After months of anticipation, it’s finally Election Day in the US. Most of the polls have Biden ahead in both the national vote and a majority of the key swing states. However, Trump will not go down without a fight, even hinting at a campaign rally in Reading over the weekend that he intends to use the Supreme Court, conveniently now with a 6-3 Republican lean, to help secure the election if he is unable to do so at the ballot box.
This is an election like no other. Nearly 100 million Americans have already voted, over two-thirds of 2016’s total. These votes, added to those who will vote on the day, means that a record turnout is practically guaranteed. In 2016 almost 139 million Americans voted, a then record. Hawaii and Texas have already surpassed their total 2016 voter turnout, with key battleground states Georgia, Florida and North Carolina topping 90 percent of their 2016 turnout.
The earliest inkling of the result may come in Georgia. The southern state has not voted Democrat since Carter’s win in 1960. Trump does lead in the polls there, however by only a slim margin. The first major indicator of which way the election is headed will be Florida, whose polls close at 8pm Miami time, 1am tomorrow morning here in the UK. If Biden gets an early win, Democrats will gain confidence across the nation. However, if it is close in that state, things may be more protracted. If Trump wins Florida, then the whole contest remains up for grabs.