According to national exit poll data from Edison Research, nearly 75% of voters in Tuesday’s presidential election feel that American democracy is under threat, underscoring the intense concern many have amid a high-stakes race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. The data revealed that democracy and the economy were the top issues for voters, followed by abortion and immigration. The poll indicated that 73% of voters felt democracy was at risk, while only 25% viewed it as secure. These figures, based on tens of millions of ballots cast on and before Election Day, may shift as more responses come in.
After a whirlwind campaign, both candidates were locked in a tight race as voters across the country turned out calmly on Tuesday to choose between their sharply contrasting visions. The election capped off a campaign marked by unprecedented events, including two assassination attempts on Trump, the unexpected exit of President Joe Biden, and Harris’ swift ascension as the Democratic candidate.
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Trump, who has often spread false claims that he won the 2020 election against Biden and whose supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, voted near his residence in Palm Beach, Florida. “If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I’m gonna be the first one to acknowledge it,” Trump assured reporters.
Harris, having cast her mail-in ballot in California, spent part of Tuesday engaging listeners in radio interviews, encouraging voter turnout. She later planned to speak to students at Howard University, her alma mater, a historically Black college in Washington, D.C. “To go back tonight to Howard University, my beloved alma mater, and be able to hopefully recognize this day for what it is is really full circle for me,” Harris said during a radio appearance.
While national exit polls offer a broad look at voter sentiment, they may not fully reflect the battleground states that will likely decide the election’s outcome. These exit polls also capture demographic shifts, such as gender and education level, giving insight into changes in voter turnout from previous elections. The advantage of exit polls is that they exclusively survey those who have actually cast ballots in the election.
Pre-election opinion polls showed a neck-and-neck race in the seven pivotal states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
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Regardless of the outcome, history will be made. If victorious, Harris, 60, would become the first female, Black, and South Asian American president. Trump, 78, already the first twice-impeached president and the first former president with a criminal conviction, could make history by winning non-consecutive terms for the first time in over a century.
The contest underscores the intense polarization in America, with divisions only heightened by a combative campaign. Trump’s rhetoric has grown increasingly dire and apocalyptic, while Harris has called for unity, warning that a second Trump term could jeopardize the foundations of American democracy.
Control of Congress is also at stake. Republicans face an easier path in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats are defending seats in Republican-leaning states, while control of the House of Representatives remains uncertain.
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