CASPER, Wyo. — The University of Wyoming said on Friday that a survey conducted by the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center (WYSAC) found that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the way Wyomingites chose to vote in this year’s general election.
UW Political Science Professor Jim King directed the survey and said it indicated an increase in early voting compared with the 2018 general election.
“This year, 48 percent of Wyomingites voted early, compared with 31 percent two years ago,” King told UW.
48% of Wyomingites who voted early cast their ballots in-person and 52% cast early ballots by mail.
UW says that the survey was conducted using telephone interviews of 614 Wyomingites selected at random. Those who participated were interviewed once in mid-October and again in the week following the election.
56% of respondents who said they were worried that they or a family member might contract COVID-19 chose to vote early. 36% of people not worried about contracting COVID-19 also chose to vote early.
In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, UW says the survey suggests two other factors related to whether people chose to vote early.
“In a pattern seen across the nation this year, early voting was more common among Democrats and independents than among Republicans,” UW said. “And, as was seen in previous elections, age is associated with early voting, as older citizens commonly take advantage of the convenience offered by voting at early-voting locations or by mail.”
“This year, 64 percent of Wyomingites age 55 years and older opted to vote early, while the identical percentage of those age 54 years and younger chose to vote in person Nov. 3.”
UW says the survey was conducted by WYSAC in partnership with UW’s School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies. The survey is conducted every two years.
“The questions focus on attitudes toward government, elected officials, candidates for office and contemporary policy issues,” UW says. “The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.”
This article originally appeared on Oil City News. Used with permission.
