- Most US states allow early voting to work around scheduling conflicts.
- Trump blames mail-in voting for his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.
- Early voters line up at polling stations ahead of the November 5 election in the United States.
ARLINGTON: The first early voters cast their ballots on Friday for the closely contested US presidential election in November, as Democratic candidate Kamala Harris headed to a campaign event focused on the hot-button issue of abortion.
Three US states (Virginia, Minnesota and South Dakota) have started early voting, a practice that Republican candidate Donald Trump had already called into question when he falsely claimed he had won the 2020 election.
Dozens of people waited at an early voting center in downtown Arlington, Virginia, just outside the capital, Washington. AFP The journalists saw it.
Several wore T-shirts reading “Harris-Walz,” while there were also some signs reading “Trump-Vance” in front of the building.
“I'm excited,” said Michelle Kilkenny, 55, adding that voting early, “especially on the first day, helps the campaign and increases the level of enthusiasm.”
Most U.S. states allow in-person or mail-in voting to allow people to work around scheduling conflicts or the inability to cast a ballot on Election Day, Nov. 5.
Former President Trump has frequently criticized any form of voting other than on Election Day, repeatedly blaming mail-in ballots for his 2020 loss to Joe Biden. He has also at times questioned early voting, despite his campaign's efforts to promote it.
Trump, 78, faces criminal charges for allegedly trying to overturn the result of the 2020 election, after which his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
