More Pennsylvanians will vote in person than by mail in the November election, but there are strong partisan differences when it comes to the two choices, a new poll shows.

A Franklin & Marshall College poll released Thursday said 62% of voters expect to cast their ballot in person, while 31% expect to vote by mail. The poll showed that 52% of Democrats intend to vote by mail, while 84% of Republicans and 58% of independents plan to vote in person.

Franklin & Marshall professor and poll director G. Terry Madonna said the high percentage of Republicans who plan to vote in person can be at least partly tied to President Trump’s stance on mail-in voting and concerns about potential election fraud.

“Look at all the news about the possibilities that mail-in voting goes awry. Every day there’s a story on it. I think voters are concerned that their vote won’t count,” Madonna said.

Additionally, Madonna said, concerns about the coronavirus have decreased.

“It’s not everywhere in the state, but covid-19 is somewhat in decline. You see people back in stores, in restaurants. I think there’s a growing comfort level with it,” Madonna said.

The poll showed that Trump is trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in his bid for re-election, 49% to 42%.

The poll said that 78% of respondents who plan to vote for Trump say they are voting for him, not against Joe Biden. On the flip side, 59% of Biden’s supporters say they are primarily voting against Trump, not for Biden.

Poll respondent Timothy Amrhein, 61, said he has voted in every presidential election since he turned 18. He’s not missing this one.

A registered Republican, Amrhein said he would be voting in person and casting his ballot for Trump. He said not going to the polls opens up the potential for voter fraud and other problems.

“I think more people should go to the polls. This has worked for us for 200 years,” said Amrhein, of Findlay. “That’s what people need to do.”

Jacqueline Morris, another poll respondent, said she hasn’t decided how she will cast her ballot because of the coronavirus pandemic, but she intends to vote for Biden.

Morris, a Democrat, voted by mail-in ballot in the primary and has a general election ballot coming by mail.

“When I get the ballot, if I’m going to vote by mail, I will be mailing it in immediately,” said Morris, 72, of South Park. “I’m leaning toward more that.”

The poll, conducted Aug. 17-23, surveyed 681 registered voters, including 321 Democrats, 272 Republicans and 88 independents. It had a margin of error of 5.2 percentage points.

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