the night as more people are polled.

The two rivals hurtled toward an uncertain conclusion after a dizzying campaign as millions of American voters waited in calm, orderly lines Tuesday to choose between two starkly different visions for the country.

A race roiled by unprecedented events – two assassination attempts against Trump, President Joe Biden's surprise retirement and Harris' rapid rise – remained neck-and-neck after billions in spending and months of hectic campaigning.

Trump, who has frequently spread false claims that he won the 2020 presidential election against Biden and whose supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, voted near his home in Palm Beach, Florida.

“If I lose an election, if it's a fair election, I'll be the first to acknowledge that,” Trump told reporters.

Harris, who previously mailed her ballot to her home state of California, spent part of Tuesday encouraging listeners to vote in radio interviews. She was later scheduled to speak to students at Howard University, a historically black college in Washington where Harris studied.

“To return to Howard University, my beloved alma mater, tonight and hopefully see this day for what it is, really brings me full circle,” Harris said in a radio interview.

The results of national election polls offer an important glimpse into the nation's mindset, but may not directly correspond to the seven battleground states that are expected to decide the presidential election.

Election surveys capture differences in voter turnout across different demographic groups, e.g. B. between male and female voters or college-educated and non-college-educated voters, and can provide insights into how voter turnout has changed compared to previous elections.

A key advantage of election polls is that all people surveyed are, by definition, people who voted in this election.

Opinion polls before the election showed the candidates neck and neck in each of the seven states expected to determine the winner: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

No matter who wins, history will be made.

Harris, 60, the first female vice president, would become the first woman, Black woman and South Asian American to win the presidency. Trump, 78, the only president to be impeached twice and the first former president to be criminally convicted, would also be the first president in more than a century to win non-consecutive terms.

The contest reflects a deeply polarized nation whose divisions have only widened during a closely contested race. Trump used increasingly dark and apocalyptic rhetoric during the election campaign. Harris has urged Americans to come together and warned that a second Trump term would threaten the foundations of American democracy.

Control of both chambers of Congress is also up for debate. Republicans have an easier path in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats are defending several seats in Republican-leaning states while the House looks like a mess.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)