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First US Polls Close as Trump, Biden Await Initial Vote Counts

Ken Bredemeier

   Election polls closed Tuesday night across the eastern half of the U.S.
   as Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger,
   former Vice President Joe Biden, waited for the official vote count in
   their highly contested race for a four-year term in the White House.

   Polls closed first in the Midwestern state of Indiana, where Trump won
   as expected, and in neighboring Kentucky, where Trump won as well. Both
   candidates claimed wins in other states as expected, but the outcome in
   decisive battleground states and nationally was far from certain.

   The vote count in numerous states was in the early stage, while voting
   continued throughout Western time zones in the U.S.

   Latest Developments

   * There often were long lines of voters across the country and some
   reports of polling stations opening late. Voting equipment issues were
   reported in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas and Georgia.

   * The FBI said it was investigating reports of robocalls discouraging
   people from voting in some states. But there were no signs of
   large-scale conflict at polls as some had feared.

   *The U.S. Postal Service said there were delays in delivering 300,000
   ballots to election officials in Michigan and parts of North Carolina
   and Pennsylvania. The ballots must be delivered by Election Day in
   Michigan and must be postmarked by Election Day in North Carolina and
   Pennsylvania to count

   *Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told reporters Tuesday
   there is "no indication" that a "foreign actor" has successfully
   interfered in the election.

   Large turnout

   Tens of millions of people stood in lines across the country throughout
   the day to cast their ballots on Election Day. More than 101 million
   other people voted early in recent weeks, partly to avoid coming face
   to face with others amid the unchecked coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.

   The early vote count focus was on three Atlantic coastal states --
   Florida, Trump's adopted home state, Georgia to the immediate north and
   North Carolina. Trump won all three states in his 2016 upset victory
   over Democrat Hillary Clinton, but recent national polls showed Trump
   and Biden locked in tight contests in all three.

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