Early voting in the US election has surpassed all the pre-election ballots from four years earlier, an independent vote monitor has said ahead of the Nov 3 poll.
Millions of Americans wary of crowded polling booths during the coronavirus pandemic and energised by an election fight that both President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden have framed as existential are smashing records for casting their ballots, whether by mail or in person.
The tally by the independent US Elections Project, run by the University of Florida, said that more than 59 million people had voted as of Sunday. That is higher than the 57 million who voted early or by mail in the 2016 polls, according to the US Election Assistance Commission website.
So far, Democratswho have encouraged early votinghave been leading the way, but whether that means Mr Biden can breathe easy remains to be seen.
Mr Trump has, for months, been claiming without evidence that mail-in ballots lead to fraud, and several Republicans are expected to vote on polling day itself on Nov 3.
With coronavirus cases spiking across the country, however, Professor Michael McDonalda political science professor at the University of Florida who administers the Elections Projectwarned that the strategy "looks all the more risky".
"What if at least some of his voters decide not to vote? What if a polling place becomes unavailable or an election office shuts down?" he tweeted.
The Elections Project has predicted that turnout this year could top 150 million in total. Some 137 million ballots were cast in the 2016 election.
Some states key to the 2020 outcome were also firmly on the path to breaking records, such as Texas, where the Election Project said on Sunday that 80 per cent of the early 2016 vote had already turned out.
"Folks, Texas still has in-person early voting until Friday, plus election day. No doubt Texas turnout will be above 2016. Question is, how much?" Prof McDonald tweeted.
The election in Texas, traditionally a conservative bastion which has backed Republican candidates since 1980, is under close scrutiny, with some polls showing Mr Biden in a position to edge out Mr Trump.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE