October 24, 2024 - The most recent polling data in the US Presidential election from leading pollsters and agencies indicate that Republican candidate Donald Trump is gradually strengthening his position in the battleground states and breaking through the blue wall states in other areas. This trend from the early voting phase could be a worrying indication for the Democrat candidate Kamala Harris who needs to secure votes of at least 270 electors in order to be voted to power at the White House.

The national voting date is set for November 5.

Two weeks into the election, around 2.1 crore Americans have exercised their franchise before November 5. According to the Election Lab at the University of Florida, 41.3% of Republicans who are voting in person have already cast their votes, as also 33.6% of Democrats. When it comes to mail-in ballots, both parties are nearly equal, with Democrats at 20.4% and Republicans at 21.2%.

Former President Barack Obama has also cast his mail-in ballot.

The Election Lab data shows that about 78 lakh votes have been cast through in-person voting at polling centres. The remaining 1.33 crore votes were cast via mail-in ballots. Early voting data indicates record turnout in swing states like Georgia and North Carolina. The decision of the election winner will be based on the results from these seven swing states: Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia. Moreover, this year’s early voting data shows that Republican turnout is higher compared to that of Democrats.

In the U.S., campaigning and voting run in parallel for at least four weeks. Jill Stein, the presidential nominee of the Green Party, has also made progress in some voting groups. However, the U.S. Presidential election has never been won by a third-party candidate.   

Source: Media Reports