More than 4 million Americans have already cast their votes in the presidential election through the mail. That’s a significantly higher number than in the previous election in 2016. At that time, 75,000 voters had voted by mail by this time, US Elections Project is tracking the vote.
It will take just under a month for the physical polling stations to open on November 3, but it is already possible to vote early by mail in more than half of the states.
Due to the corona crisis, many more people were predicted to pass on their choice between sitting President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden by letter this year.
Several states have simplified postal voting rules, and many voters have already formed their minds, according to the Elections Project.
The number of postal votes predicts a record turnout in the elections, according to the project. About 150 million Americans are expected to vote. That is 65 percent of all voters. In the previous elections, in 2016, 55 percent of those entitled to vote cast their votes.
The 4 million completed notes come from 31 different states. In the coming weeks, it will be possible to cast an early vote by post in almost all other states. In 2016, 57 million Americans voted by mail.
Postal voting is a sensitive issue in the US, as President Trump insists that postal votes encourage electoral fraud. In addition, according to the Democrats, politically motivated savings at the postal service led to fears that postal votes would not arrive on time or at all.
All fifty states have their own laws on postal voting. This can result in the votes not coming in until days after election day in some states. Democrats fear a scenario where President Trump is already claiming victory, while many post votes have yet to be counted.
