The National Exit Polls found the 2020 US elections saw more LGBTQ+ voters than ever before, with 7-8% of voters saying they identified as LGBTQ+ compared to 3-5% in previous years. The Washington Post theorised this may be due to the higher proportion of LGBTQ+ people in the younger generation, and that for many queer people, this may have been the first election in which they were of voting age.
The results of the National Exit Polls also found that while the majority of LGBTQ+ voters supported now president, Joe Biden, more voted for Trump than in 2016. 64% of LGBTQ+ voters favoured Biden and 27% supported Trump, however this data may not be completely accurate as other sources have found only 25% voted for Trump. According to The Washington Post, LGBTQ+ voters played a key role in states which were heavily divided, such as Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
In Georgia, where Biden won narrowly with 49.5% of the vote, LGBTQ+ people made up 9% of total voters – more than the national average – and 88% of them voted for Biden. It is likely if LGBTQ+ voters had not turned up to the polls, Trump could’ve won some of these states, and ultimately the election.
The 2020 elections also saw more LGBTQ+ candidates and winners than any previous year. According to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, there were 574 LGBTQ+ candidates on the ballots. Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said: “LGBTQ+ candidates made historic inroads in state legislatures across the country, winning in states and chambers where we never have before…As our nation grapples with racism, police brutality and a pandemic that disproportionately affects people of colour and LGBTQ+ people, these are the voices that can pull us from the brink and toward a more united and fair society.”
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