Early exit poll: 60 percent say economy top issue
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty
Updated 6:59 p.m. Eastern Time
Sixty percent of voters who cast ballots on Election Day or earlier say the economy is the most important issue in their vote, according to an early CBS News exit poll.
In CBS News/New York Times poll of likely voters taken shortly before the election, Mitt Romney had the edge over President Obama on the question of which candidate would do a better job handling the economy, 51 percent to 45 percent.
Americans head to the polls to vote
Eighteen percent of voters cited health care as their top issue. Voters were split on the 2010 health care law: 49 percent wanted to repeal some or all of it, while 44 percent wanted to expand it or keep it as is. Fifteen percent of voters called the deficit their top issue, and 4 percent cited foreign policy.
While 54 percent of voters said Mr. Obama's response to Superstorm Sandy had little to no impact on their vote, 42 percent say it was a factor in their vote. Polls showed Mr. Obama received high marks for his response to the storm.
These are early exit polls, and the figures will change as the evening goes on and more data comes in.
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- What to watch for as the presidential results come in
Three in four voters said the economy is in bad condition. Thirty-eight percent said it is getting better, 32 percent said it is getting worse, and 28 percent said it was staying the same. Eighty-eight percent of Obama voters say the economy is getting better, while 91 percent of Romney voters say it's getting worse. Fifty-two percent of voters overall say the nation is on the wrong track, while 46 percent say it is headed in the right direction.
Asked to compare their family finances to four years ago, 27 percent of voters said they are better off today, while 32 percent said they are worse off. Four in 10 say they are about the same. Fifty-four percent said the U.S. economic system favors the wealthy, including 74 percent of Obama voters, while 40 percent called it fair to most Americans, including 77 percent of Romney voters.
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Voters were split on the most important quality for a candidate. Twenty-eight percent said it was that he have a vision for the future, while 29 percent said it was that he share their values; 20 percent said it was that the candidate cares about people, and 19 percent said it was that he is a strong leader.
Fifty-three percent of voters say the government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals, up 10 points from four years ago. That includes 76 percent of Romney voters. Forty-two percent say the government should do more, including 82 percent of Obama voters.
Fifty-two percent say Romney's policies favor the rich. Thirty-four percent say he favors the middle class, while just 2 percent say he favors the poor.
Only nine percent say Mr. Obama favors the rich. Forty-three percent say he favors the middle class, while 30 percent say he favors the poor.
Just 7 percent say they decided which candidate to support today or in the last few days.
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I hope Obama wins tonight. Then he passes all his taxing and spending programs. When we go bankrupt the last country says no we will not finance your debt. Where do you think the all mighty federal government will turn? That right folks to you and I. Opps there goes all that money you saved! Opps there goes that 401k! Opps there goes all that gold & silver you own! You don't have to look back to far in our resent history when the federal government conficated all gold and made it illegal to own. Remember Obama is for redistribution this will become the great redistribution of all time.
It is sad really that people are not more open minded but not sure what can be done about it. I do hope at least people see the actions taken over the last year or two in an attempt to suppress voting across the country but most notably in swing states, and that is not coincidence. Vote early and vote often might not be a joke anymore for some people ... it may sound melodramatic but the clock may be ticking on true democracy (one person one vote) in this country.