dpa
Washington
Hours before the final day of voting starts in the US elections, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump were campaigning in key states on Monday with contrasting strategies.
While Trump has been using gloomy rhetoric for days to depict a nation in decline, Harris is targeting specific voter groups such as Gen Z, Latinos and people of Arab descent with her slogan: “When we fight, we win.” Vice President Harris is due to spend all of Monday in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state where polls suggest a tight race.
Winning Pennsylvania is considered crucial for both candidates, as evidenced by its role in the 2016 and 2020
elections.
Harris planned to hold rallies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, supported by celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Oprah Winfrey.
Former president Trump was also campaigning in Philadelphia, as well as in North Carolina, ahead of a final appearance in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The industrial state is home to many Arab Americans who are critical of the White House’s support for
Israel.
Approximately 78 million voters have cast their ballots early, according to the University of Florida’s so-called Election Lab. This figure represents nearly half of the total votes in the 2020 presidential election.
Unlike in 2020, many registered Republicans have voted early this time around, according to the Election Lab.
Voting methods in the United States include early voting in set locations, postal voting and in-person voting on November 5. Each state has its own rules for deadlines and identification, with technology varying from ballots completed by hand to voting machines.
Trump has again raised baseless accusations of election fraud, referring to the Democrats as a “demonic party.” He has also told the ABC broadcaster that he expects the election winner to be determined on election night.
Concerns persist that Trump might repeat his 2020 strategy of declaring victory prematurely. On election night in 2020, he demanded a halt to vote counting at a point when he was temporarily ahead of his rival, President Joe Biden. To this day, Trump does not acknowledge his defeat.
It is likely, however, that the election result will not be clear in the initial hours after polls close, with postal votes likely to delay counting in some states. The result might only be available later in the week like in 2020.
In the final stretch of campaigning, former president Barack Obama came out strongly for Harris, asserting that she would stand up for the people. Mocking Trump, Obama highlighted his privileged background and financial failures.
Obama also addressed Black and Latino voters, questioning why they would support someone who he said has a history of demeaning their communities.
The US president is elected indirectly, with voters determining the composition of the Electoral College. Each state has a set number of electoral votes. Pennsylvania, for instance, has 19 votes.
In most states, the principle applies that the winner takes it all, meaning that the candidate with more than 50% of the vote wins all electors.
To win the presidency, a candidate does not need to win the popular vote, but at least 270 of the 538 votes in the Electoral College.
