With a week still remaining before the US elections on November 3, over 60 million Americans have already voted using mail-in ballots and early voting facilities. Though both were available during past elections, the scale of use has gone up significantly this year, largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which the US is still struggling with. The entire 2016 election only saw about 47 million early ballots cast. By the time polls close, forecasters expect a record number of ballots to be cast, with some predicting over 150 million people voting for a turnout of 65%, a number not seen in over 100 years. Although ease of voting thanks to reforms in the mail-in and early in-person voting deserves some credit, several analysts tie the increased turnout to the polarising figure occupying the White House. There are few examples in American history of a president drawing such visceral reactions from his opponents and even his supporters.
While President Donald Trump continues his-last ditch effort to claw back against Democratic candidate Joe Biden, the odds are stacked against him. So far, his strategy has been to throw mud at Biden while denying many of the problems he has created. Despite his mismanagement of Covid-19, Trump claimed this week that his administration was “doing a great job”. But his chief of staff apparently did not get the message, admitting the same day that the Trump administration was “not going to control the pandemic”. Meanwhile, he continues accusing Biden and his son of graft, even though US intelligence agencies say there is no truth to these rumours. The irony is that Trump himself is being investigated for tax fraud, while his three older children paid a multimillion-dollar settlement to avoid a conviction for defrauding several charities. On the other hand, Biden continues with his calmly inspiring messaging of centre-left policies and a return to normalcy. Yet, Trump still has a chance, because this is America.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2020.
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