With the United States presidential election just days away, over 70 million Americans have already cast their ballots.
This unprecedented turnout for early voting highlights the intense anticipation surrounding the race between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
According to data from CNN, Edison Research, and analytics firm Catalist, a total of 71.5 million votes have been cast across 47 states and the District of Columbia.
This surge in early voting represents around 45% of the 158 million ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election.
In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, around 70% of Americans voted before Election Day, primarily by mail.
In contrast, the 2022 midterm elections saw a roughly even split between early voting and Election Day voting.
But as the 2024 election unfolds, it seems early voting has once again gained momentum.
Georgia stands out, with early voting numbers reaching a whopping 80% of the state’s total votes from 2020.
Across 14 states, more than half of registered voters have already cast their ballots, reflecting widespread enthusiasm and determination among voters.
As candidates crisscross the nation, tensions have mounted.
On Saturday, Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on the popular comedy show, Saturday Night Live, sharing the stage with Maya Rudolph, who often impersonates Harris.
“Keep Calm-ala and carry on-ala,” Harris joked, matching Rudolph in an energetic rallying call that delighted the audience.
This appearance was Harris’s first on the show, a longstanding platform where politicians often make memorable guest appearances.
In 2015, Trump also appeared on Saturday Night Live, poking fun at his persona and his tendency to avoid specific policy discussions.
Trump’s team has not confirmed if he will make a similar appearance this year.
The race is heating up in several key battleground states.
On Saturday, Harris and Trump held events in Charlotte, North Carolina, where their planes shared the tarmac as they campaigned in the same state for the fourth consecutive day.
Only seven states are considered true battlegrounds, but new poll data from Iowa has surprised political analysts.
The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows Harris with a slight lead over Trump, a significant change in a state Trump won comfortably in the last two elections.
In Atlanta, Harris addressed supporters, accusing Trump of being “obsessed with revenge” and seeking “unchecked power.”
“This is someone who is increasingly unstable, consumed with grievance,” she warned, urging voters to make their voices heard on Election Day.
Meanwhile, Trump took a familiar approach in Salem, Virginia, rallying his supporters with promises to “rescue” the U.S. economy from what he called “obliteration.”
Trump said, “I didn’t need to be here today. I could have been standing on that beach, my beautiful white skin getting nice and being smacked, being smacked in the face by a wave loaded up with salt water.”
These remarks, characteristic of Trump’s combative style, ignited laughter among his supporters.
He shared the stage with college athletes protesting transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports, a controversy Trump’s campaign has used in TV ads.
The latest polls show a tightening race.
In Iowa, Harris leads Trump by 47% to 44% among likely voters, a shift driven largely by women voters, particularly older and independent women, according to the poll.
In September, Trump held a four-point lead in the same poll, showing a significant swing in favor of Harris as Election Day approaches.
Trump’s senior adviser Jason Miller dismissed the poll results as “idiotic” and claimed it was an outlier without credibility.
The campaign has sought to project confidence, with the Atlas National Poll forecasting Trump victories in critical swing states, including North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan.
Political analysts say that this election could come down to the wire in just a few crucial states.
In North Carolina, early voting rates remain high, even in counties devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Voters in the western counties are participating at roughly the same rate as other parts of the state, according to political science professor Michael Bitzer of Catawba College.
The resilience of North Carolina voters reflects the overall mood of Americans eager to make their voices heard in what many are calling the most consequential election of their lifetime.
Across the nation, voters from all walks of life are expressing their opinions on a broad array of issues—from immigration policies to the handling of the economy and controversies over transgender rights.
Experts say that voter turnout is a strong indicator of heightened public engagement and a deep desire for change or stability, depending on the voters’ perspectives.
In this election, issues like economic policy, national security, and social equality are top priorities for voters across the country.
Both Harris and Trump are expected to maintain their intense campaigning schedules right up until Election Day on November 5, 2024.
As the candidates make their final appeals, Americans are reminded of the power of their vote and the role each citizen plays in shaping the nation’s future.
The eyes of the world are now on the United States as it enters the final stretch of an election season marked by record-breaking early voting, intense political drama, and a deeply divided electorate.
