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WASHINGTON – Americans head to the polls on Tuesday to conclude a bitter and divisive US election campaign as Republican President Donald Trump seeks to overcome the lead of his Democratic rival Joe Biden in opinion polls to win four more years in the White House. .
The vote culminates a campaign dominated by the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 231,000 people in the United States and put millions out of work. The country has also been rocked by nationwide protests over racial injustice against African Americans.
Biden, who framed the contest as a referendum on Trump’s handling of the virus, promised a renewed effort to combat the health crisis, fix the economy and bridge America’s political divide. It has maintained a relatively constant lead in national polls.
But Trump is close in enough swing states to possibly muster the 270 state-by-state Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency. He defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election despite losing the national popular vote by around 3 million ballots.
Uncertainty and the prospect of protracted legal battles have fueled anxiety about the election outcome and consequences.
People vote during the US presidential election at The Magic Castle Club during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Los Angeles, California, USA, November 2, 2020. REUTERS / Mario anzuoni
Several cities are covering buildings in anticipation of possible protests, including around the White House and in New York City. The famous Rodeo Drive shopping destination in Beverly Hills, California, will be closed Tuesday, police said.
More than 99 million early votes had already been cast in person or by mail as of Monday night, according to the United States Elections Project at the University of Florida, a record pace driven by intense interest in the elections and elections. Concerns about voting in person on Election Day during a pandemic.
The number was equal to 72.3% of the total turnout in 2016 and represents about 40% of all Americans who are legally eligible to vote.
Trump has questioned the integrity of the election results for months, making unsubstantiated claims that voting by mail is riddled with fraud and refusing to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses.
Trump has also said that votes should only be counted until election night, although many states typically take days or weeks to count ballots.
Americans will also decide on Tuesday which political party will control the US Congress for the next two years, and Democrats will push to regain a majority in the Senate and are expected to maintain control of the House of Representatives.
The first polling places will open in some eastern states at 6 am EST (1100 GMT) on Tuesday.
Choice of coronavirus
Trump, 74, is seeking another four years in office after a tumultuous first term marked by the coronavirus crisis, an economy hit by pandemic shutdowns, an impeachment drama, investigations into Russian election interference, racial tensions in United States and controversial immigration policies.
Trump held five campaign rallies in four states on Monday, and returned to Washington at 2:35 a.m. ET on Tuesday. Trump was expected to spend most of Tuesday at the White House, where an election night party is planned for 400 guests, all of whom will be screened for COVID-19.
Biden, 77, is seeking to win the presidency after a political career spanning five decades, including eight years as vice president under Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. He made unsuccessful bids for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and 2008.
Biden spent his last full day of campaigning in Ohio and Pennsylvania and was expected to spend Election Day in Scranton, Pennsylvania, his childhood home, and Philadelphia.
Trump’s deficit in opinion polls has been fueled in part by public disapproval of his handling of the pandemic. He has repeatedly played down the threat, vowing the crisis will end soon and urging a swift reopening of schools and businesses, prompting Biden to accuse him of “surrendering” to the virus.
The two candidates have focused on a dozen competitive state battlegrounds, nearly every state that Trump won in 2016. Much of their attention has been directed to Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, the three traditionally Democratic states that Trump won by narrow margin in 2016, fueling his upset victory over Clinton.
If Biden can control every state Clinton won in 2016 and pick Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, that would be enough to capture the White House.
Polls also show tight careers in Florida, North Carolina and Arizona. Florida, with 29 electoral votes, is the biggest mandatory bet for Trump, as a defeat would block most of the president’s viable paths to winning the Electoral College.
The latest Reuters / Ipsos poll in Florida showed Biden leading 50% to 46%, a week after the two were statistically tied.
Results in Florida, where mail-in ballots can be counted before Election Day, are expected to start coming in relatively quickly Tuesday night. But Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin won’t start counting the flood of mail-in votes until Election Day, raising the possibility of a lengthy vote recount that could span several days.
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