Record turnout has already been recorded in the southern state of Georgia, where early voting has been possible since Tuesday. In neighboring North Carolina there was also a high level of participation in early voting, which is possible by appearing in person at polling stations that are already open or by postal vote.
The two opponents in the race for the White House, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump, wanted to hold campaign appointments in the swing state of Michigan on Friday. More than 800,000 people have already cast their votes there. In the state with the automobile metropolis of Detroit, there are numerous Muslim and Arab voters who accuse the incumbent government of its massive support for Israel in the Gaza war.
After the killing of Hamas leader Jahja Sinwar, Harris said on Thursday that there was now “an opportunity to finally end the war in the Gaza Strip.” This must be ended in such a way “that Israel is safe, the hostages are released and the suffering in the Gaza Strip ends.” Trump has not yet responded to the news of Sinwar’s death.
The election on November 5th is seen as a landmark for the future of US democracy and the future foreign policy of the world power; the polls are predicting an extremely close result. The president is elected indirectly by a college of electors sent by the individual states.
Due to this peculiarity of the US electoral system, the decision will probably only be made in a few states, the so-called swing states, where the election outcome is particularly close. Michigan, with its 15 electors, is one of these seven particularly hotly contested states.
