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10:55 am – Millions of Americans waited patiently to cast their votes in libraries, schools and stadiums across the country on Tuesday, in an orderly display of civic duty that belied the deep tensions of one of the most polarizing presidential campaigns in American history.
The face masks worn by many voters and the sight of bricked-up shops in some city centers were reminders of two major issues that shaped the 2020 elections, with COVID-19 still ravaging parts of the country after a summer of protests against the violence sometimes marked police brutality and racism.
While civic rights groups said they were monitoring for any signs of voter interference and law enforcement agencies were on high alert for disruptions at the polls, their worst fears had not materialized in the early afternoon.
In New York City, some voting lines snaked around the blocks, but in many places, from Los Angeles to Detroit to Atlanta, the lines were short or nonexistent. Poll workers assumed this was due to an unprecedented wave of early voting. More than 100 million votes were cast before Election Day, a new record.
Elsa Avalos, 79, was leaving a polling station Tuesday morning after voting with her husband in Huntington Park in Southern California.
“In each election we have voted. We have done our duty,” he said. “I was afraid we would have a line today, but nothing.”
In Atlanta, about a dozen voters lined up before dawn at the Piedmont Park Conservancy. First in line was Ginnie House, shivering with cold, waiting to cast a vote.
“I lost my absentee vote and I am not going to miss this vote,” said House, a 22-year-old actor and creative writing student, who had flown back to Atlanta from New York just for this purpose.
He said he was voting for Democratic candidate Joe Biden, a former vice president seeking to replace Republican President Donald Trump in the White House.
At a polling station in Houston, Texas, Andy Valadez blew a shofar, a trumpet used in Jewish and some Christian ceremonies. In this case, the horn was a way to pray for a Trump victory, Valadez said.
“We want to pray for a fair election,” said the 55-year-old marketing executive, his shofar draped in an American flag. “We believe in America and we want everyone to have a safe voting experience.
– Reuters
