Election Day 2020 by the Numbers

Build Up to Election Day with Some Numbers to Guide You

With early voting humming along and Nov. 3 just days away, the personal-finance website WalletHub today followed up its report on the best political party for the economy by releasing its Election Day 2020 By The Numbers report, which should help make doing your civic duty more entertaining.

For political junkies, the report is filled with fun facts on elections past and present – a small sample of which you can find below:

• 56% – Of voters say the main reason they support Biden is that he is not Trump (compared to 19% of voters who say the opposite).
• $5.2M – Income earned by Joe Biden from speeches (with an average speaking fee of $128K).
• +$3.7T – Projected change in Real GDP during the first four years of a Biden presidency (+$2.8T for Trump).
• 15 States – Have new laws that could make it more difficult to vote this year (in addition to 35 states with voter ID requirements).
• 12 States – Have expanded absentee/mail voting eligibility this year.
• 67% – Of Americans say it is likely that the pandemic will disrupt the presidential election; nearly half of Americans expect to have difficulties casting a ballot.
• 79% – Registered voters say the economy is very important to their vote in 2020, followed by health care (68%), Supreme Court appointments (64%) and the coronavirus outbreak (62%).

Even with checks and balances, four years of executive power can change the country – perhaps even the course of history – considerably. As a result, every presidential election, from FDR’s near-sweep of Republican Alf Randolph in 1936 to the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2000’s Bush v. Gore nail-biter, matters a great deal and is, indeed, historic, writes .John S Kiernan, Managing Editor. This Election Day feels especially important, too, set against the backdrop of COVID-19, a crucial Supreme Court nomination and a fiercely divided electorate.

On the left, we have the oldest presidential candidate ever, at 77 years old. And on the right, we have the oldest president ever, a 74-year-old real-estate mogul and former reality TV star whose brash, off-the-cuff style has captivated the country, though not always in a good way.

However it shakes out, this crazy campaign is finally coming to an end. So, as we wait for Nov. 3 and wonder what the future has in store for our country, our wallets and our kids’ futures, it’s worth reminding ourselves what Election Day is all about, both this year and in general.

For the full Election Day 2020 By The Numbers report, please click here.