1 month ago
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Last updated November 4, 2020 9:25AM AEDT
Americans have voted in their millions and the first exit poll for the US Presidential Election is in - and it's more favourable to Donald Trump on key issues than the public opinion polling
Voters were asked for their top policy priority. The responses were the economy (34 per cent), racial inequality (21), the coronavirus (18), crime and safety (11) and healthcare (11).
Asked whether their top priority was containing the virus or rebuilding the economy, 52 per cent said the former and 42 per cent said the latter.
Forty-eight per cent of respondents said America’s virus response was going well, and 51 per cent said it was going badly.
Finally, 30 per cent of people said wearing a mask was a personal choice, whereas 68 per cent said it was a public health responsibility.
Welcome to our US Presidential Election live results blog. If you’re sick of the spin and commentary, and you just want the results as they come in, this is the place for you.
We’ll bring you live updates as they happen and a list of who has won what state. Follow our live coverage below.
Live Updates
Alexis Carey
Throughout the day, news organisations will typically call a state once they believe one candidate has a clear lead there, although those calls are not set in stone.
And while polls close at different times in different states, a result is traditionally announced on election night, usually before or around 10pm.
That means that in Australia, it’s possible we could have a result by around 1pm on Wednesday, November 4 AEST.
However, there are fears a final result may not be known for days or even weeks this time around because of a massive increase in people voting by mail in 2020 because of the threat of COVID-19.
Sam Clench
The first exit poll numbers are in from CNN.
Voters were asked for their top policy priority. Their top responses were the economy (34 per cent), racial inequality (21), the coronavirus (18), crime and safety (11) and healthcare (11).
Asked whether their higher priority was containing the virus or rebuilding the economy, 52 per cent said the former and 42 per cent said the latter.
Forty-eight per cent of respondents said America's virus response was going well, and 51 per cent said it was going badly.
Finally, 30 per cent of people said wearing a mask was a personal choice, whereas 68 per cent said it was a public health responsibility.
The exit poll also found 13 per cent of people were first time voters, a smidgen higher than the 10 per cent from four years ago.
A huge majority of people were confident in the electoral process – 46 per cent very confident and 40 per cent somewhat confident. Only 4 per cent had no confidence at all.
Finally, and perhaps most eye-catchingly, just 4 per cent of people said they made up their mind in the final week of the campaign. It was about three times that number in 2016.
English (United States)