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The candidates’ campaigns dragged on for months, and now American citizens have the last word: the first polling stations have been opened in the United States for the presidential elections. After voting had already taken place at midnight (local time) in two small towns, polling stations were now opened in larger cities and municipalities in the eastern United States.
At 6 a.m. local time (which corresponds to 12 p.m. Central European time), they opened in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, for example. Long lines formed in front of some bars.
The decision will be made between incumbent Donald Trump, who is running for Republicans, and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden. In Ohio and North Carolina, which are part of the contested states (undecided states), voters have flocked to the polls since 6:30 a.m. local time. In Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, where a close race is also possible, many polling stations opened at 7:00 am local time (1:00 pm Central European Time).
“VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!”
At the beginning of Election Day, Trump and his challenger Biden again tried to get their supporters to vote. “VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!” (“Vote! Vote! Vote!”) Republican Trump tweeted in capital letters on Tuesday.
His Democratic rival Biden also tweeted multiple times. He asked to vote “for a new day in America.” “We can bring our country back.” He and Kamala Harris, his vice presidential candidate, could heal the “soul of this nation.” “I promise, we won’t let you down.”
Because the US spans multiple time zones, polling stations are open for several hours. To the east, follow the states in the center of the country. In the west coast state of California, you can cast your vote as early as 7 am local time. Hawaii and Alaska are at the bottom of the table: Voters can vote here until 6 a.m. Central European Time on Wednesday, and in the Aleutian archipelago in the North Pacific for one more hour.
But many voters have already voted. Nearly 100 million US citizens voted by letter or at pre-open polling stations, as reported by the “US Elections Project.” This corresponds to about 70 percent of the votes cast in the 2016 presidential election.
