The states of democracy and the economy are the two issues at the top of voters’ minds, according to the initial results of CNN’s national exit poll of voters in this year’s presidential election.
More than one-third call democracy their top issue, with about 3 in 10 saying the economy. That’s followed by abortion and immigration, with fewer than 5% calling foreign policy their top issue.
More context: Thinking an issue is important, of course, doesn’t necessarily imply someone will vote solely on that basis, but polling on the top issues gives a sense of which concerns and campaign themes are resonating most with different parts of the electorate.
The exit poll finds a sharp divide between voters backing Vice President Kamala Harris and those backing former President Donald Trump. A broad majority of Harris voters – slightly under 6 in 10 – call democracy their top issue, with about 20% calling abortion their top issue. About half of Trump voters call the economy their top issue, followed by about 20% calling immigration their biggest issue.