A new Spectrum News/IPSOS poll found a majority of people in North Carolina are concerned about mail-in voting fraud, and almost a quarter of respondents said they are at least somewhat unlikely to trust the outcome of the presidential election.

The new poll, conducted between Oct. 7 and 15, found that in general, Republicans were more skeptical of mail-in voting and of the election results. It also found that Democrats are more likely to cast an absentee ballot or vote early.

What You Need To Know

  • Exclusive Spectrum News/IPSOS poll shows 84% of people in North Carolina plan to vote or already have

  • Most voters plan to vote in-person at early voting sites or on Election Day

  • Almost a quarter of people in the state say they are unlikely to trust the outcome of the presidential election

  • Read the full survey results here

The poll includes responses from 1,401 adults in North Carolina from online interviews and has a credibility interval of 3%. Spectrum News 1 will be rolling out more results from the poll in the coming days.

Many North Carolinians are concerned about the election.

The Spectrum News/Ipsos poll found about 30% of people planned to vote by absentee ballot, either by mail or dropping off their ballot. Democrats are much more likely to vote by absentee.

The majority of respondents planned to vote in person either at an early polling site or on Election Day.

Likely To Vote

The 2020 election has drawn a lot of attention across North Carolina and 84% of respondents said they plan to vote or already have. The number of likely voters is evenly split for Republicans and Democrats.
 
 

 

Voting Method

North Carolinians are also more confident in voting in person, either early or on Election Day.


 


 

Mail-In Voters

For voters who are casting mail-in ballots, a majority of Democrats are confident that their vote will count, but Republicans are more wary of voting by mail. But a majority of Republicans and Democrats are confident that their vote will count if they drop off their absentee ballot.

 

 

 

 

Voting Fraud

Republicans are also more concerned over mail-in voter fraud. But a majority of both parties say they are concerned about the potential for fraud in mail-in voting.

 

 

Trust In The Outcome

Almost a quarter of respondents to the poll said they were unlikely to trust the outcome of the election. The poll found that a large majority of both parties would trust the outcome, but Republicans were less likely to say they would believe the election results.

 

 

Trump On The Issues

The new poll asked a series of questions about how people in North Carolina viewed President Donald Trump on a number of big issues in the weeks before the General Election.

A majority viewed Trump less favorably for his comments on social distancing and wearing masks, but 20% said they viewed the president more favorably for those comments. Republicans were much more likely to view Trump positively for his comments on masks and social distancing.

 

 

Trump's Performance

In a series of questions on Trump's performance, the only one that North Carolina residents ranked the president favorably on had to do with his handling of jobs and the economy.

Here are the other results measuring Trump on the issues in North Carolina:

The handling of the current vacancy in the U.S. Supreme Court

  • More favorable: 33%
  • Less favorable: 40%
  • No impact: 21%
The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court
  • More favorable: 32%
  • Less favorable: 36%
  • No impact: 23%

The recent reporting on Trump`s tax returns

  • More favorable: 15%
  • Less favorable: 44%
  • No impact: 36%

The national recovery plan from the coronavirus

  • More favorable: 32%
  • Less favorable: 43%
  • No impact: 19%

Trump's performance in the first presidential debate

  • More favorable: 24%
  • Less favorable: 50%
  • No impact: 21%

Trump's handling of jobs and the economy

  • More favorable: 41%
  • Less favorable: 38%
  • No impact: 17%

The fact that Trump contracted COVID-19

  • More favorable: 17%
  • Less favorable: 34%
  • No impact: 44%

Trump's public comments around mask wearing and social distancing

  • More favorable: 20%
  • Less favorable: 51%
  • No impact: 26%
 

Download the full poll results data: