Americans went to the polls on Tuesday to write the final chapter of a presidential campaign that has been unlike any other, amid the coronavirus pandemic which has claimed more than 230,000 lives in the United States, cost millions of people their jobs and upended daily life and the Election Day itself.
Nearly 100 million people had already cast their ballots before daybreak — taking advantage of states’ efforts to make voting safer during the pandemic. Among the early voters were President Trump and his Democratic opponent Joseph R Biden Jr, both of whom decided to forgo the traditional Election Day photo op at the polls.
Nov 4 2020; Time: 02:23
North Carolina results to be delayed
Results in North Carolina are set to be delayed by at least 45 minutes, after the state's elections board agreed to keep four polling stations open for longer due to technical problems earlier in the day. Each site will make up for the delay in opening in the morning, with one centre's opening for an additional three-quarters of an hour. The state was due to begin reporting results at 19:30 local time, but will now wait until the final voting location has closed before making any announcement. -- BBC
Nov 4 2020; Time: 02:18
Trump 'president of criminal justice reform'
The White House in a tweet on Wednesday said Donald Trump is 'fighting for public safety', describing him as the 'President of criminal justice reform', who is working to ensure that the justice system serves every American community and provides second chances to those who are ready to "give back and rebuild.
President @realDonaldTrump is the President of criminal justice reform.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 3, 2020
He's fighting for public safety while ensuring that our justice system serves every American community and provides second chances for those who are ready to give back and rebuild. pic.twitter.com/LqN0i2UUeM
Nov 4 2020; Time: 02:13
Dollar slides on Biden
The dollar slid and global equity markets rose Tuesday on bets of increased stimulus if Joe Biden wins the US presidential election against President Donald Trump, but gold prices gained on the prospect of contested voting results. The dollar slid on the notion a Biden victory would weaken the greenback. The former Democratic vice president is expected to boost stimulus spending and be less combative on trade, which would lift other currencies at the dollar's expense. Biden has held a strong lead in national polls, but Republican Trump is close enough in swing states possibly to gain the 270 Electoral College votes needed to retain the presidency. – Reuters
Nov 4 2020; Time: 02:05
Biden campaign projects confidence
Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s presidential campaign projected confidence on a public Election Day briefing call, saying “it is clear we are winning.” Campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon said that they are “confident” about their path to victory and “clear-eyed” on what will come in when. The campaign is staying consistent in its message that it believes the winner will be known tonight. -- CNN
Nov 4 2020; Time: 01:38
National Guard troops pull back in Philadelphia
About 1,000 Pennsylvania National Guard troops mobilised for civil unrest in Philadelphia have pulled back, officials said Tuesday, but remain on alert in the event that they are needed later. The troops were stationed in the area around City Hall over the weekend after the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr on Oct. 26 triggered waves of protests. Their presence, unconnected to the election, spurred tension Monday among residents who viewed the troops as part of preparations for potential political unrest. -- The Washington Post
As Americans vote, Donald Trump who has been trailing in national polls has the backing of millions of people more than 5,000 miles away https://t.co/Mc4Pz9wwgm pic.twitter.com/WxZKgRZdU5
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 3, 2020
Nov 4 2020; Time: 01:26
Trump 'not thinking about concession speech'
President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that he does not a have a concession or acceptance speech prepared. A member of the press asked Trump at the RNC annex in Arlington, Virginia, whether he had written an acceptance or concession speech. The President responded, “No, I’m not thinking about concession speech or acceptance speech yet.” -- CNN
Nov 4 2020; Time: 01:16
Harris: "Have faith in the American people"
Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen Kamala Harris spoke to reporters as she arrived at Detroit's airport this afternoon. The candidate spoke briefly to press and took questions before heading off to local stops. Harris took a question on what her message would be to those who are on edge about potential unrest tonight. "Have faith in the American people. I do strongly believe that we - whoever we vote for - will defend the integrity of our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. And that there are certain lines that no matter who you vote for, they won't cross," she said. -- CNN
We cannot afford four more years of Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/PCEk0BAix4
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 3, 2020
Nov 4 2020; Time: 01:14
Judge orders postal service to check for delayed ballots
A judge ordered the US Postal Service to sweep some mail processing facilities on Tuesday afternoon for delayed ballots and immediately dispatch them for delivery in election battlegrounds such Pennsylvania and Florida among other places. Affected by the order are central Pennsylvania, northern New England, greater South Carolina, south Florida, Colorado, Arizona, Alabama and Wyoming as well as the cities of Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, Detroit and Lakeland, Florida. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit brought by groups such as Vote Forward, a voting rights organisation, and Latino community groups. Many states will only count mailed ballots that are received by the end of Tuesday in their election results. -- Reuters
Nov 4 2020; Time: 01:10
Biden vs Trump
National polls suggest Democratic candidate Joe Biden, 77, has a broad lead, but the race is close in key battleground states needed to win the presidency. Donald Trump, 74, is seeking to avoid becoming the first incumbent president to lose a re-election fight since George HW Bush in 1992. -- BBC
Nov 4 2020; Time: 01:05
Republicans in Pennsylvania sue over balloting
A Republican congressional candidate in Pennsylvania on Tuesday sued election officials in a suburban Philadelphia county, accusing them of illegally counting mail-in ballots early and giving voters who submitted defective ballots a chance to re-vote. The lawsuit against Montgomery County officials was filed by Kathy Barnette, who is seeking a House seat in Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional district, and Clay Breece, chairman of the Republican Committee in neighbouring Berks County. They are seeking to block county officials from letting voters change defective ballots, and to have mail-in ballots that are defective or have been changed be deemed "spoiled," meaning they would not be counted. – Reuters
Nov 4 2020; Time: 01:02
Many Nigerians love Trump despite being disparaged
Hundreds of men and women marched, clad in T-shirts supporting US President Donald Trump or pink fabric dresses bearing the image of Jesus, as they waved American flags, Republican presidential campaign signs, and even a few Nigerian flags. The rally, after all, was in Onitsha, a city in eastern Nigeria. Trump has disparaged African nations before, and this year he added Nigeria and five other countries when he expanded visa curbs. But millions in Africa's most populous nation love the bombastic 45th US president all the same. -- Reuters
A parade for me in Nigeria, a great honor! pic.twitter.com/EHiSQMFvSZ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2020
Nov 4 2020; Time: 00:52
'Joe made me a better president': Obama
Former US President Barack Obama gave his former running mate Joe Biden a ringing endorsement as he retweeted the Democratic presidential nominee's appeal for votes on Election Day. Obama said Biden made him a "better president" and urged Americans to support the Biden-Harris ticket to build the country back better.
For eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. He made me a better president. And today, we have the chance to elect Joe and Kamala to build our country back better. But it’s going to take every single one of us. Vote: https://t.co/XdZz4dh82T https://t.co/Tg95bMztqT
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 3, 2020
Nov 4 2020; Time: 00:04
FBI investigates reports of robocalls
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating reports in several US states of robocalls made to potential voters in an apparent effort to suppress the vote, a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday. -- Reuters
Nov 4 2020; Time: 00:01
'Trump,' 'MAGA' graffiti defaces Jewish cemetery
A Jewish cemetery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was vandalised with pro-Trump graffiti before President Donald Trump visited the city for his final campaign rally of the 2020 election. Police are investigating the incident after six headstones were spray-painted with "TRUMP" and "MAGA". - The Washington Post
Time: 23:20
Biden leaves message at childhood home
Joe Biden has left a message on the wall of his childhood home during a stop in Scranton, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. "From this house to the White House with the grace of God. Joe Biden 11-3-2020," the message reads. The Democratic presidential nominee spent his young childhood in Scranton before moving to Delaware when he was 10 after his father lost his job in the area. -- The Guardian
Photo of the signature Joe Biden left on the wall of his childhood on Election Day. https://t.co/QyVAvryTtc pic.twitter.com/Lb2TJNy2q6
— Sarah Mucha (@sarahmucha) November 3, 2020
Time: 23:12
More than 100 million votes cast
More than 100 million Americans cast an early vote in the 2020 presidential election ahead of Tuesday's Election Day, according to the US Elections Project at the University of Florida, driving what is expected to the highest turnout in modern times. The sharp increase in mail-in and early in-person voting was largely spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 231,000 people in the United States and continues unabated in many states as the number of cases continue to spike. – Reuters
Americans head to the polls on #ElectionDay https://t.co/9lDgIR2anb
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 3, 2020
Time: 23:09
Mysterious robocalls - but no sign of hacking
Voters in several US states have received mysterious robocalls urging them to stay home on Election Day, according to state and party officials. But midday Eastern time - with more than half the expected number of American ballots already cast - there was little sign of digital interference long dreaded by those charged with keeping the vote safe. Worries that a foreign power might seek to intervene in the 2020 vote have been circulating ever since the previous election in 2016, when Russian hackers dumped tens of thousands of emails online to sway the vote towards Republican Donald Trump. But those worries did not materialise as more than 99 million Americans cast their ballots in an unprecedented wave of early voting. -- Reuters
Time: 22:52
Melania turns up to vote without a mask
First lady Melania Trump cast her ballot Tuesday in Palm Beach, Florida, telling reporters she felt “great.” Shortly after 10 am, she entered the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, appearing to be the only person not wearing a mask, and smiling and waving to reporters. The Trumps last year moved their official residence from New York to Florida. -- The Washington Post
"I FEEL GREAT": @FLOTUS casts her ballot on Palm Beach on Election Day. pic.twitter.com/NtAcIHd1qZ
— WPBF 25 News (@WPBF25News) November 3, 2020
Time: 22:35
US allies on edge
As Americans head to the polls, prime ministers and presidents around the world face a delicate question - when to congratulate the eventual winner, especially given the risk the election result will be contested. On the one hand, there's a chance the popular vote will go one way and the Electoral College - which actually determines the winner - the other. Also, President Donald Trump has repeatedly alleged mail-in ballots are subject to fraud, suggested he may not accept the result and said the Supreme Court may have to decide the winner. – Reuters
Time: 22:33
Wall Street jumps on bets of Biden victory
US stocks jumped on Tuesday as investors bet that one of the country's most divisive presidential races would end with a clear victory for Democratic nominee Joe Biden and a swift deal on more fiscal stimulus. All 11 major S&P indexes were up in early trading, led by financial, healthcare and industrial stocks. The consistent lead for Biden in national opinion polls has raised hopes of a decisive outcome in Tuesday's election as well as a bigger stimulus package post-election, analysts and portfolio managers said, even as both campaigns are preparing for post-election disputes. -- Reuters
Joe Biden visits son Beau's grave on #ElectionDay https://t.co/qUSvJ1NpQp pic.twitter.com/PqjkenG4hV
— The Hill (@thehill) November 3, 2020
Time: 22:21
Finally, the counting begins
Polls will begin closing at 6 pm Eastern (5 am Bangladesh time) in parts of Kentucky and Indiana, and the first results will begin rolling in soon after that. Both are securely in the Trump column. After that, there are a few states that may determine early on whether this election might be resolved Tuesday night — or whether Americans are in for a long week or a month. – The New York Times
Time: 21:41
Trump warns voting in Philadelphia will be a 'disaster'
US President Donald Trump once again raised questions about the vote in Pennsylvania, after charging repeatedly without evidence that it will be corrupted. 'Philadelphia will be a disaster,' Trump said during a hoarse early morning call-in interview on Fox & Friends early Tuesday after attending late night rallies. Trump repeated his demand to know who wins on election night. 'I’d like to find out on Nov 3, the end of the evening, or late into the morning whenever, who won the election. And that doesn’t allow that to happen. Unless there’s a blowout, or unless you don’t need Pennsylvania,' he said. -- Daily Mail
Time: 21:19
Exit polls by Edison Research
Edison Research will release preliminary findings from its exit polls, which are based on in-person interviews with voters on Election Day, in-person interviews at early voting centers before Nov 3, and telephone interviews with people who voted by mail. The initial data will look at national and state voter sentiment and motivations, but not detailed percentage estimates. Results from ballot questions in individual states will be released after voting ends in the state. Edison will refine and update its national and state exit poll results through the night, gathering more voter responses and adjusting the weightings to reflect turnout. – Reuters
Time: 20:57
Trump’s biggest overseas fan: Bolsonaro
Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro – perhaps Donald Trump’s biggest overseas fan - has doubled down on his support for the US president despite polls suggesting he is heading for defeat in today’s election. In an interview with CNN’s Brazilian network, Bolsonaro claimed he was confident of a Trump win and believed that would be a positive outcome for trade and diplomatic relations between the two countries. Observers, however, fear Brazil’s far-right leader is in for a rude awakening if his North American mentor loses. – The Guardian
Time: 20:55
An unidentified robocaller
Having said that there’s no evidence of foreign interference in votes cast, there have been some curious incidents in the run-up to the election, and the Washington Post this morning is reporting on a suspicious robocall campaign warning people to ‘stay home’ spooking voters nationwide. An unidentified robocaller has placed an estimated 10 million calls in the past several weeks. The barrage of calls all feature the same short, recorded message: A computerised female voice says the message is a “test call” before twice encouraging people to remain inside. The robocalls, which have come from a slew of fake or unknown numbers, began over the summer and intensified in October, and now appear to have affected nearly every Zip code in the United States. – The Washington Post & The Guardian
Americans head to the polls on #ElectionDay https://t.co/9lDgIR2anb
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 3, 2020
Time: 20:50
Joe Biden talks about 'restoring decency
Joe Biden has arrived in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, one of the states that holds the key to winning the 2020 election. He spoke at a small event, talking about “restoring decency to the White House”, and was greeted by supporters holding up signs saying “Scranton loves Joe!” – The Guardian
Time: 20:37
No evidence 'foreign actor' has compromised votes
The acting US Department of Homeland Security secretary, Chad Wolf, said on Tuesday there was no evidence a "foreign actor" has compromised US votes. "We have no indications that a foreign actor has succeeded in compromising or manipulating any votes in this election," Wolf told a press conference that was streamed online. Worries that a foreign power might seek to intervene in the 2020 vote have been circulating ever since the previous election in 2016, when Russian hackers dumped tens of thousands of emails online to sway the vote towards Republican Donald Trump and away from Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton. -- Reuters
A Hindu right-wing group in New Delhi held special prayers for Donald Trump during #Election2020 https://t.co/gFdTthtVCA pic.twitter.com/7BGY67atWx
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 3, 2020
Time: 20:15
Trump will only declare victory "when there's victory"
President Trump, offering only a mildly confident view of his prospects, said Tuesday he will declare victory "only when there's victory." "There’s no reason to play games. I look at it as being a very, a very solid chance of winning here. I don’t know how they rate the chances," Trump said on "Fox & Friends" during a morning phone interview. He called his last stretch of campaigning "emotional" knowing it could be his final time as a candidate. -- CNN
Time: 20:07
GOP challenges handling of absentee ballots
Shortly after polls opened on Election Day, Republicans in Pennsylvania filed a fresh new lawsuit in federal court challenging the Montgomery County officials' process for handling absentee ballots that arrived before Nov 3. The plaintiffs had previewed their concerns in a letter earlier this week, and they are now asking for a court order to stop alleged "pre-canvassing" of these ballots before 7 am local time and stop contacting anyone whose mail-in ballot contains a perceived defect to change their ballot. They want any ballots changed set aside. As of this morning, roughly 223,000 absentee ballots had been cast in Montgomery County. -- CNN
Time: 20:03
Bracing for legal battles
The Trump and Biden campaigns, voting rights organisations and conservative groups are raising money and dispatching armies of lawyers for what could become a state-by-state, county-by-county legal battle over which ballots will ultimately be counted. The deployments — involving hundreds of lawyers on both sides — go well beyond what has become normal since the disputed outcome in 2000, and are the result of the open efforts of President Trump and the Republicans to disqualify votes on technicalities and baseless charges of fraud at the end of a campaign in which the voting system has been severely tested by the coronavirus pandemic. – The New York Times
Time: 19:51
Trump makes final campaign pitch of 'cheating'
President Donald Trump closed out his bid for a second term with a false warning that 'cheating' in the key state of Pennsylvania could lead to violence in the streets. It was his latest attempt to tarnish the integrity of an election clash with Democrat Joe Biden that more than 100 million Americans have already validated by casting early votes in the middle of the pandemic. -- CNN
Time: 19:22
Officials brace for lines as polls open
More than 100 million Americans cast their ballots before polls opened Tuesday, shattering records and likely reducing the number of people who will turn out to vote in person this year. But the threat remains for issues to arise, from the routine Election Day headaches -- such as long lines and voting machines malfunctioning -- to uniquely 2020 problems, including the threat that the coronavirus pandemic poses to voters and poll workers alike and the heightened fears law enforcement and elections officials have about intimidation and conflict occurring at the polls. -- CNN
Time: 19:15
'Trump Train' caravans a security concern: experts
Lines of honking SUVs, pickup trucks and motorcycles, flying flags for US President Donald Trump are raising security concerns, election experts say - particularly on the country's last day of voting. -- Reuters
Time: 18:25
Biden takes all 5 votes in tiny township
Former Vice President Joe Biden took all five of the votes cast for president in Dixville Notch, a tiny New Hampshire township along the US-Canada border that is among the first places in the country to make its presidential preference known. The ballots were cast in the minutes after midnight, becoming some of the first cast and counted on Election Day. -- CNN
Time: 18:25
Investors bet on Biden victory, more stimulus
US stock index futures rose on Tuesday as investors bet on a Joe Biden victory followed by a swift deal on more fiscal stimulus in one of the most divisive presidential races in US history. After slumping to five-week lows last week, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq began November on a strong footing as the consistent lead for Democratic presidential nominee Biden in national opinion polls raised hopes of a bigger stimulus package after the election. – Reuters
Time: 17:55
Final results not so soon
Democrats are favoured to emerge from around a dozen hotly contested US Senate races with full control of Congress in Tuesday's election, but final results from at least five of those contests may not be available for days, and in some cases, months. – Reuters
Time: 17:50
Hardest election to predict
Hundreds of legal battles over how to vote in the midst of a global pandemic coupled with record-breaking numbers of mail-in ballots and early voters have made the 2020 US presidential election one of the hardest to predict. The US presidential election will be decided by about a dozen states that could swing to either Trump or Biden. A look at the key battleground states that will decide who is the next US president. – Reuters
Time: 17:26
Prayers for Harris, Trump in India
Supporters of US vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris held prayers near her ancestral village in India ahead of Tuesday's US election, while a Hindu fringe group ought divine blessings for her rival Donald Trump in Delhi. -- Reuters
Time: 17:16
Trump predicts 'great win'
Defiant to the last, Donald Trump has made a final bid to save his presidency with a midnight rally in battleground Michigan where, sporting a red “Make America great again” cap, he predicted “one of the greatest wins in the history of politics”. -- The Guardian
Time: 17:14
The coronavirus election
For many Americans, this is the coronavirus election. The pandemic which has killed more than 230,000 people in the United States and destroyed millions of jobs has defined the final year of Trump's presidency and became a rallying cry for Biden. – Reuters
Time: 17:08
Deutsche Bank tired of Trump
Deutsche Bank AG is looking for ways to end its relationship with President Donald Trump after the US elections, as it tires of the negative publicity stemming from the ties, according to three senior bank officials with direct knowledge of the matter. - Reuters
Time: 16:42
America on edge
The National Guard is on notice. Businesses have boarded up storefronts. University students have been told to stockpile food and supplies. Election Day always provokes anxiety, but this one feels especially unnerving as officials and business owners across the United States brace for potential rioting, violence, vandalism or voter intimidation. As millions of voters headed to the polls, many taking precautions to guard themselves against a deadly pandemic, visible reminders of the fear and uncertainty that have loomed over the campaign could be seen across the nation. – The New York Times
Time: 16:39
Trump, a 'two-bit dictator': Obama
Former US president Barack Obama has criticised Donald Trump for casting doubt on the results of the election, likening him to strongmen elsewhere in the world. Addressing a drive-in rally in Miami on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s behalf, Obama said his successor has suggested he may declare victory before all the votes are counted. ‘That’s something a two-bit dictator does,’ Obama said. The former president also accused Trump of ‘lying every single day ... the fact-checkers can’t keep up, it’s like, just over and over again.'- The Guardian
Time: 16:28
Trump gains ground overnight in UK betting markets
Trump's chances of re-election gained sharply overnight in online betting markets as Americans head to the polls on Tuesday, according to Betfair Exchange. Trump's odds of winning the election improved to 39% from 35% on the UK-based platform, while Democratic challenger Joe Biden saw his chances dip to 61% from 65%. – Reuters
Time: 16:23
Tensions simmer
The American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups said they were watching closely for signs of voter intimidation. The ACLU's Georgia affiliate deployed around 300 lawyers across the state at about 50 potential "hot spots" for voting trouble on Tuesday, including 15 polling places in Atlanta. – Reuters
Time: 15:11
The early voting data is valuable
If the polling is correct, Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the United States. But four years ago, the polling was wrong – so if we want to understand the political future of the country, it’s important to look to more reliable sources of information than just the polls. And to look at some voter groups that could be important. Early voting data is an important place to start. There is no doubt that at least 97 million votes have already been cast – those have been counted and are far more precise than any survey. And because those numbers are so high, we can predict that overall turnout is likely to break records. In Texas, so many early votes have been cast that the current ballot count is equal to at least 108% of all the votes counted in the state in 2016. This early voting data is much more valuable than simple polling because we also have information about party registration. – The Guardian
President Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden made a last-ditch push for votes in battleground states as their campaigns prepared for post-election disputes that could prolong a divisive presidential election https://t.co/moBFLYtPQJ pic.twitter.com/hChqt0uPbG
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 3, 2020
Time: 15:00
Journalistic debate
Newsrooms across the United States are bracing for a potentially volatile election night, after reports suggested that Donald Trump is planning to declare “victory” on Tuesday even before results from critical battleground states have been determined. The president’s reported intention to make a premature – and potentially false – victory speech by the end of Tuesday night, with large numbers of mail-in ballots yet to be counted, has provoked intense journalistic debate. – The Guardian
Time: 14:52
Uncertainty looms large
The uncertainty and the prospect of prolonged legal battles have fueled anxiety about the election's outcome and aftermath. Several cities are boarding up buildings in anticipation of possible protests, including around the White House and in New York City. The famed shopping destination of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, will be closed on Tuesday, police said. – Reuters
Twitter and Facebook will label posts claiming an early victory in the #Election2020 before official results are announced https://t.co/nf09IGNQpL $TWTR $FB pic.twitter.com/996DubmfxN
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 3, 2020
Time: 14:14
Trump’s attack on Supreme Court
President Trump on Monday attacked the Supreme Court on several occasions during his final full day of campaigning before Election Day, accusing it of putting “our country in danger” with its Friday ruling, which would allow Pennsylvania to continue accepting absentee ballots after Election Day, at least for the time being. Twitter quickly flagged the president’s assertions as potentially false, saying that “some or all of the content shared in this tweet is disputed and might be misleading.” The president’s remarks in Wisconsin echoed his comments earlier, in Avoca, Pa, where he had suggested cryptically that the Supreme Court decision could be “physically dangerous” without explaining what he meant. – The New York Times
Time: 14:07
Two New Hampshire towns
The results are already in from two New Hampshire towns where voters famously head to the polls just after the stroke of midnight on Election Day. In Dixville Notch, where a handful of masked residents voted shortly after midnight on Tuesday, all five votes for president went to Joseph R Biden Jr, the Democratic nominee. He is the first presidential candidate to sweep the general election vote in Dixville Notch since the midnight voting tradition began there in 1960, when Richard M Nixon won all nine votes over John F Kennedy. The other northern New Hampshire town that voted around the same time on Tuesday, Millsfield, favoured President Trump by 16 votes to 5. – The New York Times
Time: 14:00
Women of colour
A record number of women, including a record number of women of colour, could be elected to Congress on Tuesday, in what would represent a further step towards a US government that represents the makeup of the nation. An unprecedented 318 women are running as Democrat or Republican candidates for the 535 seats available across the House of Representatives and the Senate, up from a previous record of 257 set in 2018. Of those candidates 117 are women of colour, building on the midterm elections of two years ago which saw high profile women such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in New York, and Ilhan Omar, in Minnesota, elected. – The Guardian
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!pic.twitter.com/85ySh1KYkh
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2020
Time: 13:55
Trump’s supporters upbeat and optimistic
At Trump’s final rally of the 2020 campaign, thousands of supporters trudged through muddy fields and waited in endless lines to hear the president speak, on the eve of what could be his defeat – or the start of another four years. Trump delivered his speech at midnight in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a critical swing state where the president is hoping for a repeat of 2016, when he unexpectedly beat Hillary Clinton. In the darkness, as temperatures dipped to 40F (4C), Trump’s supporters were upbeat and optimistic, but many also said they were expecting unrest in the wake of the election. – The Guardian
Time: 13:40
Trump or Biden, investors expect a weaker dollar
The battered dollar’s long-term fortunes are unlikely to improve regardless of who wins Tuesday’s US presidential election, investors and analysts said. Despite its recent bounce against a basket of currencies, the dollar index is still down about 9% from its March highs and on track for its worst year since 2017, weighed down by expectations that US rates will remain near historic lows for years to come. Many market participants believe that a victory by Joe Biden - currently the front-runner in polls - and a potential Democratic sweep would likely weigh on the U.S. currency further, as the former vice president is expected to open the door to policies that investors view as dollar-negative, including robust fiscal stimulus. – Reuters
A vote for Sleepy Joe Biden is a vote to give control of government over to Globalists, Communists, Socialists, and Wealthy Liberal Hypocrites who want to silence, censor, cancel, and punish you. Get out and VOTE #MAGA tomorrow! https://t.co/gsFSghkmdM
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2020
Time: 13:34
Twitter, Facebook flag Trump posts
Twitter and Facebook late on Monday both flagged posts by President Donald Trump that claimed a US Supreme Court decision on mail-in voting in Pennsylvania would lead to "rampant" fraud and was "very dangerous." Twitter hid the president's tweet, sent the day before the US presidential election, behind a label which said the content was "disputed" and "might be misleading." Trump and his Republican allies have repeatedly said, without evidence, that mail-in votes are prone to fraud, although election experts say that is rare in U.S. elections. Trump's tweet also said the Supreme Court's decision would "induce violence in the streets."
You could be the difference between someone making it out to the polls or staying home. And many states could be decided by a handful of votes. Join me and make some calls for Joe in the last few days of this election: https://t.co/FZknijCx0E pic.twitter.com/XGUnAArRXW
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 31, 2020
Time: 13:27
Tectonic shift
There were the staggering early vote totals, with a record 97.6 million people already casting their ballots by mail or in person — a tectonic shift away from one-day voting that has been the staple of the American electoral system — and predictions that the total turnout would break the record set in 2016, when nearly 139 million people voted. – The New York Times
Time: 13:20
False warning
President Donald Trump closed out his bid for a second term with a false warning that "cheating" in the key state of Pennsylvania could lead to violence in the streets. It was his latest attempt to tarnish the integrity of an election clash with Democrat Joe Biden that nearly 100 million Americans have already validated by casting early votes in the middle of the pandemic. -- CNN
Time: 13:05
Early vote in high-stakes election
More than 98 million early votes had already been cast in person or by mail as of Monday night, according to the US Elections Project at the University of Florida, a record-setting pace fuelled by intense interest in the high-stakes election and concerns about voting in person on Election Day during a pandemic. – Reuters
