New Poll: LGBTQ Voters Back Biden 3 to 1
A new poll shows that the LGBTQ community backs Joe Biden in a big way, with three-quarters of voters in that bloc saying they're casting their ballots for the Democratic nominee, NBC News reports.
The results of the new poll were revealed in a report released on Oct. 1 by Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAAD), a longtime equality advocacy group.
"The poll, conducted September 21 - 25 by Pathfinder Opinion Research, found that 76% of likely LGBTQ voters favor Biden over Trump, who received 17%. 5% of LGBTQ likely voters planned to vote for another candidate and 2% remain unsure," a press release from GLAAD said.
Just how big is the pool of LGBTQ voters? A year ago, research indicated that 1 in 5 LGBTQ Americans was not registered to vote. The new poll indicates that's changed, with 88% of those surveyed now saying they were registered.
What's more, NBC News noted, is that "92 percent said they were 'definitely or probably' voting in the presidential election — and over 80 percent said they felt more motivated to vote now than in any other recent election."
The poll indicated that Donald Trump has the support of 17% of those who have registered to vote. NBC also reported that another 6% said they would vote for the third party. 3% were undecided.
The president and CEO of GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis, said in a statement, "LGBTQ voters are poised to make a deciding difference this election year."
Added Ellis: "We cannot sit this one out — our very lives are on the line."
Ellis called the LGBTQ community's readiness to vote for Biden "a direct response to the incessant and capricious attacks from the Trump Administration on LGBTQ Americans since day one."
The Trump campaign has downplayed the president's administration's history of anti-LGBTQ initiatives and even promoted the narrative that Trump has been a champion of equality.
But the administration's actions have suggested otherwise, with the president banning trans servicemembers and his administration backing efforts to repeal protections for LGBTQ Americans in the workplace and with respect to medical care, education, access to homeless shelters, and other areas.
Trump's nomination to the Supreme Court bench of Judge Amy Coney Barrett - known for her faith-based views on LGBTQ people and marriage - has also worried equality advocates, who see Barrett as a threat to marriage equality.
None of that has escaped the attention of the LGBTQ voting bloc. NBC reports that "75 percent of the LGBTQ respondents in GLAAD's poll said they held 'somewhat or very' unfavorable opinions of Trump, while 57 percent said they had somewhat or very favorable opinions of Biden."