A new Hofstra University poll found voters have a deep mistrust of the upcoming 2020 presidential election. Nearly 30 percent of voters say they would doubt the election results if there’s no clear winner.
Craig Burnett authored the national poll. He said nearly 40 percent of voters would support their state seceding from the U.S. if their candidate does not win.
"Clearly people are frustrated, but this is such a strong response, right? That people would want to actually say it's broken and we need to rethink the construction of the United States as sort of a concept," Burnett said.
Burnett acknowledged that this is an extreme response to an extreme situation.
But in recent weeks election officials have warned that the elections results could take weeks to determine. And he says in that time voters could become more doubtful in the security of the election.
More than half of the people surveyed say they are worried about foreign election interference.
The poll also found that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a partisan issue for voters.
Burnett said Republican voters see the U.S. making a quicker recovery than Democrats in the wake of the pandemic.
Burnett attributed it to President Trump’s portrayal of the pandemic.
"Sometimes he says it's just gonna go away. Other times he says we’re gonna beat this, and we need to not shut down the economy. And I think that has an effect on people where they get these kinds of messages and they’re much more likely to accept what their similar political lead is telling them is going to happen," Burnett said.
The poll found that most Republicans prioritize economic activity amid the pandemic, while 90 percent of Democratic voters surveyed value social distancing.
Burnett said Democrats sided more with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s response and approach to the pandemic centered around on public health.