Election Day is less than three weeks away, and while meteorologists can’t predict the weather yet for Nov. 6, a recent study found that Republican candidates tend to have a slight advantage when it rains.
The findings revealed that at least 1 percent of voting age adults in the U.S. – people who would have voted for a Democrat had the weather been good – decided instead to cast their ballot for a Republican on rainy election days.
“Our study suggests that weather conditions may affect people’s decisions on not only whether to vote, but also who they vote for,” said study co-author Yusaku Horiuchi, a professor of government at Dartmouth College.
“Contrary to the widely shared belief that weather conditions do not change voters’ electoral decisions,” the study said, “our analysis suggests that it is likely that a certain proportion of American voters would change their party preference depending on weather.”
Source: Election Day weather: Republicans have an advantage on rainy days