The final day of voting in the US is here, after tens of millions have already cast their ballots

WASHINGTON (AP) — Election Day 2024 arrived Tuesday — pinch tens of millions of Americans having already formed their ballots. Those see grounds numbers successful Georgia, North Carolina and different battleground states that could determine nan winner.

The early turnout successful Georgia, which has flipped betwixt nan Republican and Democratic nominees successful nan erstwhile 2 statesmanlike elections, has been truthful robust — over 4 cardinal voters — that a apical charismatic successful nan caput of state’s agency said nan large time could look for illustration a “ghost town” astatine nan polls.

As of Monday, Associated Press search of beforehand voting nationwide showed astir 82 cardinal ballots already cast — somewhat much than half nan full number of votes successful nan statesmanlike predetermination 4 years earlier. That’s driven partially by Republican voters, who were casting early ballots astatine a higher rate than successful caller erstwhile elections aft a run by erstwhile President Donald Trump and nan Republican National Committee to antagonistic nan Democrats’ longstanding advantage successful nan early vote.

Despite agelong lines successful immoderate places and a fewer hiccups that are communal to each elections, early in-person and message voting proceeded without immoderate awesome problems.

That included successful nan parts of occidental North Carolina hammered past period by Hurricane Helene. State and section predetermination officials, benefiting from changes made by nan Republican-controlled legislature, pulled disconnected a herculean effort to guarantee residents could formed their ballots arsenic they dealt pinch powerfulness outages, deficiency of h2o and washed retired roads.

By nan clip early voting successful North Carolina had ended connected Saturday, over 4.4 cardinal voters — aliases astir 57% of each registered voters successful nan authorities — had formed their ballots. As of Monday, turnout successful nan 25 occidental counties affected by nan hurricane was moreover stronger astatine 59% of registered voters, authorities predetermination committee Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said.

Brinson Bell called nan voters and predetermination workers successful nan hurricane-hit counties “an inspiration to america all.”

Besides nan hurricanes successful North Carolina and Florida, nan astir worrisome disruptions to nan predetermination play truthful acold were arson attacks that damaged ballots successful 2 driblet boxes adjacent nan Oregon-Washington border. Authorities location were searching for nan personification responsible.

The absence of immoderate significant, wide problems has not stopped Trump, nan Republican nominee, aliases nan RNC, which is now nether his sway, from making galore claims of fraud aliases predetermination interference during nan early voting period, a imaginable prelude to challenges aft Election Day.

He has mischaracterized an investigation underway successful Pennsylvania into astir 2,500 perchance fraudulent elector registration applications by saying 1 of nan counties was “caught pinch 2600 Fake Ballots and Forms, each written by nan aforesaid person.” The investigation is into registration applications; location is nary denotation that ballots are involved.

In Georgia, Republicans sought to prohibit voters from returning mailed ballots to their section predetermination agency by nan adjacent of polls connected Election Day, votes that are allowed nether authorities law. A judge rejected their lawsuit complete nan weekend.

Trump and Republicans besides person warned astir nan anticipation that Democrats are recruiting masses of noncitizens to vote, a declare they person made without evidence and that runs antagonistic to nan data, including from Republican secretaries of state. Research has consistently shown that noncitizens registering to ballot is rare. Any noncitizen who does faces the imaginable of felony charges and deportation, a important disincentive.

One lawsuit of noncitizen voting was caught during early voting past period and resulted successful felony charges successful Michigan aft a student from China cast an forbidden early ballot.

This is nan first statesmanlike ballot since Trump mislaid to Joe Biden 4 years agone and began various attempts to circumvent nan outcome and stay successful power. That climaxed pinch nan convulsive Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected nan U.S. Capitol to halt certification of nan results aft Trump told his supporters to “fight for illustration hell.”

Even now, a solid majority of Republicans judge Trump’s lie that Biden was not legitimately elected, contempt reviews, audits and recounts successful nan battleground states that each affirmed Biden’s win. A study past period from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed Republicans stay much much skeptical than Democrats that their ballots will beryllium counted accurately this year.

Seeking to rebuild elector assurance successful a strategy targeted pinch false claims of wide fraud, Republican lawmakers successful much than a twelve states since 2020 person passed caller voting restrictions. Those rules see shortening nan model to use aliases return a message ballot, reducing nan readiness of ballot driblet boxes and adding ID requirements.

On nan past play earlier Election Day, Trump continued to falsely declare nan predetermination was being rigged against him and said a statesmanlike victor should beryllium declared connected predetermination night, earlier each nan ballots are counted.

Vice President Kamala Harris urged voters not to autumn for Trump’s tactic of casting uncertainty connected elections. The Democratic nominee told supporters at a play rally successful Michigan that nan maneuver was intended to propose to group “that if they vote, their ballot won’t matter.” Instead, she urged group who had already formed ballots to promote their friends to do nan same.

Through 4 years of election lies and voting-related conspiracy theories, section predetermination officials person faced harassment and moreover decease threats. That has prompted high turnover and led to heightened information for predetermination offices and polling sites that includes panic buttons and bullet-proof glass.

While location person been nary awesome reports of immoderate malicious cyberactivity affecting predetermination offices, overseas actors person been progressive successful utilizing clone societal media profiles and websites to drum up partisan vitriol and disinformation. In nan last weeks, U.S. intelligence officials person attributed to Russia aggregate fake videos alleging predetermination fraud successful statesmanlike plaything states.

On nan eve of Election Day, they issued a associated connection pinch national rule enforcement agencies informing that Russia successful peculiar was ramping up its power operations, including successful ways that could incite violence, and apt would proceed those efforts good aft nan votes person been cast.

Jen Easterly, nan nation’s apical predetermination information official, urged Americans to trust connected authorities and section predetermination officials for accusation astir elections.

“This is particularly important arsenic we are successful an predetermination rhythm pinch an unprecedented magnitude of disinformation, including disinformation being aggressively peddled and amplified by our overseas adversaries astatine a greater standard than ever before,” she said. “We cannot let our overseas adversaries to person a ballot successful our democracy.”

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