Alabama Among States With The Most Powerful Voters: Study

WASHINGTON, DC — As the 2020 election nears, Alabama voters have already submitted thousands of absentee ballots, while the rest of the state's voters prepare to head to the polls Nov. 3 to vote in the 2020 election.

So how much clout does Alabama have in regard to national elections? A recent study by financial wellness website WalletHub shows Alabama among states with the most amount of influence in upcoming Senate elections.

WalletHub compared the relative clout of 2020 voters in swinging the presidency and Senate. In order to make such a comparison, researchers calculated a Voter Power Score for each state and for each type of election.

Alabama ranked 31st in the list of states with the most influence on the presidential election this year, but ranked 6th among states with the most clout in the U.S. Senate election.

Democratic incumbent Doug Jones seeks re-election this year against Republican challenger Tommy Tuberville in a race that has significant implications in whether Democrats achieve a majority in the Senate.

The states with the most influence in the presidential race:

1. Alaska
2. Ohio
3. Iowa
4. Georgia
5. Arizona
6. North Carolina
7. Texas
8. Florida
9. New Hampshire
10. Montana

The states with the most influence on the Senate election:

1. Alaska
2. Montana
3. Maine
4. Iowa
5. Kansas
6. Alabama
7. South Carolina
8. Mississippi
9. North Carolina
10. Colorado

In a presidential election, voter power varies widely by state. While all votes are theoretically counted equally — one person, one vote — the choices of swing-state citizens are more influential. It’s safe to assume that Alabama will vote Republican and California will vote Democratic in the upcoming election. In contrast, the electoral results of swing states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan are up in the air, giving their voters more impact.

The same principle applies to voter power in the Senate. For example, it’s extremely likely that a Republican senator from Kentucky and a Democratic senator from Delaware will both be re-elected. But voters’ choices for senators in swing states hold much more power because they determine which political party controls the Senate.

SEE ALSO:

Election 2020 Voter Guide: What Is On Jefferson County's Ballot

Mail-In Voting In Alabama: Deadlines, How To Get A Ballot