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MARSHALL -- Political divides showed among Lyon County voters in this year's elections, according to an exit poll conducted by Southwest Minnesota State University students.
Exit poll results released Tuesday said party loyalty was a strong predictor of which candidates voters supported. Political polarization also showed in voters' top issues and whether they thought the country was on the right track, the poll said.
SMSU political science students have conducted exit polls in Lyon County for every general election since 1996. This year, students collected a total of 436 exit poll surveys, including 335 surveys gathered at polling sites on Election Day, and 101 surveys collected during early voting between Oct. 21 and Oct. 30.
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5%, a summary of the poll data said.
SMSU students said the exit poll results indicated wins for Republican candidates Michelle Fischbach, Michele Tafoya and Lisa Demuth.
Unofficial vote totals reported by the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office showed that the exit poll's prediction was accurate, with more than 60% of Lyon County voters casting ballots for Michelle Fischbach for U.S. House of Representatives, Michele Tafoya for U.S. Senate and Lisa Demuth for Minnesota Governor.
The Lyon County exit poll results said party loyalty was the strongest predictor of voting for U.S. Senate and Minnesota governor. According to poll results, 98% of Democrats said they supported DFL candidate Peggy Flanagan for Senate and 95% of Republicans said they supported Tafoya. Of the Flanagan voters, 87% also chose DFL candidate Amy Klobuchar for governor and 95% of Tafoya voters also supported Demuth for governor.
Exit poll results said 53 to 44% of women supported Flanagan, while 58 to 40% of men supported Tafoya.
The exit poll results also showed a divide among voters as to whether they thought the country was on the right track. Among Tafoya voters, 47% said they thought the country was on the right track, and 27% said they thought the country was on the wrong track. Among Flanagan voters, 82% said they thought the country was on the wrong track, and 5% said they thought the country was on the right track.
The top issue of concern for Flanagan voters was cost of living, at 45%, exit poll results said. For Tafoya voters, fraud was the leading concern, at 58%.
Poll results said Lyon County voters were also divided along party lines in their opinions about President Donald Trump's job performance. Among Flanagan voters, 93 to 94% said Trump's performance was unfavorable. Among Tafoya supporters, 65% said Trump's performance was favorable, and 16% said it was unfavorable.