SUSA (Survey USA) is out with it’s 3rd poll this month of the Presidential and U.S. Senate races, reporting Biden leading by +5% and Smith by +3% statewide. SUSA is my favorite pollster because not only are they accurate enough to earn an A rating from 538, they also neatly break down the results by groups and geographies- This means I can easily pith out results for rural areas and western Minnesota’s 7th congressional district area.
For western Minnesota the presidential race is solidifying with the percentage of undecided voters dropping and Trump leading Biden 50% to 41% percent, a double digit plus improvement on Hillary’s performance. In the Senate race Lewis is leading Smith 49% to 40%, but the poll was taken before pistol packin’ Lewis ‘Bama republican primary style TV ad started airing in heavy rotation, even in the metro…
As this post goes to “press”, A federal appeals court stopped Minnesota from counting mail ballots that are postmarked election day. SUSA again sheds light on the effects, reporting that statewide 31% of their survey respondents had already voted. But only 20% of Trump supporters and 44% of Biden supporters have already voted as of the 23rd to 27th, no doubt those numbers are a bit higher now. 27% of rural voters and 25% of western Minnesota respondents had already voted, while 35% of suburban voters had.
So statewide, with republicans voting later, the GOP may have disenfranchised as many of their own voters as they have DFLers. In the metro post offices are nearby, are open all day, and several trucks a day haul mail to and from the nearby sorting centers, so you could probably drop your letter at the Post Office at just before 5 on Monday and still have it arrive at the local elections office on election day and be counted.
“out here” the Post Office moves (slowly) on a whole different schedule, when it runs on schedule. My local part time Post Office in Tyler gets one truck a day and it leaves before noon, the news of this GOP disenfranchisement hit here early this Thursday evening. Mail your ballot on lunch hour Friday and it won’t move more than a few feet until Saturday, when it gets trucked to Windom and then hopefully makes the truck to the cities postal sorting centers Saturday afternoon. With overtime cancelled by Trump’s appointed Postmaster General, that ballot will sit ’til Sunday night and maybe made the truck to Willmar and get transferred to the ruck to Marshall early Monday or election day morning… Or maybe not.
So while this GOP disenfranchisement may be a wash in the cities, out here in rural CD7 it could massively disenfranchise democratic voters… And hand close down ballot races to the GOP!
Sassy Democrat 