Majority of voters plan to vote in-person this year despite pandemic, poll finds

A solid majority of registered U.S. voters plans to vote in-person during the presidential election this year, despite the ongoing pandemic that has kept Americans away from public place and larger gatherings, according to a new Just the News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen.

Six out of every 10 voters plan to cast their ballots at a polling place in November, while 33% plan to vote by mail. Just 7% are  undecided. 

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Just the News Daily Poll

With Scott Rasmussen

The interest in going to polling stations to cast a ballot comes even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues its course throughout the country, though daily new cases in the U.S. have been declining steadily for over a month.

"By way of comparison, roughly 21% of votes were cast by mail in 2016," Rasmussen said. "Thus, the polling data suggests a very significant increase in voting by mail. However, most will still vote in person."

Noting the partisan divide in responses, Rasmussen pointed out that "most Republicans (77%) and Independents (56%) plan to vote in person. However, Democrats are evenly divided – 46% say in person and 46% by mail."

Among Independent voters, 13% were unsure how they would vote, while  8% of Democrats and 2% of Republicans also expressed uncertainty, Rasmussen also pointed out.

"That could possibly suggest a very modest turnout advantage for the GOP," he said. "In normal times, those who are not sure how they will vote are somewhat less likely to vote. However, during the pandemic, this may also simply reflect a wait-and-see attitude."

The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted by Rasmussen using a mixed-mode approach from August 20-22.

To see this poll's cross-demographic tabulations, click here. 

To see this poll's methodology and sample demographics, click here.