There was a lot at stake for rural America this election. Keep it locked to the Daily Yonder for reporting and analysis on the role of rural voters and rural issues in the race, the results, and the road ahead.
The Latest
Commentary: Better Ways to Ensure Free and Fair Elections
If you want to make sure voting remains honest, participate in local election-commission activities like voting-machine tests and cast your ballot for every office, not just president.
More Stories
Commentary: The ‘Cracker Barrel vs. Whole Foods Gap’ Threatens Democracy
We know why many rural residents are angry with urban elites. If we don’t confront the problem, democracy itself is on the line.
Letter from Langdon: Hey Democrats, What’s So Scary about Missouri?
Democrats’ failure to show up and listen in places like rural Missouri means that Republicans can get away with selling voters a lot of hokum – or worse.
Reviewing the Rural Vote
Trump Maintains His Large Rural Margin; Democratic Vote Grows the Most in Mid-Sized and Large Metros
A big drop in third-party votes means both the Democratic and Republican candidates get a larger share of the total vote than they did in 2016.
Breaking Down the Battleground States
In Georgia, Atlanta Suburbs Deliver for Biden, But Extra Rural Votes Are Part of His Lead
Biden did slightly better with rural voters than Hillary Clinton did in 2016, contributing to his narrow lead over Trump. But Trump won rural voters 2 to 1.
Major-Metro Suburbs Give Biden His Margin of Victory in Pennsylvania
Biden got beat 3 to 1 among rural voters. But he improved his rural turnout enough to allow his metropolitan advantage to give him the win.
Modest Gains in Rural Votes Help Biden Flip Michigan and Wisconsin
In Ohio, where Donald Trump maintained a nearly 50-point advantage with rural voters, the president won the race statewide by 8 points.
The Presidential Campaign: Looking Back at the Race for Rural Votes
Electoral Patchwork: Both Parties Look for Success in a South That Is Less Monolithic
Democrats are betting that demographic and economic change will improve their chances of success. Republicans are trying to preserve a Southern firewall.
Electoral Patchwork: The Midwestern Path to the White House
Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Minnesota are once again at the center of the presidential race. Joe Biden holds a steady lead, but many experts believe the vote is still in flux.
Electoral Patchwork: Where Does the Rural Vote Fit in National Elections?
Could a decrease in rural support be part of a disappointing season for Republican candidates? The Daily Yonder looks at presidential and congressional races in three states: Pennsylvania, Maine, and Montana.
Analysis and Data
If Trump’s Rural Edge Has Eroded, What Does that Mean for Electoral Math?
The latest Fox News poll suggests Donald Trump’s rural advantage has dropped by two-thirds since 2016.
Distance and Density, Not Just Demographics, Affect Urban-Rural Vote
Are two people who are demographically identical likely to have different political preferences if one lives in a rural area and the other in an urban one? This study says yes.
What can we learn from prior Elections?
The Rural Buzz – A Special Series on Rural Social Media Activity During the 2020 Election
This Yonder-exclusive series analyzes the political sentiments of rural social media users in six battleground states.
The Rural Campaign Trail
How the Party Conventions Dealt with Rural America
High-profile speeches made limited mention of rural policy concerns, but new formats elevated stories from rural people and places.
Deep Canvassing: National Network Says Technique Offers a Way to Engage Rural Voters
A report from People’s Action says its “deep canvassing” project could have an impact on the 2020 election.
Commentary: In Wisconsin, a Democratic Plan to Reach Rural Voters Started with Listening
The party’s environmental caucus is helping candidates connect with rural voters by
fighting large-scale agricultural waste that they say harms communities.
Analysis: How Iowa Prepped the Field for Winning Back Rural Voters
This year's Democratic candidates have better policies with which to court America's rural voters. You can thank Iowa.
Book Review: ‘Harvest the Vote – How Democrats Can Win Again in Rural America’
The book by the head of the Nebraska Democratic Party makes strong arguments why Democrats should reach out for rural voters. The question is whether anyone will listen.
Don’t Miss a Story
Sign up for our email newsletter to get our latest election stories and more rural reporting in your inbox.
Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
The Issues and Policies to Watch
Covid-19 in Rural America
Record Levels of Infections and Deaths Return to Rural Counties
Gaps in reporting over the holidays created a false impression about the virulence of the pandemic in rural America.
The lives of more than 20,000 rural Americans have been claimed by Covid-19.
Source: USAFacts.org
Check out our Covid-19 dashboard for more coverage on the pandemic in rural America.
Rural Healthcare
From January 2010 to 2019, nearly 100 rural hospitals closed. Of those, 1 in 3 were critical access hospitals.
Source: Health Resources and Services Administration
Addiction and Opioid Abuse
Drug Companies Raise Prices on Rural Patients, Threatening Hospital Solvency
Several companies, including Eli Lilly, have changed how they participate in a drug discount program for patients at Critical Access Hospitals. The change will hurt patients and healthcare facilities, rural advocates say.
Overdose death rates for opioids and methamphetamines are higher in rural areas than urban ones.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Rural Broadband
Research Report: States with Broadband Funding Program Have Better Access
State broadband policies make a difference, a new report says. In particular, residents of states that have their own broadband funding programs did better. And in states that restrict municipal broadband, residents fared worse.
Racial Justice
Small Cities and Towns Join National Police-Violence Protests
Demonstrations and vigils in the nation's smaller cities and towns show public support for Black Lives Matter and law-enforcement reforms.
The Post Office
Postal Polemic: How a ‘Lifeline to Rural America’ Became the Center of a Federal Frenzy
For rural Americans, more than just mail has been at stake in recent weeks as a battle over the United States Postal Service plays out at the federal level.
9 of 10 voters have a favorable view of the Postal Service. Yet from 2010 to 2020, nearly 700 Post Offices closed across the country.
Source: Pew Research Center, United States Postal Service
Our Land, Water, and Air
Democracy and Civic Life
Commentary: Fixing Democracy
The country is a mess. Don’t think it can’t get worse. And don’t think you can’t make it better.
What Else Matters Most to You? – Tell Us Your Agenda for Rural America
To help guide our ongoing coverage of politics and public affairs, we’re asking our readers what issues are most important to them. Tell us what you think the candidates and campaigns should be talking about, and we’ll strive to keep those issues in focus.
Looking Back
The 2020 Presidential Primary
2016 in Retrospect
The 2018 Midterms
Before You Go Vote – Review What Was on the Ballot
The Race for the White House
Donald Trump (Incumbent)
Party Affiliation: Republican
Rural Policy Proposals: No listed rural plan from campaign website or party platform.
Vice Presidential Candidate: Vice President Michael Pence (Incumbent)
Joe Biden
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Rural Policy Proposals: The Biden Plan for Rural America (via campaign website).
Vice Presidential Candidate: U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)
What Else was On Your Ballot?
This sample ballot tool originated as a project of The Chicago Reporter and is provided with support from Newspack and the American Press Institute. Candidate data is sourced from Ballotpedia.
There was an error retrieving the sample ballot. Please try again later.
Support Rural News and Information – Donate Today
As a nonprofit newsroom, our work is made possible by donations from readers like you. When you give, you’ll support more vital reporting like this, through the 2020 Election and beyond.