US early voting tops 70 million, more than half of 2016 turnout

HUNGRY FOR MORE A supporter stands next to campaign signs during a volunteers’ launch to continue reaching voters in the final days of the campaign in Tucson, Arizona, on Oct 27. —REUTERS

WASHINGTON — More than 70 million Americans have cast ballots in the US presidential election, more than half the total turnout of the 2016 elections, with one week to go until Election Day, according to a Tuesday tally from the US Elections Project.

The tally, which shows a record-breaking pace that could lead to the highest voter turnout in percentage terms in more than a century, is the latest sign of intense interest in the contest between Republican US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. It also highlights voters’ desire to reduce their risk of exposure to COVID-19 as the pandemic regathers strength heading into winter.

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.

‘Totally inappropriate’

Trump questioned the integrity of mail-in votes saying it would be “inappropriate” to take extra time to count tens of millions of ballots cast by mail.

“It would be very, very proper and very nice if a winner were declared on Nov. 3, instead of counting ballots for two weeks which is totally inappropriate and I don’t believe that that’s by our laws,” he told reporters at the White House before leaving for campaign rallies in three states. “We’ll see what happens.”

Overall, Democrats hold roughly a two-to-one advantage in early voting numbers. However, Republicans in recent weeks have narrowed the gap in early, in-person voting, data shows.

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 percent of those eligible to vote, the highest rate since 1908.

Republican territory

US voters have already cast far 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.

Leading his Republican rival in national opinion polls, Biden landed in Georgia, which has not supported a Democrat in a US presidential election since 1992.

Opinion polls in the state show the race to be tight, and a win by Biden there would likely be a severe blow to Trump’s chances.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in another show of confidence in the Biden camp, said on Tuesday he will spend around $15 million on television advertising in Texas and Ohio in the coming days. Bloomberg, who lost to Biden for the democratic nomination, decided to make the ad buys after reviewing polling data from multiple states on Monday, a spokesperson said by email.

Former President Barack Obama was also back on the trail in Florida on Tuesday to boost Biden, his former vice president.

Obama attacked Trump’s record on the coronavirus and urged Democrats to vote in large numbers to avoid a repeat of the 2016 election when Trump won the battleground state and defeated Hillary Clinton.