There is a peculiarity in the polling method of the USA. For the November 5 presidential election, in-person voting has already begun.
In three states- Virginia, South Dakota, and Minnesota, the home state of Democratic Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, in-person voting has already begun. Voters lined up to cast their ballots in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, the states with the first early in-person voting opportunities. About a dozen more states will follow by mid-October.
At a polling site in Minnesota, Jason Miller arrived well before the polls opened at 8 a.m. and was first in line. He was among roughly 75 people who cast ballots in the first hour at the city’s early voting center. The 37-year-old house painter said, “I am willing to share that I voted solidly against crazy. No crazy. I’m done with crazy. Done with crazy. Done with everybody hating everybody. Ready to just move forward with serious people.”
The beginning of in-person balloting follows a tumultuous summer in American politics that included President Joe Biden dropping out of the race and being replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. There were 2 assassination attempts against Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Similar Posts
Across the country, local election directors are beefing up their security to keep their workers and polling places safe while also ensuring that ballots and voting procedures won’t be tampered with. Officials and ordinary poll workers have been targets of harassment and even credible threats since the 2020 presidential election.
Federal authorities are investigating the origin of suspicious packages that have been sent to or received by election officials in more than 15 states including Virginia in recent days.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said during a news conference, “If I could wave a magic wand in this room right now, I would wish for 2 things: Between now and November 5, I want to see high turnout and low drama”. Simon also serves as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State.
Some voters suggested that the potential for trouble or chaos on Election Day was one reason not to wait. Chris Burdwan, 74, said she is encouraging others to get their ballots earlier “to avoid potential disruption on Election Day or in-person voting by a certain party’s Ho seems to be interested in poll watching to the point of intimidation.” She cast her ballot Thursday.
