Poll: 33 Percent of Voters in Battleground States to Vote-by-Mail

Support for voting by mail is dropping among likely voters who reside in battleground states, according to a new poll.

A CNBC/Change Research poll released Wednesday found support for the vote-by-mail option has declined from the same poll conducted two weeks earlier. The poll surveyed voters in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Poll results show:

• 33% of likely voters in battleground states say they will vote-by-mail in the November election.
• 33% of voters nationally say they will vote-by-mail.
• 49% of voters in battleground states say they back Biden for president.
• 46% of voters in battleground states say they support Trump's reelection.
• 51% of voters nationwide say they will vote for Biden.
• 43% of voters nationwide say they will cast their ballot for Trump. 

The support for vote-by-mail from battleground state voters was at 38% two weeks ago. Nationally, 36% of voters said they would vote-by-mail in the same poll conducted two weeks prior.

According to poll results, the largest drop in support came from Democrat voters. Two weeks ago, 64% of Democrat voters in battleground states said they would vote-by-mail. Now, only 57% say they would consider the option. Nationally, 51% of Democrats said they planned to vote-by-mail. Now, only 33% say they will use the method.

The shift comes amid reports that the U.S. Postal Service is making changes to service that may delay mail such as removing mail sorting machines and mailboxes.

Lawmakers have been pushing for expanded voter options like mail-in-ballots to keep voters safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

The poll surveyed 4,904 likely voters across battleground states, with 344 in Arizona, 1,262 in Florida, 809 in Michigan, 560 in North Carolina, 984 in Pennsylvania and 925 in Wisconsin. The poll was conducted between Aug. 21-23. The poll has a margin of error of 1.4 percentage points.

A total of 2,362 likely voters contributed to the national survey during the same time frame. The margin of error was 2.02 percentage points.

• Trump Campaign: Vote-by-Mail Secure in States Where It's Been Done
• Retired Postal Workers Tell Trump to Trust the Mail