American voters have been forming long queues, as more US states start early voting for the 3 November presidential election.

Most states allow people to vote ahead of election day in person. All states have mail voting - but you may need a reason.

More than 4,000,000 Americans have already cast their ballots, according to the United States Election Project. That compares to only 75,000 at this point in 2016.

With early voting under way across much of the US, social media images show long queues of people, sometimes waiting for hours, patiently inching their way in line towards the polling booth.

In Georgia, where in person voting began on Monday, a federal holiday, some voters arrived before dawn to queue. The state has a long history of voting problems but it's not the first in this election season to see long queues on the first day of early voting. It was the same in Ohio and Virginia.

There is expected to be record turnout this year and an unprecedented number voting early due to the pandemic. With three weeks to go until election day, it's estimated that some 11 million Americans have already voted.

Republican-run states have faced legal challenges for introducing rigorous ID checks and new rules like witness signatures. Republicans say these measures are necessary to address voter fraud. Democrats accuse them of trying to suppress voters.

Some Texas voters got up early and still faced long lines on Tuesday





I say Republican-run states are running scared and corrupting an already creaking political process ......

More than 22m Americans had voted early by Friday, either in person or by mail, according to the US Election Project.

At the same point in the 2016 race, about 6m votes had been cast.

Experts say the surge in early voting correlates to the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused many people to seek alternatives to election day voting.

In Ohio, a crucial swing state, more than 2.3m postal ballots have been requested, double the figure in 2016.

Reports indicate that registered Democrats have so far outvoted registered Republicans - casting more than double the number of ballots. And of these early voting Democrats, women and black Americans are voting in particularly high numbers. Some are motivated by dislike for Donald Trump, while others have been energised by racial justice protests throughout the summer following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

But this early advantage does not mean that Democrats can already claim victory. Republicans, who claim postal voting is vulnerable to fraud, say Democrats may win the early vote, but that Republicans will show up in large numbers on election day.

Younger people, who historically have been difficult to get to the polls, appear to be turning out in larger numbers this year. The youth vote may be the highest its been since 2008 for the election of Barack Obama - the country's first black president.

A recent survey by Axios found that four in 10 university students said they planned to protest if Mr Trump wins. Six in 10 said they would shame friends who could vote but choose not to. By contrast, only 3% of surveyed students said they would protest if Joe Biden was elected.

State election officials across the US are reporting record numbers of voters casting their ballots ahead of election day on 3 November.

More than 29 million had voted early by Monday, either in person or by mail, according to the US Election Project.

Democrat run states are burning being looted, violence, defending the police and anarchy. A vote for Biden is a vote for having your house burned down, your shop looted and your face smashed in if you don't agree with what you're told.

More than 70,000,000 Americans have cast ballots in the U.S. presidential election, more than half the total turnout of the 2016 election with one week to go until Election Day, according to a Tuesday tally from the U.S. 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 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.

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 U.S. Elections Project, to predict a record U.S. voter turnout of about 150 million, representing 65% of those eligible to vote, the highest rate since 1908.

U.S. 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.

U.S. early voting tops 70,000,000, continuing historic pace

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN27D04L




Only time will tell what these record numbers mean .....

And if this is typical of their supporters, god help them.

https://twitter.com/0_politics2/stat...355992578?s=09