PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Less than a month before Election Day, there are so many polls out there trying to predict the outcome, it boggles the mind. Let's look at some other numbers that could be more important right now than the surveys that are all over the place.
This is the first time in our history that swing state voting could be affected by weather.
The destruction of Hurricane Helene was so bad in North Carolina and Georgia that 37 counties where the Trump vote was big in 2020 may now have lower turnouts. It's so bad that the MAGA campaign is pushing mail-in ballots. About 40,000 were sent out to people in 25 counties. Fewer than 1,000 have been returned.
Some research shows that storm damage can impact turnout and voter preference. Frankly its an issue for both parties, because it may elevate climate change to a higher level of importance.
Here’s a number from Philadelphia’s Democratic Party: In 2020, a month out from the election, about 8,000 mail-in ballots had been returned. This year, it's closer to 22,000, leaving the city's Democrats to believe it will be a monster voter turnout. Of course, there's no guarantee of that.