Voting begins on election day
Xinhua News Agency, Washington, November 3 (Reporter Xu Jianmei and Sun Ding) Voting on election day for the 2020 U.S. election begins on the 3rd. Tens of millions of voters across the United States are expected to go to the polling stations to vote for the next U.S. president and hundreds of Congress Members of Parliament and some local officials.
Nearly 30 voters in two small towns in New Hampshire took the lead in voting in accordance with tradition and voted on the spot.
However, most polling stations across the United States are open in the morning and will continue to be open until the evening of the 3rd.
Xinhua News Agency reporters saw at multiple polling stations that most voters who went to vote were wearing masks and waiting in line at intervals of two to three meters.
In the context of the continuous spread of the new crown epidemic and the recent record high number of newly confirmed cases in a single day, all polling stations have adopted necessary epidemic prevention measures.
According to statistics, affected by the epidemic and other factors, including two presidential candidates Trump and Biden, about 100 million American voters have voted in advance or mailed votes, setting a record.
John Peterson, a young Virginia voter, told reporters after voting that the government's response to the epidemic and foreign policy are his top concerns.
He also said: "The United States is now very divided, and we need to restore the civility of the political process."
This election is generally regarded as one of the most divided elections in the United States so far. Today's American politics and society are more polarized than at any time since the American Civil War.
The Republican and Democratic parties accused each other of disastrous consequences for the country if they win the election. Many voters feel confused and worried.
In addition, social injustices such as economic recession caused by the epidemic, social conflicts and violent conflicts caused by ethnic problems, and the growing gap between rich and poor are also the focus of the majority of voters.
Experts predict that more than 150 million voters will vote in this general election, surpassing the nearly 140 million people in the 2016 general election.
However, due to the large proportion of early voting and mailed votes, the election results may be delayed.
Many media and people worry that once the elections are controversial, they may cause chaos and even social unrest.
(Participating reporters: Xing Yue, Wang Ying, Deng Xianlai, Liu Pinran)