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Americans have started going to the polls after one of the most divisive presidential races in modern American history as Donald Trump tries to secure another four years in the White House by fending off a challenge from his Democratic rival Joe Biden. .
Retailers braced for potential riots by walking into stores before Election Day, marking the end of a surreal campaign in the shadow of a pandemic that has claimed more than 231,000 American lives and resulted in the hospitalization of the Trump himself with Covid-19.
Before the polls opened, more than 100 million Americans had already cast their votes in person or by mail, which is equivalent to almost 73 percent of all voting in 2016, putting the country on track to achieve a record participation.
The large early turnout, driven in large part by people trying to avoid catching the virus, means fewer votes will be available on Tuesday. In recent days, Trump and Biden have been targeting swing states in an effort to make sure they have as many supporters as possible.
The majority of the first votes were cast by Democrats, according to the US Elections Project, which pressured the Trump campaign to secure a large Republican turnout on Tuesday if the president wants to overcome his lead.
In the event of a close contest, the winner is unlikely to be announced on election night, as the crucial industrial states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin are not expected to complete their vote count on time.
Democrats hope that victories in Florida and possibly Texas, which has become a new battlefield, will give Biden an early and decisive victory.
But the final result could be delayed days, or even weeks, if the race is closed and Democrats fight legal efforts expected by Trump and the Republicans to prevent some mailed votes from being counted.
The first polls will close at 6 pm ET in the conservative states of Kentucky and Indiana. But the first signs of key decisive states will begin to emerge after 7 p.m. when Georgia and parts of Florida finish voting.
In a sign of escalating tensions ahead of an election considered by both parties to be one of the largest in history, retailers from Target to Tiffany closed their stores to prepare for possible violence.
Many other businesses and some government buildings in Washington were also secured, while a fence was erected around the White House.
The confusion fears come after Trump made unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud that have energized his base and led to accusations by Democrats that he is relying on dirty tricks to win the election. It also follows months of protests against racism and a thwarted plan to kidnap the Democratic governor of Michigan.
Trump, at a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania, warned that electing Biden would jeopardize the post-pandemic economic recovery © AP
On Monday night, the president appeared to suggest his supporters were ready to hit the streets because of a US Supreme Court decision that allowed Pennsylvania to extend the deadline for mail-in ballots.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to vote in Pennsylvania is very dangerous. It will allow rampant and uncontrolled deception and undermine our entire system of laws. It will also induce violence in the streets. Something must be done! “Trump wrote on Twitter.
The post prompted the social media platform to add a disclaimer saying the president’s claim was “disputed” and “could be misleading.”
Trump has refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power and, during his first debate with Biden, even urged a group of white supremacists to “back off and stay out of it.”
On Monday, the contenders presented their final arguments, with Trump asserting that his Democratic rival would prevent the economy from recovering after the pandemic-related lockdowns, while Biden said Trump should be ousted for his handling of Covid-19.
“It’s time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home,” Biden said in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while campaigning with Lady Gaga, one of several musicians along with Bruce Springsteen and John Legend who is trying to help the Democrats. to promote participation. .
Biden campaigned in Pittsburgh with Lady Gaga, one of several musicians trying to help Democrats boost turnout © AP
Across the state of Scranton, the northeastern Pennsylvania city where Biden was born, Trump struck out at his rival during another of his large demonstrations, which have raised concerns that they risk fueling a surge in coronavirus cases in the US.
“We won Pennsylvania, we won it all,” Trump said of the state, which had been a Democratic stronghold from 1992 until he narrowly won it four years ago.
Biden leads Trump by 8.1 points, according to an FT analysis of survey data compiled by RealClearPolitics. He also has the upper hand in every changing state except Ohio, Iowa, and North Carolina. And he’s shoulder-to-shoulder with Trump in Texas, a traditionally Republican state that casts 38 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidency.
But Biden’s lead in some swing states, including Florida, is well within the margin of error, raising concern among some Democrats that Trump may repeat his surprise 2016 victory, when some opinion polls underestimated the level of his support among the white working class. voters in the rust belt.
Trump hopes that these “Trump Democrats” who pushed him to victory four years ago will support him again. Biden is confident of getting some of these white men back, as well as securing a higher turnout of black voters than Hillary Clinton did four years ago, while drawing the votes of enough suburban women.
In recent days, Trump has repeated his allegation that Democrats are trying to steal the election and warned that his lawyers would attempt to block the absentee vote count after Election Day.
But on Monday the president suffered a double blow in his attempts to use the courts to influence the outcome of the election, after judges in Nevada and Texas ruled against Republicans in high-profile legal cases related to the validity of the elections. the electoral ballots.
In Pittsburgh, Biden criticized Trump for trying to undermine the legitimacy of mail-in ballots. “I don’t care how hard Donald Trump tries, there is nothing. . . that will prevent the people of this nation from voting. ”
Both campaigns claimed to have the upper hand heading into Tuesday. Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s campaign manager, said the advantage the former US vice president had gained in early voting would be “hard to beat on Election Day.”
However, Bill Stepien, his counterpart in the Trump campaign, said the president was primed for a big turnout Tuesday.
“If the voters that we know are still there for Election Day show up on Election Day, President Trump has four more years at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” he added.
Follow Demetri Sebastopulo On twitter
Swamp notes
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