Results from the eighth week of the 2020 Latino Weekly Tracking Poll from NALEO Educational Fund and Latino Decisions offer exclusive insight into the Latino electorate’s views on the 2020 presidential election. The poll, conducted by Latino Decisions October 19-24, has a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percent. The first week of the poll was September 1-6, with each week seeing an additional 400 Latino registered voters (500 in Week 5) take the survey. Over the course of the nine-week tracking poll, 3,700 unique Latino voters are being asked about the candidates for President and Vice President of the United States, how they plan to vote in November, and their feelings about major issues facing the country.

For the duration of the poll, NALEO Educational Fund and Latino Decisions have held weekly press calls to discuss the results every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT, with the final press call on Monday, November 2, at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT.

“As we continue to see early voting turnout in record numbers across the country, a third of Latino voters have already cast their ballots,” stated Arturo Vargas, NALEO Educational Fund Chief Executive Officer. “With four out of every 10 Latino voters saying they know someone who has died from COVID-19, it is no surprise that the virus continues to be the leading issue for the community as we head to the polls. When you combine this reality with the additional challenges the virus is creating for Latino voters, like job losses and other financial struggles, the candidates’ stances on COVID-19 response will likely shape the end result of how Latino voters cast their ballots.”

“Despite the massive barriers imposed by COVID-19 on voter outreach, Latinos are reporting high levels of contact by Democrats and Republicans,” said Dr. Stephen Nuño-Perez, Director of Communications and Senior Analyst at Latino Decisions. “As we go into the stretch, Latinos are poised to be the difference in battleground states that can go in either

direction.”

Key findings from Week 8 include:

Candidate Favorability

-Vice President Joe Biden saw a 41-point advantage in favorability over President Donald Trump, and Senator Kamala Harris saw a 24-point advantage in favorability over Vice President Mike Pence

-68 percent of survey respondents plan on voting for Vice President Joe Biden, and 24 percent plan on voting for President Donald Trump

Voter Enthusiasm, Disinformation, and Election Preferences

-34 percent (up 18 points from last week) of respondents say they have already voted

-Alongside those who have already voted, 52 percent of survey respondents say they are almost certain they will vote in 2020

-82 percent of respondents are either just as or more enthusiastic about voting in 2020 than they were in 2016, with 62 percent saying they are more enthusiastic about 2020

-Survey respondents indicate that of remaining Latino voters, 37 percent prefer to vote by mail, and 63 percent prefer to vote in person

-79 percent (high point in the survey) say they are familiar with how to request a mail-in-ballot

-Among the respondents who plan to vote in person, 55 percent plan to vote on Election Day

-For those who still plan to vote by mail, 55 percent plan on voting right away, with 45 percent planning on voting-by-mail closer to Election Day

-Nearly a third of survey respondents (32 percent) say they do not trust that mail-in-ballots will be correctly delivered back to county elections departments

-71 percent of survey respondents think ballot drop boxes are a good idea

-77 percent (high point in the survey) of survey respondents are concerned that family or friends are being sent digitally altered videos meant to mislead the public about the presidential candidates

-Although 93 percent of respondents believe they will personally have the opportunity to freely and fairly vote in the election, 71 percent (up six points from last week) are concerned that if Vice President Joe Biden wins, there will not be an orderly transition of power

Voter Engagement

-85 percent of respondents say they are following the news of the presidential election

-81 percent of survey respondents said they discussed politics with family and friends

-53 percent of respondents said they have discussed a candidate or political issue on social media

-76 percent (high point in the survey) of survey respondents say they encouraged family or friends to register to vote

-61 percent (high point in the survey) of respondents have been contacted by a representative from a political party, campaign, or other organization in the lead up to Election 2020 (highest point in 2016 was 46 percent)

-Of those who said they had been contacted this election cycle, 56 percent indicate someone from the Democratic Party contacted them, 39 percent indicate someone from the Republican Party, and 30 percent indicate someone from a non-partisan or civic organization

Issues COVID-19, healthcare, racism and discrimination, and jobs remain the most important issues among survey respondents, with the following breakdown:

-Responding to COVID-19: 49 percent

-Lowering healthcare costs: 32 percent

-Jobs and wages: 28 percent

-Racism and discrimination: 25 percent

-Immigration reform and protecting immigrant rights: 22 percent

-Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead President Donald Trump with respect to whom respondents trust in handling the following issues:

-Access to affordable healthcare

Biden (68 percent)

Trump (16 percent)

-Improving the economy

Biden (55 percent)

Trump (30 percent)

-Immigration reform

Biden (62 percent)

Trump (18 percent)

-Bringing the country together

Biden (65 percent)

Trump (16 percent)

-76 percent of survey respondents believe President Donald Trump contracted COVID-19 because he failed to take the proper precautions and was acting irresponsibly

-69 percent disapprove of the way President Trump is handling the COVID-19 response

-With Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing, 65 percent of survey respondents say that the Senate should wait until after the election to let the next president make the nomination for her replacement

35 percent say the Senate should vote on President Trump’s nominee

COVID-19 Challenges

-In addition to the 40 percent (highest point in the survey, up 11 points from last week) of this week’s survey respondents who say they know someone who has died from COVID-19, 32 percent (up six points from last week) say they have had trouble getting access to food, medicine, or basic household needs, as a result of the pandemic, and 47 percent (highest point in the survey, up six points from last week) say they had to use savings or retirement money to pay for expenses

-29 percent of survey respondents have lost their job as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

-18 percent (high point in the survey) of respondents have been sick with COVID-19