Poll: Voters Grow More Confident Their Votes Will Count

Mon, November 03, 2008 - 3:23 PM

Voters nationwide have grown more confident in recent years that their votes will be counted, a new poll released Monday shows.

In 2004, 51 percent of all voters were concerned about that, according to a telephone survey of 716 voters Wednesday by the Marist Institute of Public Polling in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Now, just 36 percent now are concerned, according to Marist. Its findings have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The survey also found:

-- 43 percent of Barack Obama’s supporters question whether all ballots will included in the vote totals, while 26 percent of McCain’s voters doubt the system;

-- 72 percent of registered voters nationwide expect there to be long lines at their voting place;

-- 48 percent of Obama supporters say they will wait as long as it takes to cast their ballot; 39 percent of McCain’s backers say they will stick it out;

-- 44 percent say they expect people will be confused about how to cast their ballot, slightly less than the 49 percent who told Marist that four years ago;

-- 52 percent of Obama supporters believe it is very likely or likely that some people will be confused by the process, compared to 34 percent of McCain’s backers.

-- Billy House, Media General News Service