HIGH HOPES
TRUMP OR BIDEN: AMERICA BOARDS UP AHEAD OF ELECTION RESULTS
As Americans cast their votes in Tuesday’s presidential election, the world watched closely, especially allies in the Middle East and Europe, and rivals such as Russia, China and Iran, as the election outcome could see a drastic change in US foreign policy. For most voters in the US, however, foreign policy has little impact on their everyday life and was low on voter priorities.
Following an anxiety-packed presidential campaign that deepened political divisions and intolerance in the United States, Americans streamed to the polls on Tuesday to choose either another four years with Donald Trump, or a new era with Joe Biden.
The pandemic-battered nation has been soul-searching throughout this campaign, calling the election a fight for the future of America. As polling stations operated across the nation, more and more store fronts were being boarded up in major cities in preparation for potential civil unrest — as though the challenges of a pandemic-held election weren’t enough.
New York City and Washington looked like the covered-up early summer versions of themselves, as business owners took various security precautions ahead of Tuesday night. Friends and families wished one another to stay safe, as though the country was going into battle rather than an election.
“The universal mood is of pervasive anxiety, enhanced by an inability to effect the outcome and despair as we stare at what may happen. Not good,” said Eli Epstein, a New York resident who was voting for Joe Biden.
Sandy, another New York Democrat, told Khaleej Times that the levels of uncertainty were unbearable.
“The news makes me crazy because we really don’t know from all the polls and predictions. The year 2016 proved all the polls wrong. I think we are all nervous that if Trump loses, he will not step down gracefully and the country will be even more divided and violent. It scares me.”
Meanwhile, Republicans we spoke with expressed more optimism. Bryan Leib, a former GOP Congressional Candidate and Jewish Voices for Trump Coalition Member, said there was “more excitement amongst Trump voters today than there was in 2016”. Leib predicted the largest electoral college victory in US history, saying that “the American people will send a strong message today — that they want four more years of President Trump”.
Ahead of Election Day, just over 100 million voters cast early ballots either by mail or in person, and if this voter trend continues to the end, voter turnout would shatter records.
Winning is easy. Losing is never easy — not for me it’s not.” Donald Trump
From this House to the White House with the Grace of God.” Joe Biden
We have no indications that a foreign actor has succeeded in compromising or manipulating any votes in this election.”
Chad Wolf, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary
We can put an end to a president that’s left hardworking Americans out in the cold!. If you elect me..., I’m gonna act to heal this country.”
Joe Biden, Democratic candidate
Voters in several US states have received mysterious robocalls urging them to stay home on Election Day, according to state and party officials. But midday Eastern time — with more than half the expected number of American ballots already cast — there was little sign of digital interference long dreaded by those charged with keeping the vote safe.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Christopher Krebs, a senior Department of Homeland Security official who has become one a leading government spokesman on election security. He told a press conference earlier on Tuesday that “today in some sense is halftime. There may be other events or activities or efforts to interfere or undermine confidence in the election.”
Worries that a foreign power might seek to intervene in the 2020 vote have been circulating ever since the previous election in 2016, when Russian hackers dumped tens of thousands of e-mails online to sway the vote towards Republican Donald Trump and away from Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.
But those worries did not mate
rialise as more than 100 million Americans cast their ballots in an unprecedented wave of early voting — well on the way to the 160 million expected by experts.
Speaking alongside Krebs, the acting US Department of Homeland Security secretary, Chad Wolf, said on Tuesday that “we have no indications that a foreign actor has succeeded in compromising or manipulating any votes in this election.”
There were, however, signs of more traditional threats in form of machine breakdown and malicious robocalls.
Authorities and party officials in swing states including Iowa, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida reported a spike of automated phone calls warning voters away for the polls for a variety of bogus reasons.
“Getting reports of multiple robocalls going to Flint residents that, due to long lines, they should vote tomorrow,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said on Twitter.
“Obviously this is FALSE and an effort to suppress the vote.”
There were tech glitches too. In Spalding County, Georgia, voting systems were down, elections supervisor Marcia Ridley told local media. —