隨著全美提前投票人數(shù)打破紀(jì)錄,政治分析家和競(jìng)選團(tuán)隊(duì)正在審查大量的選民數(shù)據(jù),,試圖尋找線索來(lái)破解關(guān)鍵問(wèn)題:誰(shuí)在投票,?誰(shuí)會(huì)贏?
在某種程度上,,答案很簡(jiǎn)單,。根據(jù)美聯(lián)社對(duì)提前投票的分析,在一些報(bào)告選民黨派歸屬的州,,注冊(cè)民主黨人明顯超過(guò)注冊(cè)共和黨人——高出14個(gè)百分點(diǎn),。
但這并不是故事的全部。許多美國(guó)人的投票選擇與他們注冊(cè)的政黨并不一致,。與此同時(shí),,民調(diào)顯示,共和黨人已經(jīng)聽(tīng)取了特朗普總統(tǒng)就郵寄投票發(fā)布的毫無(wú)根據(jù)的警告,,很多人打算在選舉日投票,。這意味著,民主黨在提前投票方面的領(lǐng)先優(yōu)勢(shì),,有可能會(huì)在周二被激增的共和黨投票率所抵消,。
美國(guó)人史無(wú)前例的投票方式讓大選形勢(shì)變得更加錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜。盡管民主黨渴望看到其助選聯(lián)盟的關(guān)鍵組成部分(即年輕選民、黑人選民和新選民)踴躍投票的跡象,,但今年的情勢(shì)很難與2016年進(jìn)行比較,。
對(duì)于提前投票選民,我們有所了解,,但也有不了解的地方,。詳情如下:
提前投票率激增
截至上周五下午,已有8,680萬(wàn)人在美國(guó)總統(tǒng)大選中投票,。這一數(shù)字相當(dāng)于2016年大選投票總數(shù)的63%,。大多數(shù)選舉專家認(rèn)為,在2020年大選中,,美國(guó)人將投出1.5億到1.6億張選票,。這意味著,這次大選的投票進(jìn)程很可能已經(jīng)進(jìn)行了一半多,。比如,,在得克薩斯州,目前已投選票比2016年大選的全部選票還要多,。
根據(jù)美聯(lián)社對(duì)政治數(shù)據(jù)公司L2的數(shù)據(jù)分析,,民主黨在提前投票中以47%對(duì)33%遙遙領(lǐng)先于共和黨。
這并不意味著民主黨會(huì)贏,。但它確實(shí)會(huì)增加共和黨人背負(fù)的壓力——要想贏得大選,,他們必須在選舉日獲得類似或更大的優(yōu)勢(shì)才行。
新選民正在出現(xiàn)
所有選舉都面臨一個(gè)跟高投票率有關(guān)的問(wèn)題:哪一方正在吸引新選民,?數(shù)據(jù)顯示,,民主黨人正在實(shí)現(xiàn)這一目標(biāo),但未必像一些龐大的總體數(shù)字所顯示的那樣引人注目,。
根據(jù)美聯(lián)社的分析,,超過(guò)四分之一(27%)的投票來(lái)自新選民或不太經(jīng)常投票的選民。這些選民要么以前從未投過(guò)票,,要么投票的次數(shù)不到他們有資格參與的選舉活動(dòng)的一半,。這聽(tīng)起來(lái)是個(gè)很大的數(shù)字,但并不比往年大太多,。民主黨數(shù)據(jù)公司Catalist發(fā)現(xiàn),2016年,,大約四分之一的選民在此前一屆總統(tǒng)選舉中沒(méi)有投票,。
不過(guò),這個(gè)數(shù)字有可能會(huì)繼續(xù)增長(zhǎng),,因?yàn)樾逻x民和不經(jīng)常投票的選民往往會(huì)在接近選舉日的時(shí)候,,或者選舉日當(dāng)天投票。在選情焦灼的戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州,,即使是微小的增長(zhǎng)也會(huì)帶來(lái)不同的結(jié)果,。
這一數(shù)字的增長(zhǎng)對(duì)民主黨人來(lái)說(shuō)似乎是個(gè)好消息,。在那些不經(jīng)常投票的選民和新選民中,有43%是注冊(cè)民主黨人,,注冊(cè)共和黨人僅占四分之一,。剩下的三分之一是獨(dú)立選民或者在小黨派登記的選民,而這一群體傾向于支持民主黨候選人,。
這些選民集中在陽(yáng)光地帶,,特別是像佛羅里達(dá)、北卡羅萊納,,尤其是德克薩斯這樣的州,。民主黨希望通過(guò)動(dòng)員一大批缺席大多數(shù)競(jìng)選活動(dòng)的選民來(lái)贏得本次大選。
“民主黨人已經(jīng)在擴(kuò)大他們的選民規(guī)模,?!泵裰鼽h數(shù)據(jù)公司TargetSmart的分析師湯姆?博尼爾表示,“這顯然對(duì)拜登有利,,但切勿忘記我們以前聽(tīng)過(guò)一百萬(wàn)次的警告:我們不知道在選舉日會(huì)有多少其他選民出來(lái)投票,。”
黑人選民保持穩(wěn)定
拜登的命運(yùn)可能跟戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州黑人選民是否踴躍投票密切相關(guān),。到目前為止,,約9%的提前投票是非洲裔美國(guó)人投出的,大致相當(dāng)于黑人選民占2016年選民總數(shù)的比例,。據(jù)皮尤研究中心估算,,在2016年大選中,黑人約占投票選民總數(shù)的10%,。
在幾個(gè)戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州,,黑人選民在提前投票中的比重跟他們所占的選民份額高度一致。在北卡羅來(lái)納州,,他們?cè)谒刑崆巴镀边x民和所有注冊(cè)選民的占比均為21%,。在喬治亞州,他們占提前投票的30%,,占注冊(cè)選民的32%,。
在2016年大選中,黑人選民的投票率較2008年和2012年的超高數(shù)字略有下降,,這是導(dǎo)致民主黨落敗的原因之一,。民主黨及其支持者正在密切關(guān)注這一次會(huì)發(fā)生什么。
到目前為止的數(shù)據(jù)仍然模棱兩可,。年長(zhǎng)非洲裔美國(guó)人的選票一直在激增,。65歲及以上的黑人選民已經(jīng)是最可靠的投票人口統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)之一。但根據(jù)TargetSmart的數(shù)據(jù),在亞利桑那州,、佛羅里達(dá)州,、佐治亞州、內(nèi)華達(dá)州,、北卡羅來(lái)納州和德克薩斯州這六個(gè)關(guān)鍵的戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州,,他們的選票已經(jīng)超越了他們的人數(shù)。
與此同時(shí),,服務(wù)業(yè)雇員國(guó)際工會(huì)(SEIU)的數(shù)據(jù)顯示,,與2016年相比,更年輕,、不那么可靠的黑人選民在黑人選票中所占比例更高,。這表明,在2016年減少的那部分選民的投票率有所提升,。
組織者說(shuō),,黑人選民正在疲于應(yīng)對(duì)新冠疫情和經(jīng)濟(jì)崩潰(值得指出的是,他們?cè)馐艿拇驌糇顬閲?yán)重),,同時(shí)還在積極參與全美各地對(duì)種族歧視的清算運(yùn)動(dòng),。SEIU工會(huì)國(guó)際主席瑪麗?凱?亨利表示,這些因素促使他們竭力克服持續(xù)存在的投票障礙,。
亨利指出,,“黑人和棕色人種社區(qū)面臨著多重危機(jī)?!彼a(bǔ)充說(shuō),,這更加堅(jiān)定了他們投票的決心。
SEIU工會(huì)表示,,在賓夕法尼亞州,,每4個(gè)黑人選民中就有3個(gè)還沒(méi)有投票。由于擔(dān)心黑人選民寄回郵寄選票的速度較慢,,該工會(huì)正在將資源轉(zhuǎn)移到賓夕法尼亞州的助選活動(dòng)中,。
民主黨希望在年輕選民中找到亮點(diǎn)
美聯(lián)社的分析顯示,截至上周五,,11.3%的提前投票是由18歲至29歲的年輕選民投出的,。相較于2016年的這個(gè)時(shí)點(diǎn),這項(xiàng)比率略有上升,,當(dāng)時(shí)有9.6%的提前投票是由30歲以下選民投出的,。
根據(jù)美聯(lián)社的數(shù)據(jù),在佛羅里達(dá)州,、喬治亞州和北卡羅來(lái)納州這幾個(gè)地處陽(yáng)光地帶的戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州,年輕選民的投票率高達(dá)30%或以上。
這對(duì)民主黨來(lái)說(shuō)又是一個(gè)好兆頭,,但只是非常初步的跡象,。年輕選民傾向于民主黨,而當(dāng)民主黨人涌向投票站時(shí),,他們的投票人數(shù)會(huì)更高也就不足為奇了,。
根據(jù)美國(guó)人口普查數(shù)據(jù),在2018年,,年輕選民的投票率達(dá)到前所未有的水平,。在有資格投票的年輕選民中,有36%的選民參與投票,。這幫助民主黨贏得了眾議院控制權(quán),。
就剛剛獲得投票資格的18歲和19歲年輕人而言,年輕選民倡導(dǎo)者擔(dān)心新冠疫情會(huì)導(dǎo)致他們的選民登記人數(shù)急劇下降,。
然而,,根據(jù)塔夫斯大學(xué)信息研究和公民學(xué)習(xí)與參與中心的數(shù)據(jù),在幾乎所有的州,,年輕選民在注冊(cè)選民人口中的比例仍然高于2016年,。這既反映了人口增長(zhǎng),也反映了導(dǎo)致2018年中期選舉結(jié)果的年輕選民注冊(cè)人數(shù)增加這一事實(shí),。
佛羅里達(dá)大學(xué)教授邁克爾?麥克唐納經(jīng)營(yíng)的選舉網(wǎng)站ElectProject.org一直在密切追蹤提前投票情況,。他警告稱,不要從年輕選民人數(shù)較2016年的增長(zhǎng)變化中得出太多結(jié)論,?!澳贻p人的投票率上升了?!彼f(shuō),,“一切都在上升。如果選舉投票率很高,,就會(huì)發(fā)生這種情況,。”
高投票率會(huì)左右選舉結(jié)果嗎,?
共和黨人辯稱,預(yù)計(jì)的創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄投票率不會(huì)對(duì)戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州的選情造成太大影響。
特朗普的競(jìng)選團(tuán)隊(duì)預(yù)測(cè),,等到所有選票統(tǒng)計(jì)完畢后,,2020年的戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州投票率將與2016年相差無(wú)幾,。
“他們給選民隊(duì)伍帶來(lái)的變化是完全可預(yù)測(cè)的,。”談到民主黨人時(shí),,特朗普競(jìng)選團(tuán)隊(duì)?wèi)?zhàn)場(chǎng)州戰(zhàn)略總監(jiān)尼克?特拉納這樣說(shuō)道,。“我們也會(huì)把我們自己的新選民帶入選民隊(duì)伍,,等著瞧吧,?!?/p>
這跟幾位選舉專家的看法大相徑庭。無(wú)論是從提前投票數(shù)字,,還是從民調(diào)中,他們都看到了戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州選民投票熱情高漲的跡象,。
追蹤提前投票的共和黨民調(diào)專家約翰?庫(kù)維恩表示,,特朗普競(jìng)選團(tuán)隊(duì)過(guò)于輕視了?!拔以?008年也聽(tīng)到過(guò)類似的態(tài)度,,共和黨人當(dāng)時(shí)對(duì)奧巴馬激發(fā)的超高提前投票率持否定態(tài)度?!睅?kù)維恩說(shuō),。
麥克唐納指出,,在選舉日之前沒(méi)有辦法知道答案,。
不過(guò),,他指出,,如果投票率低,,對(duì)特朗普來(lái)說(shuō)不一定是好消息,因?yàn)槊裰鼽h人已經(jīng)在提前投票中積聚了巨大的領(lǐng)先優(yōu)勢(shì),。這意味著特朗普總統(tǒng)的競(jìng)選活動(dòng)需要以更大的優(yōu)勢(shì)贏得選舉日,。
“他們最好希望自己的看法是錯(cuò)的,?!丙溈颂萍{說(shuō)。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:任文科
審校:夏林
隨著全美提前投票人數(shù)打破紀(jì)錄,政治分析家和競(jìng)選團(tuán)隊(duì)正在審查大量的選民數(shù)據(jù),,試圖尋找線索來(lái)破解關(guān)鍵問(wèn)題:誰(shuí)在投票,?誰(shuí)會(huì)贏?
在某種程度上,,答案很簡(jiǎn)單。根據(jù)美聯(lián)社對(duì)提前投票的分析,,在一些報(bào)告選民黨派歸屬的州,,注冊(cè)民主黨人明顯超過(guò)注冊(cè)共和黨人——高出14個(gè)百分點(diǎn),。
但這并不是故事的全部,。許多美國(guó)人的投票選擇與他們注冊(cè)的政黨并不一致,。與此同時(shí),,民調(diào)顯示,,共和黨人已經(jīng)聽(tīng)取了特朗普總統(tǒng)就郵寄投票發(fā)布的毫無(wú)根據(jù)的警告,很多人打算在選舉日投票,。這意味著,,民主黨在提前投票方面的領(lǐng)先優(yōu)勢(shì),,有可能會(huì)在周二被激增的共和黨投票率所抵消。
美國(guó)人史無(wú)前例的投票方式讓大選形勢(shì)變得更加錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜,。盡管民主黨渴望看到其助選聯(lián)盟的關(guān)鍵組成部分(即年輕選民,、黑人選民和新選民)踴躍投票的跡象,但今年的情勢(shì)很難與2016年進(jìn)行比較。
對(duì)于提前投票選民,,我們有所了解,,但也有不了解的地方。詳情如下:
提前投票率激增
截至上周五下午,已有8,680萬(wàn)人在美國(guó)總統(tǒng)大選中投票,。這一數(shù)字相當(dāng)于2016年大選投票總數(shù)的63%,。大多數(shù)選舉專家認(rèn)為,在2020年大選中,,美國(guó)人將投出1.5億到1.6億張選票,。這意味著,,這次大選的投票進(jìn)程很可能已經(jīng)進(jìn)行了一半多。比如,,在得克薩斯州,,目前已投選票比2016年大選的全部選票還要多。
根據(jù)美聯(lián)社對(duì)政治數(shù)據(jù)公司L2的數(shù)據(jù)分析,,民主黨在提前投票中以47%對(duì)33%遙遙領(lǐng)先于共和黨,。
這并不意味著民主黨會(huì)贏。但它確實(shí)會(huì)增加共和黨人背負(fù)的壓力——要想贏得大選,,他們必須在選舉日獲得類似或更大的優(yōu)勢(shì)才行,。
新選民正在出現(xiàn)
所有選舉都面臨一個(gè)跟高投票率有關(guān)的問(wèn)題:哪一方正在吸引新選民?數(shù)據(jù)顯示,,民主黨人正在實(shí)現(xiàn)這一目標(biāo),,但未必像一些龐大的總體數(shù)字所顯示的那樣引人注目。
根據(jù)美聯(lián)社的分析,,超過(guò)四分之一(27%)的投票來(lái)自新選民或不太經(jīng)常投票的選民,。這些選民要么以前從未投過(guò)票,要么投票的次數(shù)不到他們有資格參與的選舉活動(dòng)的一半,。這聽(tīng)起來(lái)是個(gè)很大的數(shù)字,,但并不比往年大太多。民主黨數(shù)據(jù)公司Catalist發(fā)現(xiàn),,2016年,,大約四分之一的選民在此前一屆總統(tǒng)選舉中沒(méi)有投票。
不過(guò),,這個(gè)數(shù)字有可能會(huì)繼續(xù)增長(zhǎng),,因?yàn)樾逻x民和不經(jīng)常投票的選民往往會(huì)在接近選舉日的時(shí)候,或者選舉日當(dāng)天投票,。在選情焦灼的戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州,,即使是微小的增長(zhǎng)也會(huì)帶來(lái)不同的結(jié)果。
這一數(shù)字的增長(zhǎng)對(duì)民主黨人來(lái)說(shuō)似乎是個(gè)好消息,。在那些不經(jīng)常投票的選民和新選民中,,有43%是注冊(cè)民主黨人,注冊(cè)共和黨人僅占四分之一,。剩下的三分之一是獨(dú)立選民或者在小黨派登記的選民,,而這一群體傾向于支持民主黨候選人。
這些選民集中在陽(yáng)光地帶,,特別是像佛羅里達(dá),、北卡羅萊納,尤其是德克薩斯這樣的州。民主黨希望通過(guò)動(dòng)員一大批缺席大多數(shù)競(jìng)選活動(dòng)的選民來(lái)贏得本次大選,。
“民主黨人已經(jīng)在擴(kuò)大他們的選民規(guī)模,?!泵裰鼽h數(shù)據(jù)公司TargetSmart的分析師湯姆?博尼爾表示,,“這顯然對(duì)拜登有利,,但切勿忘記我們以前聽(tīng)過(guò)一百萬(wàn)次的警告:我們不知道在選舉日會(huì)有多少其他選民出來(lái)投票?!?/p>
黑人選民保持穩(wěn)定
拜登的命運(yùn)可能跟戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州黑人選民是否踴躍投票密切相關(guān),。到目前為止,,約9%的提前投票是非洲裔美國(guó)人投出的,,大致相當(dāng)于黑人選民占2016年選民總數(shù)的比例,。據(jù)皮尤研究中心估算,在2016年大選中,,黑人約占投票選民總數(shù)的10%,。
在幾個(gè)戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州,,黑人選民在提前投票中的比重跟他們所占的選民份額高度一致,。在北卡羅來(lái)納州,,他們?cè)谒刑崆巴镀边x民和所有注冊(cè)選民的占比均為21%。在喬治亞州,,他們占提前投票的30%,,占注冊(cè)選民的32%。
在2016年大選中,,黑人選民的投票率較2008年和2012年的超高數(shù)字略有下降,,這是導(dǎo)致民主黨落敗的原因之一。民主黨及其支持者正在密切關(guān)注這一次會(huì)發(fā)生什么,。
到目前為止的數(shù)據(jù)仍然模棱兩可,。年長(zhǎng)非洲裔美國(guó)人的選票一直在激增。65歲及以上的黑人選民已經(jīng)是最可靠的投票人口統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)之一。但根據(jù)TargetSmart的數(shù)據(jù),,在亞利桑那州,、佛羅里達(dá)州、佐治亞州,、內(nèi)華達(dá)州,、北卡羅來(lái)納州和德克薩斯州這六個(gè)關(guān)鍵的戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州,他們的選票已經(jīng)超越了他們的人數(shù),。
與此同時(shí),,服務(wù)業(yè)雇員國(guó)際工會(huì)(SEIU)的數(shù)據(jù)顯示,與2016年相比,,更年輕,、不那么可靠的黑人選民在黑人選票中所占比例更高。這表明,,在2016年減少的那部分選民的投票率有所提升,。
組織者說(shuō),黑人選民正在疲于應(yīng)對(duì)新冠疫情和經(jīng)濟(jì)崩潰(值得指出的是,,他們?cè)馐艿拇驌糇顬閲?yán)重),,同時(shí)還在積極參與全美各地對(duì)種族歧視的清算運(yùn)動(dòng)。SEIU工會(huì)國(guó)際主席瑪麗?凱?亨利表示,,這些因素促使他們竭力克服持續(xù)存在的投票障礙,。
亨利指出,“黑人和棕色人種社區(qū)面臨著多重危機(jī),?!彼a(bǔ)充說(shuō),這更加堅(jiān)定了他們投票的決心,。
SEIU工會(huì)表示,在賓夕法尼亞州,,每4個(gè)黑人選民中就有3個(gè)還沒(méi)有投票,。由于擔(dān)心黑人選民寄回郵寄選票的速度較慢,該工會(huì)正在將資源轉(zhuǎn)移到賓夕法尼亞州的助選活動(dòng)中,。
民主黨希望在年輕選民中找到亮點(diǎn)
美聯(lián)社的分析顯示,,截至上周五,11.3%的提前投票是由18歲至29歲的年輕選民投出的,。相較于2016年的這個(gè)時(shí)點(diǎn),,這項(xiàng)比率略有上升,當(dāng)時(shí)有9.6%的提前投票是由30歲以下選民投出的,。
根據(jù)美聯(lián)社的數(shù)據(jù),,在佛羅里達(dá)州、喬治亞州和北卡羅來(lái)納州這幾個(gè)地處陽(yáng)光地帶的戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州,年輕選民的投票率高達(dá)30%或以上,。
這對(duì)民主黨來(lái)說(shuō)又是一個(gè)好兆頭,,但只是非常初步的跡象。年輕選民傾向于民主黨,,而當(dāng)民主黨人涌向投票站時(shí),,他們的投票人數(shù)會(huì)更高也就不足為奇了。
根據(jù)美國(guó)人口普查數(shù)據(jù),,在2018年,,年輕選民的投票率達(dá)到前所未有的水平。在有資格投票的年輕選民中,,有36%的選民參與投票,。這幫助民主黨贏得了眾議院控制權(quán)。
就剛剛獲得投票資格的18歲和19歲年輕人而言,,年輕選民倡導(dǎo)者擔(dān)心新冠疫情會(huì)導(dǎo)致他們的選民登記人數(shù)急劇下降,。
然而,根據(jù)塔夫斯大學(xué)信息研究和公民學(xué)習(xí)與參與中心的數(shù)據(jù),,在幾乎所有的州,,年輕選民在注冊(cè)選民人口中的比例仍然高于2016年。這既反映了人口增長(zhǎng),,也反映了導(dǎo)致2018年中期選舉結(jié)果的年輕選民注冊(cè)人數(shù)增加這一事實(shí),。
佛羅里達(dá)大學(xué)教授邁克爾?麥克唐納經(jīng)營(yíng)的選舉網(wǎng)站ElectProject.org一直在密切追蹤提前投票情況。他警告稱,,不要從年輕選民人數(shù)較2016年的增長(zhǎng)變化中得出太多結(jié)論,。“年輕人的投票率上升了,?!彼f(shuō),“一切都在上升,。如果選舉投票率很高,,就會(huì)發(fā)生這種情況?!?/p>
高投票率會(huì)左右選舉結(jié)果嗎,?
共和黨人辯稱,預(yù)計(jì)的創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄投票率不會(huì)對(duì)戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州的選情造成太大影響,。
特朗普的競(jìng)選團(tuán)隊(duì)預(yù)測(cè),,等到所有選票統(tǒng)計(jì)完畢后,2020年的戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州投票率將與2016年相差無(wú)幾,。
“他們給選民隊(duì)伍帶來(lái)的變化是完全可預(yù)測(cè)的,?!闭劦矫裰鼽h人時(shí),特朗普競(jìng)選團(tuán)隊(duì)?wèi)?zhàn)場(chǎng)州戰(zhàn)略總監(jiān)尼克?特拉納這樣說(shuō)道,?!拔覀円矔?huì)把我們自己的新選民帶入選民隊(duì)伍,等著瞧吧,?!?/p>
這跟幾位選舉專家的看法大相徑庭。無(wú)論是從提前投票數(shù)字,,還是從民調(diào)中,,他們都看到了戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)州選民投票熱情高漲的跡象。
追蹤提前投票的共和黨民調(diào)專家約翰?庫(kù)維恩表示,,特朗普競(jìng)選團(tuán)隊(duì)過(guò)于輕視了,。“我在2008年也聽(tīng)到過(guò)類似的態(tài)度,,共和黨人當(dāng)時(shí)對(duì)奧巴馬激發(fā)的超高提前投票率持否定態(tài)度,。”庫(kù)維恩說(shuō),。
麥克唐納指出,,在選舉日之前沒(méi)有辦法知道答案。
不過(guò),,他指出,,如果投票率低,對(duì)特朗普來(lái)說(shuō)不一定是好消息,,因?yàn)槊裰鼽h人已經(jīng)在提前投票中積聚了巨大的領(lǐng)先優(yōu)勢(shì),。這意味著特朗普總統(tǒng)的競(jìng)選活動(dòng)需要以更大的優(yōu)勢(shì)贏得選舉日。
“他們最好希望自己的看法是錯(cuò)的,?!丙溈颂萍{說(shuō)。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:任文科
審校:夏林
As early voting breaks records across the U.S., political analysts and campaigns are reviewing reams of data on the voters, looking for clues to key questions: Who is voting? And who is winning?
On one level, the answers can be simple. Registered Democrats are outpacing registered Republicans significantly — by 14 percentage points — in states that are reporting voters' party affiliation, according to an Associated Press analysis of the early vote.
But that doesn't tell the whole story. Many Americans’ choices don’t align with their party registration. Meanwhile, polls show Republicans have heeded President Donald Trump's baseless warnings about mail voting, and large numbers intend to vote on Election Day. That means the early Democratic surge could give way to a Republican surge on Tuesday.
The picture is further clouded by the unprecedented nature of how Americans are voting. While Democrats are hungry for signs that key parts of their coalition — young voters, Black voters, new voters — are engaged, comparisons to 2016 are difficult.
Here's a closer look at what we know — and don't know — about early voters:
Early voting spikes
As of Friday afternoon, 86.8 million people had voted in the presidential election. That's 63% of the total who cast ballots in the 2016 race. Most election experts think the United States will see 150 million to 160 million ballots cast in 2020, which would mean that we are likely more than halfway through voting. In one state, Texas, more votes have already been cast than in all of 2016.
Democrats have a big lead in the early vote over the GOP — 47% to 33% — according to the AP analysis of data from the political data firm L2.
That doesn't mean Democrats are going to win. But it does increase the pressure on Republicans to have a similar advantage — or higher — on Election Day.
New voters are showing up
The big turnout question in all elections is: Which side is bringing in new voters? The data shows Democrats are accomplishing that — but not necessarily as dramatically as some of the big overall numbers might suggest.
More than 1 out of 4 of all ballots — 27% — were cast either by new or infrequent voters, according to AP's analysis. Those are voters who have never voted before or voted in fewer than half of the elections in which they were eligible. It sounds like a big number, but it's not too much greater than past years. The Democratic data firm Catalist found that, in 2016, roughly one quarter of the electorate didn't vote in the previous presidential election.
Still, the number may well grow, as new and infrequent voters tend to vote close to, or on, Election Day. And even small increases in the tight battlegrounds can make a difference.
A rise in that number appears to be good news for Democrats. Forty-three percent of the infrequent and new voters are registered Democrats, compared to a quarter who are Republicans. The remaining third are registered as independents or with a minor party — a group that tends to favor Democratic candidates.
The voters are clustered in the Sunbelt, particularly in states such as Florida, North Carolina and especially Texas that Democrats hope to win by mobilizing large chunks of the electorate that sit out most contests.
"Democrats are already expanding their electorate,” said Tom Bonier of the Democratic data firm TargetSmart. “That would certainly appear to be favorable for Biden — to be taken with the caveat we’ve heard a million times before, that we don’t know how many other voters will come out on Election Day.”
Black voters holding steady
Biden's fate may be tied to strong turnout among Black voters in the battleground states. So far, about 9% of the early vote has been cast by African-Americans, about on par with the 10% of the electorate Black voters made up in 2016, according to a Pew Research estimate of voters in that election.
Black voters are tracking closely with their share of the electorate in several battlegrounds. In North Carolina, they are 21% of both all early voters and all registered voters. In Georgia, they make up 30% of the early vote and 32% of registered voters.
A slight drop in Black voter turnout from the elevated numbers of 2008 and 2012 played a role in Democrats' 2016 loss, and the party and its supporters are watching carefully to see what happens this time.
The data so far is ambiguous. There’s been a surge in the older African-American vote. Black voters 65 and older are already one of the most reliable voting demographics, but according to TargetSmart data they have already surpassed their numbers in six key battlegrounds — Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas.
At the same time, according to data from the Service Employees International Union, younger, less reliable Black voters comprise a larger share of the Black vote right now than in 2016. That’s a sign of greater engagement in the segment of the electorate that dropped off in 2016.
Organizers say Black voters are reeling from the pandemic and economic collapse, which have hit African-Americans hardest, and the country’s racial reckoning. That’s motivating them to overcome persistent obstacles to voting, said Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees International Union.
“Black and brown communities have faced these multiple crises,” Henry said. That’s stiffened their resolve to vote, she added.
The SEIU union says 3 out of every 4 black voters have not voted yet in Pennsylvania. The union is shifting resources to its Pennsylvania turnout operations because it is concerned Black voters have been slower to return mail ballots.
Democrats hope for bright spot in young voters
As of Friday, AP's analysis showed 11.3% of early votes have been cast by voters between the ages of 18 and 29. That's up slightly from this point in 2016, when 9.6% of the early vote was cast by people under age 30, according to TargetSmart.
And in the Sunbelt battlegrounds of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, young voters are turning out at a hefty rate of 30% or above, according to AP data.
That's again a good sign for Democrats, but a very preliminary one. Young voters lean Democratic, and when Democrats rush to the polls, it's not unexpected that their numbers would be higher.
Young voters showed up in never-before-seen levels in 2018, with 36% of those who were eligible participating, according to the U.S. Census. That helped Democrats win control of the House of Representatives.
Young voter advocates were concerned about the pandemic causing a sharp drop in voter registrations among 18- and 19-year-olds who just became eligible to vote.
However, young voters are still a larger share of the registered voter population in almost all states than they were in 2016, according to the Center for Information Research and Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. That’s a reflection of both population growth and the increased registration that led to 2018.
Michael McDonald, a University of Florida professor who runs the site ElectProject.org and carefully tracks the early vote, cautioned against drawing too many conclusions from changes in the youth vote from 2016. “Youth turnout is up,” he said. “Everything’s up. That’s what happens when you have a high turnout election.”
Will high turnout sway the outcome?
Republicans argue that predicted record turnout won't matter much in battleground states.
When all the votes are counted, the Trump campaign predicts that the turnout rate in battleground states in 2020 will be similar to in 2016.
“It is pretty predictable what they’ve brought into the electorate," Nick Trainer, the Trump campaign’s director of battleground strategy said of Democrats. “We will bring our own new voters into the electorate ourselves, and it will all come out in the washing machine.”
That's a sharp break from several election experts, who see signs in both the early vote numbers and polls of voter enthusiasm in battlegrounds.
John Couvillon, a Republican pollster who tracks the early vote, said the Trump campaign is being too dismissive. “I heard the same kind of attitude in 2008, when Republicans were in denial about the impressive early vote turnout Obama was generating," Couvillon said.
McDonald notes there's no way to know until Election Day.
However, he noted that, if turnout is low, that's not necessarily good news for Trump given the big early vote lead that Democrats have banked. It would mean the president's campaign would need to win Election Day by an even larger margin.
“They better hope they're wrong,” McDonald said.