After an eventful and sometimes risky 2024 United States presidential election marketing campaign, many anticipated voting day to be no totally different.
With considerations over doable civil unrest,.
Widespread Trigger, a non-partisan watchdog group monitoring US elections, stated voting ran “comparatively easily” — however that does not imply election day was devoid of drama.
Here is a snapshot of what unfolded.
Battleground states hit by Russia-linked bomb threats
Voting in 5 of the seven was marred by dozens of bomb threats, which officers have linked to Russia.
Authorities confirmed threats had been made on Tuesday to polling locations in Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Voting hours had been prolonged at some areas because of this.
“Not one of the threats have been decided to be credible to date,” the FBI stated in an announcement, including election integrity was amongst its “highest priorities”.
“We’ll proceed to work intently with our state and native regulation enforcement companions to answer any threats to our elections and to guard our communities as Individuals train their proper to vote.”
The Russian embassy in Washington stated any accusations Russia was interfering within the election had been “malicious slander”.
“Russia has not interfered and doesn’t intrude within the inner affairs of different nations, together with the US,” it stated in an announcement.
“As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly careworn, we respect the need of the American folks.”
Officers reject Trump’s claims of voter fraud in key states
Earlier than polls closed, Trump claimed on his Fact Social web site with out proof that there was “a whole lot of speak about large dishonest” in Philadelphia, a metropolis in key swing state Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia metropolis commissioner Omar Sabir rejected Trump’s claims.
“To be clear, Philadelphia elections are secure, easy, safe they usually have all the time been,” he stated.
“There isn’t any dishonest, there is no such thing as a smoke to it. Folks say issues, however it does not essentially imply it’s true. We realized this in 2020.
“We’ve hardworking folks attempting to present the residents of America the elections they deserve.”
Trump made false claims in 2020 that fraud had occurred in giant, Democratic-dominated cities.
In a subsequent Fact Social submit on Tuesday, Trump additionally asserted with out proof there was fraud in Detroit, the capital of Michigan, one other battleground state.
“I do not reply to nonsense,” Detroit metropolis clerk Janice Winfrey informed Reuters.
1000’s of ballots recounted in Milwaukee ‘out of abundance of warning’
Round 30,000 absentee ballots are being recounted in Milwaukee attributable to a “sealing error”, doubtlessly delaying the affirmation of outcomes by hours.
Town is within the battleground state of Wisconsin — one in every of.
Milwaukee’s election fee stated the error was attributable to doorways on the tabulation machines not being correctly closed.
“It is [the re-count] simply out of an abundance of warning,” metropolis spokesman Jeff Fleming stated.
“We’ve no cause to consider that there was any compromise to any of the machines.”
The Republican Nationwide Committee described the incident as “an unacceptable instance of incompetent election administration,” saying “voters deserve higher”.
The choice to recount the votes was made in session with Republicans and Democrats, the election fee stated.
Voter machine malfunction in Iowa
Ballots are having to be counted by hand at a county in Iowa attributable to a voting machine malfunction.
Officers stated voting machine points had been reported at round 12 of the 45 polling locations in Story County, which is dwelling to round 100,000 folks.
“The auditor is working with the seller and our workplace to resolve it,” the Iowa secretary of state’s workplace stated, including it might affect how shortly outcomes may very well be reported.
Current polling confirmed Kamala Harris had a shock 3 proportion level lead over Donald Trump in Iowa, which generally votes Republican.
Trump disputed the outcomes of the ballot, which got here from extensively revered organisation Selzer, saying the race was “not even shut”.
Further reporting by the Reuters information company.
