Economy ranked as a top issue, but concerns over democracy drove many voters to polls

WASHINGTON — Voters said the economy and immigration are the top issues facing the country, but the future of democracy was also a leading motivator for many Americans casting a ballot in Tuesday’s presidential election.

AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide, found a country mired in negativity and desperate for change as Americans faced a stark choice between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump, the Republican, sought to define the election as a referendum on the Biden-Harris administration and blamed it for inflation and illegal crossings at the U.S. border with Mexico. Harris, the Democrat, tried to brand herself as being more focused on the future and described Trump as old, tired and a threat to the Constitution.

About 4 in 10 voters considered the economy and jobs to be the most important problem facing the country, as frustration with inflation spiking in 2022 lingered in the form of higher grocery, housing and gasoline costs. Roughly 2 in 10 voters said the top issue is immigration, and about 1 in 10 picked abortion.

But when asked what most influenced their vote, about half of voters identified the future of democracy as the single most important factor. That was higher than the share who answered the same way about inflation, the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, abortion policy or free speech.

Those issues also outweighed considerations of recent assassination attempts against Trump or the legal cases he is facing, as well as the possibility of Harris becoming the first female president.

Trump held an advantage over Harris on which candidate could better handle the economy, as well as on the issue of immigration. On abortion, Harris was seen as the stronger candidate. During the campaign, Harris talked about access to abortion and medical care for women as an issue of fundamental freedom, whereas Trump said it was a matter best left to the states after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Trump said tariffs on rivals and allies alike — as well as greater oil production — would pump up the economy, while Harris said his tariffs would worsen inflation. She maintained that tax breaks for parents and assistance for new homebuyers as well as start-up company founders would be more helpful.

On the question of who would better handle taxes, AP VoteCast found the two polled relatively even.