On Politics

Wed Sep 6 2023

Marina Pitofsky | Associate Editor/Politics

Hi OnPolitics readers! An exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll shows that unlikely voters – or voters who are eligible to vote but say they likely won't − back former President Donald Trump over President Joe Biden.

These registered unlikely voters said they prefer Trump over Biden by nearly 20 percentage points, 32% to 13%.

Unregistered unlikely voters would choose Trump over Biden, too: Citizens who are eligible to vote but haven't registered also favor Trump by close to 2-1, 28%-15%.

The support for the former president over the current one comes after Trump has spent years saying without evidence that the 2020 election was rigged against him, USA TODAY's Susan Page and Ken Tran report.

🗳️ What about a third party? Twenty-seven percent of these unlikely voters say they support a third-party or other candidate.

✖️ An open-ended question about why they don't plan to vote prompted a litany of grievances about the candidates, the elections that put them in office, and the government they lead if they win.

"My vote doesn't matter" was one of the most frequent responses among those who aren't registered. Other top reasons included "don't care," "don't believe in the voting/political system" and "system is rigged/corrupt." Nearly 1 in 10 cited "poor candidate choices."

"It's just a game; it's not even serious," said Phillip Benjamin, 40, an engineer from Atlanta who was among those called in the poll.

🌟 For subscribers: Inside our poll: The unlikely voters of 2024 want a 3rd party, or maybe 4 or 5

Takeaways from an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll of those who plan to stay home on Election Day finds support for Trump and brutal views of Biden.

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