Trump, Biden urge supporters to vote early as debate showdown looms
Some 27.9m Americans have already cast early ballots ahead of the November 3 election
US President Donald Trump implored supporters in Nevada on Sunday to cast ballots early ina state he narrow ly lost in 2016, while Democrat Joe Bid en urged North Carolina residents to“go vote today ,” as the final presidential debate looms later thisweek.
Some 27.9 million Americans have already cast ballots either by mail or in person ahead of the November 3 election, according to the US Elections Project at the University of Florida. The record- shattering figure is being driven in part by concerns about crowds at polling sites on Election Day during the coronavirus pandemic.
At a rally in Carson City, Nevada, a state where voting started on Saturday, Trump told attendees: “Early voting is under way, so get out and vote.” In North Carolina, a battleground where 1.4 million, or 20 per cent, of the state’s registered voters had already voted as of Sunday morning, Biden asked people to cast ballots as soon as possible.
The race is neck and neck in the state, which Trump won by 3.66 percentage points in 2016.
“We gotta keep the incredible momentum going; we can’t let up,” Biden told a “drive- in rally” in Durham, as attendees sitting in their cars honked in approval. “Don’t wait — go vote today.” Biden also criticised Trump for saying over the weekend that the United States had “turned the corner” in the coronavirus pandemic, noting that the rate of new cases across the country had risen to the highest level in months.
“Asmy grandfather would say: ‘ This guy’s gone around the bend ifhe thinks we’ve turned the corner,’” Biden said.