Washington: The ‘most important’ US Presidential election in recent history is a day away and everyone around the globe will be sitting at the edge of their seats, watching it with great anticipation. Counting of votes will begin at 7 PM EST tomorrow with the closing of the last polls.
US President Donald Trump vowed to again defy the polls as he sprinted through five swing States on Sunday, while his opponent Joe Biden urged supporters to ‘take back our democracy’ by voting in two days.
The last-minute scramble came as polls showed Biden maintaining his overall lead — but with some slight tightening in key states including Pennsylvania, where he leads by four points, and Florida, now a tossup, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls.
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Texas was set to hold a hearing today on whether Houston officials illegally allowed drive-through voting and must toss more than 100,000 votes in the Democratic-leaning area.
The lawsuit is one of hundreds fueled by the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to challenges over how people can cast their ballots in the showdown between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
A record 90 million Americans have voted early in the presidential election, data on Saturday showed, even as courts hear arguments over issues including absentee votes, mail-in voting and ballot drop boxes.
Held in the middle of a devastating pandemic that has claimed more than 220,000 American lives, aside from a series of civil rights protests and a fallen economy, the US election this year is deemed to define the future course of America.
As Donald Trump seeks re-election, predictions show a better chance for his Democratic challenger Joe Biden who holds a clear advantage over the President across four of the most important presidential swing states.
Americans will also vote to elect 435 members of the House of Representatives, 33 members of the senate (a third of the 100 seats of the upper chamber are up for election every election cycle), 11 state governors (and two of US Territories), and members of 86 state legislative chambers (lower and upper chambers) on 3 November.
The 2020 elections to the White House, House of Representatives are expected to cost an estimated $14 billion — a record. This includes money spent by candidates, parties and outside bodies and does not include expenses incurred by state governments. Joe Biden could become the first presidential nominee to raise $1 billion, or more.