Washington, October 29. November 3 is the election day for the US presidential election. Judging from the eagerness of the early voting, this election can be described as “have already lost the horoscope.”
Did Trump and Biden both vote? Why is early voting so popular? What about “Super Voting Center”? Please see the first-line report of Xinhua News Agency reporters–
Both Trump and Biden have voted in advance
Chris Siliza, a well-known freelance writer for CNN, predicts that the voter turnout in the U.S. election this year will be high, and there is even the possibility of breaking historical records.
One of the reasons why commentators predicted this might be the eagerness of early voting.
On October 28, voters lined up to vote at a polling station in Washington, USA. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie
Most U.S. states and the capital, Washington, have already started voting in advance, including on-site voting and postal voting. According to statistics from the “U.S. Election Plan” website, as of the evening of October 28, more than 75 million people in the United States had participated in early voting, equivalent to 55% of the voters in the 2016 U.S. election. Among them, more than 50 million voters used mailed ballots, roughly twice the number of on-site voters.
The “protagonists” of this year’s election-Republican presidential candidate and current president Trump, Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Biden have all voted.
On October 28, local time, Biden and his wife voted in advance in Wilmington, Delaware, where they live.
On October 24, Trump voted in advance in Palm Beach County, Florida, where the Sea Lake Estate is located.
In addition to voting for themselves, these two people can be said to be able to canvass for themselves in the final sprint stage. Biden hired the Democratic “star” former President Obama last weekend. Trump ran three states in one day on the 27th. On the 28th, the two men actually “crashed” in their election campaign, and both held a campaign rally in Tampa, Florida, one of the important “swing states”, a few hours apart.
Trump said at a recent campaign rally that he would repeat his 2016 victory, “we will bring an even greater surprise in 6 days.”
Biden said at a rally that once he is elected, “we will do the right thing from the first day.”
Another impact of the epidemic on the general election:
“Super Voting Center”
In the capital, Washington, more than 30 polling stations have been opened in advance. Many are located in large venues such as baseball stadiums, known as “super voting centers.”
These places are larger than ordinary polling stations and provide more voting compartments, which can avoid long-term queuing and other situations-at a time when the epidemic in the United States is still severe, its significance is self-evident.
A “super voting center” is located at the National Stadium in Washington. This is the home of the Washington Nationals, a major league baseball team. Due to the spread of the new crown epidemic for many months, fans were unable to attend the stadium, and the stadium was “in the cold.” In the past two days, the stadium was reopened as a polling station, and it has rarely recovered some popularity. Because the place is large enough, voters can basically vote as they go, instead of queuing for hours as they do in other places in the United States.
In New York, early voting has been going on for several days. New York Mayor De Blasio (middle) queued with the public for more than three hours on the 27th to complete the vote. He called on the Election Commission to increase personnel and voting equipment to reduce the waiting time for voters. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Ying
On-site coordinator of the polling station James Howlett told Xinhua News Agency reporters that the election is approaching and more and more people are expected to come to vote.
Outside the stadium, Tony, who had just voted, told reporters that he was most concerned about the US epidemic, economy and national unity this year.
Anderson, who came to the stadium with friends to vote in advance, told reporters that the reason why he deliberately went to the scene to vote in advance was to avoid possible problems with mail voting.
The reporter also saw in the polling station that stickers on the ground remind people to maintain social distancing. The staff are wearing masks. There are transparent baffles in front of the staff at the counter. They must also frequently check the used voting booths, voting machines, etc. Sterilize stationery, etc.
On October 28, voters voted at a polling station in Washington, USA. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie
Whether it is the unusual enthusiasm of early voting, the overwhelming controversy caused by mailed ballots, or the various epidemic prevention arrangements at polling stations, it is actually the impact of the new crown epidemic on the US election.
According to data released by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, there are currently more than 8.8 million confirmed cases of the new crown in the United States and more than 227,000 deaths, both of which rank first in the world. As the epidemic continues to spread and a new round of fiscal stimulus measures have been delayed, the prospects for the US economic recovery have become increasingly worrying.
From issues, election campaigns to voting methods, the new crown epidemic can be described as reshaping this year’s US election in many ways. While increasing uncertainty, it also adds another topic of quarrel to the already “torn” American society.
Tony finally told reporters that this year’s U.S. election has been “chaotic” all the way, no matter what happens in the end, he has a certain degree of psychological preparation.
