US Presidential Elections 2020 Poll Tracker: Joe Biden Leading Donald Trump by 10 Points, Democrats Predicted to Win 334 Electoral College Votes
The Democratic party is expected to bag 334 electoral college votes, way higher than the 270 required to win the presidential contest, suggested the aggregate of ongoing opinion polls whose data was compiled by CBC News. The surveyors whose numbers are used to release the daily poll tracker are monitored by the FiveThirtyEight’s Pollster Ratings.
Washington, October 16: The presidential poll tracker, based on the aggregate of major ongoing pre-poll surveys, are giving the edge to former Vice President Joe Biden. The 77-year-old Democratic Party candidate is leading against President Donald Trump by 10 points, suggest the latest polls. A total of 53.8 percent "decided voters" are backing him, the surveys predict. Trump Says He Wouldn't be US President if Barack Obama And Joe Biden Had Done Job 'Properly'.
Not only is Biden leading Trump in the estimated popular vote share, but the poll tracker has also given Democrats the edge in race of the all-important "electoral college".
The party is expected to bag 334 electoral college votes, way higher than the 270 required to win the presidential contest, suggested the aggregate of ongoing opinion polls whose data was compiled by CBC News. The surveyors whose numbers are used to release the daily poll tracker are monitored by the FiveThirtyEight’s Pollster Ratings.
Poll Tracker: Popular Vote Share
Till early hours of October 16, the aggregate of ongoing interactive polls suggested that Trump is being backed by 43.5 percent of the decided voters By "decided voters", the surveyors refer to those section of the electorate which are committed to either of the two mainstream parties or have made a clear choice in voting between Trump or Biden.
53.8 percent among such decided voters are going with Biden in the presidential polls, the surveys suggested. However, the polls do not reflect the views of undecided voters -- who can pay a crucial role in influencing the results, especially in the swing states.
Prediction on Electoral College Votes
Out of the 538 electoral college votes, a minimum of 270 are required for a candidate to be elected as the President. While the surveys suggest that the Democrats are poised to win 334 votes, here is a detailed breakdown.
Out of the 334 electors who are expected to side with Biden, 217 are categorised as "Democratic safe", 56 as "Democratic likely" and 61 as "Democratic leaning".
On the other hand, 126 electors are currently predicted to side with Trump, with 109 of them stated as "Republican safe", 14 as "Republican likely" and three as "Republican leaning". The remaining 78 electoral college votes are difficult to predict at this stage.
What About Swingstates?
The eight major swing states, known by the term due to their high electoral college vote count and non-committal nature of voters, are also largely siding with Biden as of now. Apart from Ohio and Iowa, where Trump enjoys a 2 percent and 0.4 percent lead (as per the surveys), Biden is predicted to bag the six other battleground states - Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Wisconsin by a decisive margin of 7 to 12 percent.
In the 2016 presidential polls, Trump had lost the popular vote count to then rival Hillary Clinton, but ended up winning the elections due to his strong performance in the swing states. The President is hopeful of repeating the strategy, with the bulk of his electioneering activities being focused in the swing states.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 16, 2020 05:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).