Study: Only half of U.S. voters expect to know results within one or two days of election

Only half of U.S. voters expect to know who won the election within one or two days of Nov. 3, according to new research released by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday. 

The study, which compiled responses from almost 12,000 U.S. adults between Sept. 30 and Oct. 5, found that 50 percent of those polled expect to know results within two days. 

Supporters of both President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden said they expect a delay in election results, but the study overall revealed what Pew researchers described as “deep divisions” over the election process.

“Trump and Biden supporters have deep disagreements over several other aspects of the election and voting process – including whether it will be clear which candidate won even after all the votes are counted,” researchers wrote in the study. 

Pew researchers found that 55 percent of Trump supporters versus 76 percent of Biden supporters believe the winner will be clear once all the votes are counted.

The divide is even starker with regard to mail-in ballots. Around one-third of Trump supporters polled believe that mail-in ballots will be sent in on time to be counted versus around two-thirds of Biden supporters. 

Election officials are expecting an influx of mail-in ballots due to efforts to practice social distancing and minimize in-person voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Around 90 percent of Trump supporters polled by Pew were at least “somewhat confident” that in-person polling sites would be run safely and prevent the spread of COVID-19, while only 70 percent of Biden supporters thought the same. 

The differences over the voting process echo a previous study put out by Pew last week, which found that Trump supporters were more than twice as likely to cast their votes in person on Election Day than Biden supporters. 

Both Biden and Trump supporters are excited to vote in the election, with more than 70 percent of both Trump and Biden supporters saying they are “extremely motivated” to vote in the general election. 

The study was released as heated debate over the election process continues between Republicans and Democrats.

President Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on mail-in voting and the safety of ballot drop boxes and has urged his supporters to “watch” the polls, raising concerns from voting experts about the potential for voter intimidation.

A group of bipartisan secretaries of state brought together by the National Association of Secretaries of State held a press call on Wednesday to detail election preparations, warning that there would likely be delays in announcing final vote counts due to the high number of expected mail-in ballots. 

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) told reporters the state was expecting the vote counting process to potentially run through the Friday after Election Day, while the secretaries of state of Ohio, Washington and New Mexico also emphasized that results may take time this year. 

“You may have slower results. That is normal, it is part of the process and it’s making sure that we are accurately counting our ballots,” Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman (R) told reporters.