[The Epoch Times, November 06, 2024](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Qiusheng) Tuesday (November 5) is Election Day. Polling stations are open across the United States. American voters go to the polling stations to vote in the 2024 election. The votes were cast. The race for the presidential election between Democrat <a href="https://www.world-today-news.com/donald-trump-whats-behind-the-us-presidents-baltimore-attack/" title="Donald Trump: What's behind the US President's Baltimore attack”>Kamala Harris (Kamala Harris) and Republican Donald Trump (Trump) is currently very close. Regardless of the outcome, the deep divisions among voters may not be bridged in the short term.
Generally speaking, barring major surprises, seven key states will determine the outcome of the election. However, due to the large differences in the time when states announce election results, the complex composition of voters, and the influx of false and misinformation, it is inevitable that there will be many disagreements and doubts, and the possibility of political violence cannot even be ruled out. Meanwhile, both sides of the race are bracing for a protracted legal battle that could further complicate the race.
The following six issues deserve attention:
1. What special historical significance does this election have?
Given all the twists and turns that have taken place in recent months, it’s easy to overlook the historic significance of this election.
If Harris is elected, she will become the first female president in the 248-year history of the United States, and the first African-American and South Asian person to hold this position. Although Harris and her campaign largely downplayed issues of gender equality and race, fearing it would alienate some supporters, the significance of Harris’ victory will not be lost on historians.
As for Trump, his victory would represent an extremely unique historical achievement. He would be the first person to be elected president of the United States after being convicted of a felony. Just over five months ago, he was convicted of 34 felonies in a hush-money case in New York.
Trump still faces felony charges in at least two separate criminal cases. He insists he is a victim of the politicization and weaponization of the justice system. Regardless, tens of millions of voters clearly trust him, or they firmly believe that Trump is innocent, or they have their own understanding of these cases.
2. When will the election results be announced?
Election Day in the United States is now often considered election week, because even if there are no legal challenges, each state has its own vote counting rules and practices, and the announcement of election results in some states may be delayed by several days. In the case of this election, the truth is, no one knows exactly how long it will take to declare a winner.
In 2020, the Associated Press declared President Joe Biden the winner on Saturday afternoon, four days after polls were closed. Not only that, the Associated Press declared Trump the winner in North Carolina 10 days after Election Day, and it took 16 days after the recount to declare Biden the winner in Georgia.
In contrast, in 2016, the election was decided hours after most polling stations closed. The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 2:29 a.m. on election night (technically, this was a Wednesday morning on the East Coast).
This time around, campaigns on both sides believe the race will be very close barring major surprises in the seven battleground states expected to decide the election. The seven states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Because of the geographical dispersion of these states and the tight races, it is difficult to predict when a winner will be declared.
3. How to track the election?
Voters can focus on two battleground states on the East Coast: North Carolina and Georgia, where results are likely to come in relatively quickly. They are the first swing states to have results that may give us some idea of what’s going to happen tonight.
For a deeper look at the race, voters can look to the cities and suburbs of the industrial North and Southeast, where Democrats have made gains since 2020.
In North Carolina, Wake and Mecklenburg counties are home to Raleigh, the state capital, and Charlotte, the state’s largest city, respectively. Which of the two candidates can gain an advantage there will determine whether they can defeat their opponents in the state.
In Pennsylvania, Harris needs to gain a large number of votes in deep-blue Philadelphia and expand her advantage in suburban counties to the north and west of the city. She campaigned aggressively in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, where Biden’s lead in 2020 was larger than Clinton’s in 2016. Advantages have improved. The Philadelphia metropolitan area (including four surrounding counties) accounts for 43% of Pennsylvania’s votes.
Elsewhere in the “Blue Wall” states (Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin), Trump will need to stem Democratic momentum in Michigan’s major suburban counties outside of Detroit, especially in Oakland County. He faces the same challenge outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Waukesha County.
4. Where will the candidates be on Election Day?
Trump spent the early hours of Election Day in Michigan after attending a late-night rally in Grand Rapids. The Republican candidate plans to spend Election Day in Florida, voting in person there, and he also plans to host a campaign watch party in Palm Beach on Tuesday night.
Harris plans to attend an election night party at Howard University in Washington. The university is a historically black university where Harris earned a degree in economics and political science in 1986. She was an active member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha fraternity at the university.
She has no public schedule for Election Day other than a trip to Howard University.
Harris said on Sunday that she “just filled out” her mail-in ballot and that it was “on its way to California.”
5. How many people will vote in person on Election Day?
It’s unclear how many voters will show up to vote on Tuesday.
Currently, more than 82 million people have voted in advance, either in person or by mail. With so many people already casting their ballots, some officials say polling places in states like Georgia could be “empty” on Election Day.
A major reason for the surge in early voting is that Trump is generally encouraging his supporters to vote early this time, a reversal from his 2020 call for Republicans to vote in person only on Election Day. The increase in early voting confirms that millions of Republicans have heeded Trump’s call in recent weeks.
The key question, of course, is: Will this surge in early voting among Republicans ultimately lead to fewer Republicans voting on Tuesday?
There are changes on the Democratic side, too. Four years ago, Democrats mostly voted early amid the ongoing pandemic, but this time, with no public health risk, perhaps more Democrats will show up to vote in person on Election Day.
6. Will there be riots?
Trump has questioned the integrity of the election in recent days, insisting he would lose only if Democrats cheated. Polls show this is a close election.
Trump is expected to declare victory on election night regardless of the outcome, as he did in 2020, when Trump has yet to admit defeat.
The Republican National Committee will send out thousands of Election Integrity poll monitors on Tuesday to look for any signs of fraud.
Democrats worry it could lead to harassment of voters or election workers. At some key polling locations, election officials are requiring the presence of peace officers, in addition to bulletproof glass and panic buttons that connect poll administrators with local 911 dispatchers.
Trump’s allies, meanwhile, point to the fact that he has suffered two assassination attempts in recent months, raising the possibility of further threats to him. Police in Washington and other cities are preparing for the possibility of serious unrest on Election Day.
(This article refers to the Associated Press report)
Editor in charge: Li Lin#
