Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
clear sky
weather
OMAN
25°C / 25°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

US early voting tops 60m as historic pace continues

1529624
1529624
minus
plus

WASHINGTON: More than 60 million Americans have cast ballots in the US presidential election with eight days to go, a record-breaking pace that could lead to the highest voter turnout in over a century, according to data from the US Elections Project on Monday.


The tally is the latest sign of intense interest in the contest between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden, as well as voters’ desire to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19, which has killed about 225,000 people across the United States.


Democrats hold a significant advantage in early voting due to their embrace of mail balloting, which Republicans have historically cast in large numbers but have shunned amid repeated and unfounded attacks by Trump who says the system is prone to widespread fraud.


Overall, Democrats hold roughly a two-to-one advantage in early voting numbers. The high level of early voting has led Michael McDonald, the University of Florida professor who administers the US Elections Project, to predict a record US voter turnout of about 150 million, representing 65 per cent of those eligible to vote, the highest rate since 1908.


US voters have already cast more early votes during this presidential campaign than they did in all of 2016 when they passed the 47 million mark earlier this month, data shows.


TRUMP PLANS CELEBRATION


In another development, the White House on Monday planned a celebration to celebrate the Republican Senate’s expected confirmation of President Donald Trump’s conservative nominee Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, one a month after a similar event was linked to a COVID-19 outbreak that infected the president, among others.


While Democrats have fiercely opposed Barrett’s nomination, Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority and her confirmation to a lifetime post on the court seems assured. — Reuters


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon