AMERICA (FINALLY) DECIDES
Braced for a backlash:
SHOP owners boarded up windows and police were put on stand-by in major cities amid fears of disorder after the result of the US presidential election.
As voters queued from 6am yesterday, Republican incumbent Donald Trump remained bullish despite his Democratic challenger Joe Biden going into polling day as bookies’ favourite.
However, Mr Trump’s warning of ‘violence on the streets’ if he is defeated did nothing to lessen fears of civil rights groups which said they were watching closely for any signs of voter intimidation.
On Sunday, Mr Trump had declared that as soon as polls close ‘we’re going in with our lawyers’. Last night, security forces were primed for any potential clashes as votes were being counted.
A fence was put up around the White House perimeter while in Denver and Minneapolis – scenes of protests this year over police killings of black people – workers boarded up properties.
In New York, the Empire State Building, Macy’s department store and Fox News’s building were all subjected to heightened security measures. Jewellery and watches were removed from display windows at Rodeo Drive in California’s Beverly Hills. ‘Hopefully, this is all for nothing,’ said Kathy Gohari, of the area’s business association. Should there be any legal wrangles over the election result, Mr Trump’s Supreme Court choice Amy Coney Barrett – approved earlier this month – could potentially give the Republicans a 6-3 majority in the event of a ruling being needed.
Mr Trump has railed against a decision in Pennsylvania, upheld by the Supreme Court, to count postal votes received within three days of the election. In a tweet early yesterday, he said: ‘The Supreme Court decision on voting in Pennsylvania is a VERY dangerous one. It will allow rampant and unchecked cheating and will undermine our entire systems of laws. It will also induce violence in the streets. Something must be done!’ Twitter imposed a restriction on his claim.
Almost 100million Americans were believed to have voted early, although the Republicans have mounted challenges over mailed-in ballots in some states.