AP exit poll shows many unhappy with handling of virus

An AP exit poll shows voters rank the pandemic and the economy as top concerns in the race between President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden.

About 4 in 10 voters say the coronavirus pandemic is the top issue facing the nation. Roughly 3 in 10 called the economy and jobs most important. Trump, who has downplayed the virus, sought to focus his campaign on the pre-pandemic economy, while Biden has said the economy won’t improve unless the virus is controlled.

Voters are more likely to think the government should prioritize limiting the spread of the coronavirus — even if it damages the economy — than to say the economy should be the top priority.

Roughly half of voters say the coronavirus situation in the US is not at all under control. About 6 in 10 voters said the economy is in poor shape, while about 4 in 10 said economic conditions are excellent or good.

Roughly three-quarters say they’ve known all along who they were supporting in this election.

About a quarter of voters say they are very confident that the votes in the election will be counted accurately, while 4 in 10 were somewhat confident. Roughly 3 in 10 said they are not confident in an accurate vote count.

The preliminary results come from AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 127,000 voters and nonvoters conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

— AP