The TAKE with Rick Klein
President Donald Trump hit Michigan on Tuesday with what has become a familiar complaint about television news.
“With them, you can't watch anything else,” he said. “Activate – COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID. COVID, COVID, COVID. COVID!”
There is a reason, of course, for the coverage. And a new ABC News/Washington Post poll out Wednesday morning shows how widely perceptions of COVID are affecting the race — particularly in a few states that are likely to matter most.
Former Vice President Joe Biden leads Trump 57-40 among likely voters in Wisconsin and 52-46 in Michigan. That's a sizable lead with less than a week to go in both key states, with Wisconsin's number impressive in its own right because it shows a wider margin than other recent polls.
One thing drives the story to Wisconsin in particular: the pandemic. The state is in the midst of a full-blown coronavirus crisis, setting new records for hospitalizations and near the top of the list for cases per capita.
The president is 20 points underwater on his handling of the pandemic in Wisconsin, and Biden is more trusted than Trump on the issue by a similar 20 points. The poll shows Trump's support among suburban voters in Wisconsin, particularly compared to Michigan.
The poll also shows Trump trailing among seniors in Wisconsin by 24 points and in Michigan by 12 points. He carried voters 65 and older in both states four years ago, according to exit polls.
Biden can win the presidency by rebuilding the blue wall — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — without carrying another Trump state. It may end up being rebuilt with the help of the crisis that defined Trump's presidency.
The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks
Worried it's too late to get that absentee ballot in the mail?
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Tuesday that she is advising voters to drop off their ballots themselves.
“Now it's important to return your ballots in person. Don't rely on the mail. No matter what state you're in, get your ballots in by your state's deadline,” Benson told ABC News Live Prime Minister Linsey Davis.
In at least 38 states this year There will be designated polling places where voters can drop off their ballots in person, and in almost all states voters can also drop off absentee ballots at county offices.
Additionally, in most states voters can actually change their mind and vote in person if they request an absentee ballot, but there are different rules about how to do so. And in some cases voters may only be given a provisional ballot.
According to the US Vote Foundation, in 15 states if a voter who changed their mind and requested an absentee ballot but now wants to vote in person, they should bring their absentee ballots and “turn them in.”
The organization writes, “In all cases, we recommend that you stick to your original voting plan — if you requested and received an absentee ballot, it is best to vote that ballot. Changing your mind creates additional work for poll workers and election officials in a year when there is already significant pressure on our electoral system”.
The TIP with Kendall Carson
The legion of early voters reflects a determined electorate, eager to express whether it believes Trump deserves a second term. And this year, the roughly 69.6 million voters who have already cast ballots are more than half the total turnout four years ago — an important indicator in an election still days away.
Despite Trump's claim on Tuesday that some voters are less determined, frantically trying to swing their votes in his favor after the second debate, he incorrectly said that most states allow voters who change their minds to cast ballots again.
Amid the massive shift to mail-in voting, only a handful of states allow voters to change their vote after they've already cast a ballot. Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire and parts of Connecticut allow voters to “spoof” their ballot and re-vote, but each state is governed by different rules and deadlines. In Minnesota, the deadline has already passed.
Some election officials also dispute the president's claim that voters are changing their minds. A spokesman for the Michigan secretary of state said most voters who ask to spoil their ballots are due to printing problems and other ballot-related errors — not because voters changed their minds. Other officials warn that the president's rhetoric could cause confusion about absentee voting so close to the deadlines.
“If someone spoils their ballot, will they get a new one back in time? With five days to go? (The president) puts another hurdle in getting a ballot returned in a timely manner,” John Gleason, Clerk of Genesee County, Michigan, told ABC News.
ONE MORE THING
A surge in coronavirus cases has hurt President Donald Trump's re-election campaign in Wisconsin, with growing criticism of his handling of the pandemic and former Vice President Joe Biden's preference for handling it. Biden holds a smaller edge in Michigan, with substantial leads among women, moderates and independents in ABC News/Washington Post polls in both states.
The PLAYLIST
ABC News' “Start Here” podcast. Wednesday morning's episode features ABC News' Eva Pilgrim in Philadelphia, where the death of a black man at the hands of police has sparked protests. ABC News Supreme Court Contributor Kate Shaw updates us on voting-related lawsuits across the country. And ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega explains what issues matter most to Latino voters this election cycle. http://apple.co/2HPocUL
ABC News' “Powerhouse Politics” podcast. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger joins ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl and Political Director Rick Klein on the “Powerhouse Politics” podcast. https://bit.ly/3jXffaT
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