In-person voting for this year’s presidential election has begun – a milestone that kicks off a six-week sprint to Election Day after a summer of political turmoil.
Voters lined up to cast their ballots in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, the states with the first early in-person voting opportunities.
About a dozen more states will follow by mid-October.
At a polling site in Minneapolis, Jason Miller arrived well before the polls opened at 8am and was first in line.
He was among roughly 75 people who cast ballots in the first hour at the city’s early voting centre.
“Why not try to be first? That’s kind of fun, right?” said the 37-year-old house painter.
He said he voted “against crazy” – but didn’t want to name his choice for president.
“I don’t think I have to. I think that’s pretty obvious. I think that’s very, very clear,” he said.
The beginning of in-person balloting follows a tumultuous summer in American politics that included President Joe Biden dropping out of the race and being replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, and an assassination attempt against Republican nominee Donald Trump followed by another apparent attempt on his life just nine weeks later.
Across the country, local election directors are beefing up their security to keep their workers and polling places safe while also ensuring that ballots and voting procedures will not be tampered with.
Officials and ordinary poll workers have been targets of harassment and even death threats since the 2020 presidential election.
Federal authorities are investigating the origin of suspicious packages that have been sent to or received by elections officials in more than 15 states in recent days, including Virginia.
“If I could wave a magic wand in this room right now, I would wish for two things: Between now and November 5th, I want to see high turnout and low drama,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said during a news conference Thursday that previewed his state’s efforts around the election season.
Some voters might opt for early in-person balloting instead of using mail ballots to ensure their votes get counted, given the ongoing struggles of the US Postal Service.
State and local election officials from across the country last week warned that problems with mail deliveries threaten to disenfranchise voters, and they told the head of the system that it has not fixed persistent deficiencies despite their repeated attempts at outreach.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy responded in a letter released Monday that he will work with state election officials to address their concerns, but reiterated that the Postal Service will be ready.
Mr Simon urged voters to make their voting plans now.
“My hope and expectation is that the USPS will do the things that we have recommended, and do them quickly over the next 47 days because the stakes really are high for individual voters,” he said.
