NPR: 5 Exit Poll Numbers to Watch on Election Day

Breaking out the electorate into demographics can help lay out the issues on why certain people dislike or like each candidate. It can also provide shifts in the population, which significantly alter results in this election and the next. According to a recent NPR article, these five groups show how divided the U.S. is and how the two presidential candidates have continued to polarize the country.

College-Educated Whites vs. Non-College-Educated Whites

This year’s split between college- and non-college educated whites may be the largest it has ever been according to polling data from 1992 to 2016. Whites without a college degree are heavily supporting Donald Trump while whites with a college degree are closely divided.

Hispanics

The Hispanic portion of the electorate continues to grow every year, and currently sits at 18 percent. This is a top problem for Republicans as Hispanics typically favor Democratic candidates and this year’s candidate has alienated this group. The Hispanic vote for the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, this year may prove to be the largest margin since 1976.

Split-Ticket Voters

With two very disliked candidates in this year’s election, it makes everyone wonder if the split ticket voter will reappear. From the 2012 election, 92 percent of people who voted Republican voted for Romney and 93 percent of those who voted Democratic voted for Obama. This year may be different.

Gender Divide

Typically, women tend to vote more often for Democratic candidates. This year with a female candidate on the ballot, it may be an even larger gender gap. It is worth noting that there are multiple subgroups among women that don’t necessarily all agree on one candidate.

White Republican Evangelicals

One of the most reliable voting groups is white evangelicals that vote Republican. As they continue to shift farther right each year, the support for Republican candidates reamins strong. While this may be the case in past elections, this year has been different from any other election and may be the year when this group’s Republican strength wanes ever so slightly.

Click here to read the full article.