Americans were voting in large numbers on Tuesday in one of the most divisive bitter presidential elections in decades in which incumbent Republican Donald Trump is challenged by Democrat Joe Biden.
Amidst a resurgent Covid-19 pandemic , nearly 100 million people have already cast their ballots in early voting, putting the country on course for its highest turnout in a century. Some 239 million people are eligible to vote this year. The mail-in ballots could take days or weeks to be counted in some states – meaning a winner might not be declared in the hours after polls close on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, urging people to place faith in him and his running mate Kamala Harris , Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said together they can “heal the soul of this nation” and they won’t let the people down. “In 2008 and 2012, you placed your trust in me to help lead this country alongside Barack Obama. Today, I’m asking for your trust once again — this time, in Kamala and me. We can heal the soul of this nation — I promise we won’t let you down,” he tweeted.
The eve of Election Day 2020 was packed with rallies; US President Donald Trump visited four battlegrounds states Monday — North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — while his Democratic challenger Joe Biden spent his day in Pennsylvania supported by former president Barack Obama, who made stops in Florida and Ohio.
Polls will open and close across the US at different times Tuesday, anywhere after 6 am and before 9 pm local time. India is between 10½ and 13½ hours ahead, depending on where in the US you’re looking. However, over 100 million people have already casted their votes, according to a tally by the US Elections Project at the University of Florida. Due to this, counting of votes could take longer as some states won’t start opening ballots until polling day.
In the past, the election results have seldom been declared on Election Night. ( Indian Express )
