Democrats more likely than Republicans to mail in ballots early: poll

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to mail in their 2020 ballots at least a month before the election, according to a poll released Tuesday. 

An NBCLX/YouGov poll found that 65 percent of Democrats who plan to vote by mail said they will send in their ballots at least a month before Election Day. On the other hand, 49 percent of independent voters and 40 percent of Republicans said they plan to send ballots at least a month ahead of time. 

Among Democrats planning to vote by mail, 8 percent said they plan to vote the last week before Nov. 3, while 14 percent of independents and 18 percent of Republicans said the same. 

Out of all respondents who identify as Democrat, 65 percent said they will vote by mail. Meanwhile, 49 percent of independents and 35 of Republicans said they plan to vote by mail. 

Overall, a slight majority of voters — at 51 percent — plan to vote by mail, likely to send a record number of ballots through the mail amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

The NBCLX/YouGov poll surveyed 3,244 U.S. adults between Sept. 11 and 14. The margin of error amounted to 2.4 percentage points. 

The poll comes as concerns have mounted about the speed of the U.S. Postal Service and whether ballots will arrive in time to be counted for the November election. 

An NBCLX investigation with NBC-owned stations across the country determined that most first-class mail was getting delivered in five days, but a small percentage of mail was delayed much longer.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testified in front of Congress last month saying voters should mail their ballots at least a week before Nov. 3.

President Trump has also made unfounded claims that voting by mail opens up the election to fraud, deterring some voters from participating in mail-in voting.