By Enyichukwu Enemanna
At least 77 million Americans have cast their ballots in early voting in the US presidential election, representing about half of the total number of voters in 2020, reports have indicated.
This comes as Republican candidate, Donald Trump and his Democrat rival, Vice President Kamala Harris campaign in the last day in the battlefield, hoping to ramp up last-minute support ahead of Tuesday election.
Kamala Harris will spend all of Monday in Pennsylvania, whose 19 electoral votes offer the largest prize among the states expected to determine the Electoral College outcome.
The Democratic nominee will visit working-class areas including Allentown and end with a late-night Philadelphia rally that includes Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey.
Donald Trump on the other hand plans four rallies in three states, beginning in Raleigh, North Carolina and stopping twice in Pennsylvania with events in Reading and Pittsburgh.
The Republican nominee and former President ends his campaign the way he ended the first two, with a late Monday night event in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The number of persons who have voted so far is more than 49% of the total number of people who voted in 2020 (154.6 million).
This indicates that early voting and voting by mail are becoming increasingly popular voting methods and the new normal in American politics.
Reports also cites two states as examples. In particular, more than 4 million people have already voted in Georgia, which is almost 80% of the total voter turnout in the state in 2020.
Also, turnout in North Carolina’s preliminary voting reflects a similar gap. More than 4.4 million people cast their votes there, also accounting for 80% of the total 2020 voter turnout in this swing state.
Although Trump has opposed vote-by-mail for many years, since 2020 he and the Republican Party have been encouraging their supporters to vote early.
They however continue to challenge some of the provisions on voting by mail in courts across the country.
The long-awaited presidential election in the United States will take place on Tuesday, November 5.
The British company Focaldata conducted a survey using a new methodology, which, according to some, is the most accurate.
Preliminarily, it predicts Kamala Harris’s victory.
