Washington [US], September 22: Voters in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia are among the lucky ones to cast their ballots early ahead of Election Day on November 5. About 12 other states will follow in mid-October, according to Axios.
Americans are favoring early voting.
Of the three states, Virginia is the first in the US to allow voters to vote early in person. The early voting period will last until November 2. ABC News cited data from the Virginia Department of Elections, recording that more than 1,796,000 voters voted early in the state in 2020, accounting for 40% of the total votes in that election season. An additional 962,877 voters voted by mail.
On the same day, Minnesota and South Dakota were among 23 states that allow voters to submit absentee ballots in person at a designated election facility or address instead of mailing them in. In the most recent presidential election, more than 1.9 million voters in Minnesota voted absentee, accounting for 57% of the total votes cast in 2020. In South Dakota, about 83,000 voters cast absentee ballots in person at designated election agencies in 2020.
Idaho, Maryland, New York and West Virginia must send absentee ballots to all voters who request them by September 20 (local time). Delaware, Indiana, New Jersey and Tennessee have a deadline of September 21. This is also the day some Oklahoma counties can start sending ballots.
Experts expect more early voting to follow , as the practice is becoming increasingly popular among Americans. In the 2020 election, more than 69% of voters nationwide cast their ballots by mail or early in person, according to data collected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The figure was 40% in 2016 and 33% in 2012.
The possibility of a Harris - Trump "rematch" on television
Yesterday (Vietnam time), US Vice President Kamala Harris , the Democratic presidential candidate, said she was looking to arrange a televised debate with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
"I'm trying to have another televised debate. We'll see," Reuters quoted Ms. Harris as saying at a rally in Atlanta, Georgia.
Harris and Trump faced off on national television for the first time on September 10, in a debate that many expected the Democratic nominee to win. Trump said last week that he would not debate Harris again before Election Day on November 5.
On the same day, The Washington Post cited data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) showing that Ms. Harris's campaign raised more than three times as much money in August as Mr. Trump's campaign. The Democrats raised $257 million compared to $85 million for the Republicans. Also in August, Ms. Harris's campaign spent $174 million on election activities, nearly three times as much as the Trump campaign's $61 million.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper