In ‘Early Voting’ process before the US presidential elections, 21 million Americans have already voted in a heated campaign between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump. The date set for the US presidential elections is November 5.
Data from the Election Lab at the University of Florida shows that approximately 7.8 million votes have been received through early in-person voting, while more than 13.3 million votes have been sent in via mail-in ballots. In contrast to the Indian general elections, where campaigning halts 36 hours before voting begins, both campaigning and voting happen simultaneously for approximately four weeks.
According to political analysts, the outcome will hinge on the election results in seven key States: Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Early voting is a special option for American voters where they can vote by requesting a mail-in-ballot, similar to India's postal ballots, or by voting in designated polling booths that open weeks before Election Day.
The Asian American early voting percentage is only 1.7 per cent, as reported by the Election Lab at the University of Florida. Nevertheless, numerous Indian Americans were observed queuing up in various locations to participate in the voting process. As per, Election Lab, among in-person early voters, 41.3 Republicans have voted so far as against 33.6 per cent by the Democrats.
The two parties, Democrats (20.4 per cent) and Republicans (21.2 per cent) are almost neck in neck when it comes to mail-in ballots. One-fourth of the voters in the battle-ground State of Georgia have already voted. According to Georgia's Secretary of State Office, more than 1.84 million Georgians have cast their ballot.
