U.S. early voting approaches record 30 million mark

[webfact]

U.S. early voting approaches record 30 million mark

By Zachary Fagenson and Joseph Ax

 

An election worker collects mail-in ballots and guides voters at the entrance to the Registrar of Voters building in San Diego, California, U.S., October 19, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake

 

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Reuters) - Nearly 30 million Americans have cast early ballots in November's presidential election, shattering records as voters adjust to the coronavirus pandemic, including in Florida, a battleground state that on Monday opened polls to early voting.

 

Republican President Donald Trump, running out of time to change the dynamics of a race that he appears to be losing, headed to Arizona on Monday amid signs that Democrats are leading the surge in early voting.

 

In a conference call with campaign staff, Trump showed characteristic self-confidence in describing the state of the race, notwithstanding national opinion polls that show him well behind Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

 

"We're going to win," he said. "I wouldn't have told you that maybe two, three weeks ago."

 

More than 29.6 million votes either by mail or in person had been recorded in 44 states and Washington, D.C., as of mid-afternoon on Monday, according to the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida.

 

Voters have cast more than 21% of the overall total in 2016, when more than 136.6 million Americans cast ballots. In 2016, there were 5.9 million early votes by Oct. 23, 16 days before Election Day.

 

The surge this time has been driven by many voters' desire to avoid the risks of the coronavirus associated with potentially long lines on Election Day, Nov. 3. But it also appeared to reflect enthusiasm among Democrats in particular.

 

President Donald Trump implored supporters in Nevada on Sunday to cast ballots early in a state he narrowly lost in 2016, while Democrat Joe Biden urged North Carolina residents to "go vote today," as the final presidential debate looms later this week. Gloria Tso reports.

 

DEMOCRATIC BALLOTS IN LEAD

In states that publicly report the party registration of voters, nearly 54% of ballots came from registered Democrats, compared with 25% from Republicans.

 

Biden had no public events on Monday, instead taping a "60 Minutes" interview in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, that CBS will broadcast on Sunday. The former vice president again tested negative for the coronavirus, his campaign said on Monday. He and Trump have a debate scheduled for Thursday.

 

His running mate, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, visited Florida to encourage supporters to vote early, after spending the weekend off the campaign trail as a precaution when an aide tested positive for COVID-19.

 

"This man had an opportunity to deal with (the virus) but denied fact, denied science, and lied to the American people," Harris told supporters at a "drive-in" rally in Orlando. She was expected to participate in a rally in Jacksonville later.

 

Social media posts showed lines of voters in some of the 52 of Florida's 67 counties that began in-person early voting on Monday, suggesting similarly high levels of enthusiasm to vote as seen in other early voting states this year.

 

Hundreds of people, most wearing face masks, stood in pouring rain in the morning outside the public library in Coral Gables, a majority-Hispanic city near Miami.

 

Louis Perez, 57, an insurance fraud investigator, said he was voting for Biden because of Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

"He lied about it right from the beginning," Perez, who is not affiliated with a party, said of Trump.

 

Registered Republican Antonio Sanchez, an architect who arrived in the United States from Communist Cuba and was also voting in Coral Gables, said he supported Trump because he "stands for freedom" and against socialism.

 

"My two daughters are doctors. I don't think this could have happened anyplace other than America," said Sanchez, 59.

 

Florida is widely seen as a must-win for Trump, whose path to victory becomes razor-thin if he loses the southern state. The state's prize of 29 electoral votes is tied with New York for third most, behind only California and Texas, in the race for the 270 Electoral College votes that determine the presidential winner under the U.S. system.

 

BIDEN 49% TRUMP 47% IN FLORIDA

An Oct. 7-14 Reuters/Ipsos survey of the state showed Biden with 49% of the support and Trump 47%, within the survey's credibility interval of 4 percentage points.

 

Both campaigns have poured advertising money into Florida, although Biden, who has significantly outraised Trump since the summer while setting consecutive monthly records for a U.S. candidate, has outspent his Republican rival.

 

Trump will stage rallies first in Prescott and later in Tucson, Arizona, another battleground state. He has mocked Biden for holding fewer campaign events and for limiting the number of attendees, while Biden and public health experts have assailed Trump for hosting crowded rallies with few masks and little social distancing amid a pandemic that has killed nearly 220,000 Americans.

 

On his call earlier on Monday, Trump told his campaign staff that Americans were fed up with pandemic restrictions, even as case numbers rise in many states, and called Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, a "disaster."

 

"People are saying, 'Whatever. Just leave us alone.' They're tired of it. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots," said Trump, who has played down the pandemic for months.

 

(Reporting by Zachary Fagenson in Coral Gables, Joseph Ax, James Oliphant and Simon Lewis; Editing by Soyoung Kim, Stephen Coates and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-20

 

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[Mama Noodle]

This is going to be the most litigated, disastrous election in American history - blasting Bush/Gore out of the water. 

 

Thankfully the supreme court will have ACB and a solid right lean to keep the fraud and dishonesty at bay. 

 

I hope im wrong, but its shaping up like it. 

[Chomper Higgot]

High turnout is always good news for the Democrats.

[Damrongsak]

Voted early today,  whatever.  We shall see.  

[Tug]

If there is one good thing I can say about the trump administration is people are paying attention now they realize how quick things can go bad and how hard it is to get rid of a bad president I think this historic turnout is a reflection of that 

[heybruce]

3 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

This is going to be the most litigated, disastrous election in American history - blasting Bush/Gore out of the water. 

 

Thankfully the supreme court will have ACB and a solid right lean to keep the fraud and dishonesty at bay. 

 

I hope im wrong, but its shaping up like it. 

If it is litigated it will be because Trump loses and cries fraud without evidence.

[Brunolem]

2 hours ago, tonray said:

The day is near..a new dawn

More likely a new down...

[Brunolem]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Nearly 30 million Americans have cast early ballots in November's presidential election

At this rate, only Trump will vote in person on November 3rd!

 

Having voted for himself, he will be declared (provisional) winner later in the night.

 

Then the counting of the mailed ballots will start, and for the first time ever, the US of A will not have enough lawyers!

 

[wwest5829]

11 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

This is going to be the most litigated, disastrous election in American history - blasting Bush/Gore out of the water. 

 

Thankfully the supreme court will have ACB and a solid right lean to keep the fraud and dishonesty at bay. 

 

I hope im wrong, but its shaping up like it. 

We will see. An overwhelming en masse vote will lessen any chance that a challenge will be entertained. And, for those not familiar with the statistics, the more votes the more chances that the majority will be Democratic voters. This is known and the reason behind the Republican Party carrying out voter suppression by Gerrymandering, restricting the number of election polling places, demanding additional personal forms of identification, trying to interfere with the United States Postal System ability to handle the increased number of mailed in ballots, the false accusation of widespread fraud with mailed in ballots ... as I say, we will see. As I am in Thailand, I used DHL to send in my ballot which has been recordeded as received.

[wwest5829]

7 hours ago, Brunolem said:

At this rate, only Trump will vote in person on November 3rd!

 

Having voted for himself, he will be declared (provisional) winner later in the night.

 

Then the counting of the mailed ballots will start, and for the first time ever, the US of A will not have enough lawyers!

 

that has been an additional irony with The Donald, he mails in his ballot from D.C. to Florida. Additional info, he has gotten in a bind claiming MarLago as both his business and his residence.

[wwest5829]

9 hours ago, Tug said:

If there is one good thing I can say about the trump administration is people are paying attention now they realize how quick things can go bad and how hard it is to get rid of a bad president I think this historic turnout is a reflection of that 

I agree and have observed the potential irony. The Donald, indeed Making America Great Again (or at least improved) in a reaction against the Trump Administration.

[candide]

It looks like Trump shot again at his own feet. ????

By making a lot of fuss, he has incited people to vote earlier in order to make sure their ballot will be counted.

Edited October 20, 2020 by candide

[spidermike007]

Great news. Since the majority of early voters are democrats. Trump is cascading toward a towering humiliation. 

 

He has failed at nearly everything he has touched. Nearly anything with his name on it, and his association with it, fails. And that will be even more so, after he loses the November 3rd election. His name will remain radioactive, the the rest of his life, and the mini empire will continue to dwindle. During the period from 1985 to 1989, three years of which were boom year in NY real estate, he somehow managed to lose $359 million. Between 1990 and 1991 he lost $517 million. And between 1992 and 1995 he again managed to lose $286 million. 
 
The real irony of his whole persona, is that he cannot negotiate his way out of a paper bag, much less negotiate a treaty with an adversary, which makes him very dangerous. 
 
There is a very good chance his tax returns will reveal massive bank fraud. And he could be facing prison time, once he is ingloriously ushered out of the White House in January (possible by US Marshalls, should he resist). 

[Eric Loh]

Thank you Trump for turning off the people  who will come out in droves to vote you out. 

[Susco]

12 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Thankfully the supreme court will have ACB and a solid right lean to keep the fraud and dishonesty at bay. 

 

Did you mean, because by the time it will be decided, Trump will have packed the supreme court?

 

Solid right, as in solid right leaning.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Susco

[polpott]

48 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

His name will remain radioactive, the the rest of his life, and the mini empire will continue to dwindle.

His name was radioactive in the UK long before he became president. He built a golf course in Scotland and used every dirty trick in the book, including driving a 90 year old woman off her land with some really foul tactics. She had lived there all her life as had her family for generations. Several documentaries were made about it and a petition was raised to ban him from Scotland.

[tpazzi]

Unfortunately, this is bad news for the Democrats.   The Trump campaign has lawyered up in the critical swing states and intends to challenge every single mail-in ballot.  

 

Depending on mail-in voting may have been a big tactical error by the Democrats as it is easier to disqualify those ballots than in person ballots.

 

Running the numbers for the key three swing states (PA, MI, WI) and estimating the vote different suggested by the current poll using the total 2016 vote count (the most pessimistic case for Trump), they will have to invalidate about 2 out of every 10 mail-in ballots in PA, Wi, and Mi to flip those states.

 

That seems like a lot given historical error rates are about 0.6 out of 10, but that's without the army of lawyers hawking over things.

 

There are some things that could improve their odds... such as if Trump can reduce the gap in the polls in these states, or if they turn out more new voters not accounted for in the polling (they do lead by over 100,000 over newly registered voters in PA this year)

 

I'm already hearing from PA voters that the instructions received with their mail-in ballots are flawed.  I'm sure the Trump lawyers will try to get every one of those tossed.

 

And in WI, they got a court ruling invalidating 70,000 ballots that were mailed out with extraneous information (if someone's name is actually extraneous). While they will probably be able to reprint and remail those, I'm sure some (many) voters will assume they've already voted and do nothing with the corrected ballots when received.

 

The thing to remember is that Trump may only need to flip one or two of these states depending on how the final two weeks of campaigning go. 

 

Going to messy unless the lawyers Trump has hired walk off the job because the Trump campaign is proving to be terrible about paying their hired help.

 

[Jingthing]

16 hours ago, Brunolem said:

At this rate, only Trump will vote in person on November 3rd!

 

Having voted for himself, he will be declared (provisional) winner later in the night.

 

Then the counting of the mailed ballots will start, and for the first time ever, the US of A will not have enough lawyers!

 

He voted a mail in ballot to Florida.

[Kelsall]

"We're going to win"

 

Once again, Trump is right.  He will win with 320 - 340 electoral votes.

[Kelsall]

"Registered Republican Antonio Sanchez, an architect who arrived in the United States from Communist Cuba and was also voting in Coral Gables, said he supported Trump because he "stands for freedom" and against socialism."

 

 

Exactly!

[Sujo]

2 hours ago, Kelsall said:

"Registered Republican Antonio Sanchez, an architect who arrived in the United States from Communist Cuba and was also voting in Coral Gables, said he supported Trump because he "stands for freedom" and against socialism."

 

 

Exactly!

Thats 2 votes for trump. 

[GinBoy2]

Regardless of what you think or believe, just VOTE!

 

Many of us have already voted so it's done, no point pontificating any more, just let the chips fall where they may.

[Scott]

A post commenting on moderation has been removed along with replies.  

[placeholder]

44 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

Regardless of what you think or believe, just VOTE!

 

Many of us have already voted so it's done, no point pontificating any more, just let the chips fall where they may.

A lot more still haven't. So the crucial electoral work conducted by thavisa.com members in this forum must continue until the very last vote is counted!

[spidermike007]

13 hours ago, polpott said:

His name was radioactive in the UK long before he became president. He built a golf course in Scotland and used every dirty trick in the book, including driving a 90 year old woman off her land with some really foul tactics. She had lived there all her life as had her family for generations. Several documentaries were made about it and a petition was raised to ban him from Scotland.

Yep. That is who the man is. Many did not know it before. Now they do. No excuses this time around. 

 

Biden will win, and decency shall prevail. 

[mtls2005]

On 10/20/2020 at 7:04 AM, Chomper Higgot said:

High turnout is always good news for the Democrats.

 

I see and hear this all the time but always have to ask, "why"?

 

Are Republicans lazy? And what about independents?

 

That said, 30 million is impressive, and early voting is a HUGE plus. We should always be making it easier to vote. Who wants to make it harder?

 

Back to guessing the number of jellybeans in the jar? 

 

'Jelly bean test'
It also chronicles both legal and illegal means used to keep blacks away from the polls before the act passed.

 

There’s an authentic Ku Klux Klan uniform and an interactive recreation of the “jelly bean test,” a technique used by some Jim Crow-era registrars to prevent blacks from voting. The registrar would ask voters to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar.

 

“The tendency was for white voters to somehow get it right and for black voters to get it wrong,” Rowley said.

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8839169/ns/us_news-life/t/exhibit-traces-history-voting-rights-act/

[Berkshire]

6 hours ago, Kelsall said:

"We're going to win"

 

Once again, Trump is right.  He will win with 320 - 340 electoral votes.

Trump will only win if he cheats.  And boy, he sure is at it.  Desperation time....

 

[Washington — Dozens of voters in a heavily Democratic county in Florida and across several states reported receiving emails on Thursday purporting to come from a right-wing group threatening to "come after" them unless they vote for President Trump.]

 

["We are in possession of all your information (email, address, telephone… everything)," the message stated. "You are currently registered as a Democrat and we know this because we have gained access into the entire voting infrastructure. You will vote for Trump on Election Day or we will come after you. Change your party affiliation to Republican to let us know you received our message and will comply. We will know which candidate you voted for. I would take this seriously if I were you."]

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-emails-alachua-county-proud-boys-trump-overseas-servers/

[Opl]

15 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Thank you Trump for turning off the people  who will come out in droves to vote you out. 

if on November 3rd, earlybirds voters start queueing for hours to cast their ballots in person, and the turnout is so massive that still in the waiting line some voters are unable to proceed before closing time, what happens? 

[mtls2005]

3 minutes ago, Opl said:

unable to proceed before closing time, what happens? 

 

Surely varies by state but I always understood that if you are in line before the poll closes you are legally entitled to vote.

 

 

[newatthis]

On 10/20/2020 at 6:22 AM, Mama Noodle said:

Thankfully the supreme court will have ACB and a solid right lean to keep the fraud and dishonesty at bay. 

That has to be a joke, doesn't it?