The Exit Polls conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool were released to the public at the end of Election Day, on November 3rd of 2020. Exit polls are conducted in-person immediately after a voter leaves the polling booth. Over 15,500 voters were asked a series of questions ranging from their gender to their stances on the nominees. The polls represent a general sample of each party. A red or blue voter refers to the party a person voted for in this election. A red voter is a Republican whereas blue voters are Democrats. The Republican Presidential Nominee for the 2020 Election was (incumbent) Donald J. Trump and the Democratic Nominee (former Vice President) Joseph R. Biden Jr. The 2020 Presidential Election exit polls gave a voice to the people proving how deep the polarization of beliefs in our country runs.
The questions began with gender finding that Republicans were more often male and Democrats female. In terms of age, polling data shows that young people are far more likely to vote blue. However, voters over 30 typically go either way. This shows a clear distinction between generations and how the future generation is far more liberal than their predecessors.
Striking evidence is found in how different Republican (red) and Democratic (blue) respondents view racism in the U.S. Polling data shows that Democratic voters see racism as the most important problem while Republican voters overwhelmingly do not. When questions were posed about the criminal justice system in the U.S. again there was a strong divergence in opinion. Eighty-five percent of red respondents believe the system treats all people fairly this compares with the 80% of blue voters that believe the system specifically treats Black people unfairly. The Exit Polls clearly show that a large sample of the Republican Party denies different forms of racism. Charles M. Blow, an opinion columnist from the New York Times writes, “denying racism supports it.” This is not only a clear show of polarization in political views but the morals of our country, too.
The Presidential office is a position of power to make decisions based on what each incumbent president thinks will best benefit the people of this nation. As this representative of our country is only a single person, we have the exit polls to give us a glimpse of what the people want. When the people are given a voice it is clear how deep the disagreement goes. If we refuse to unite and heal our country there is reason to believe a second American Civil War may be on the horizon.
