USA elections 2020: Trump - Biden | Summary of 2 november
US Election Day live updates: 2 November
US elections latest: headlines
- Record number of Americans turn out to vote
- Biden holds lead in key 'Rust Belt' states
- Trump supporters call for Fauci sacking
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Four states have now exceeded 2016 vote numbers
Arizona now joins Texas, Hawaii and Nevada to have more people cast ballots than in the 2016 election. 2020 has seen remarkable voter turnout in the run-up to Election Day.
Fewer mail-in ballots rejected than predicted
There are some promising signs that fears of large numbers of ballots being rejected because of mistakes made by the people that cast them are not coming to fruition. Democratic voters used mail-in ballots at far higher rates than their Republican counter parts. Republicans have been putting forth a number of lawsuits to invalidate many mail-in ballots and President Trump has frequently misinformed the public saying that they are prone to fraud.
USA Election 2020: what does an official ballot look like?
What to know before you go to the polls
Today, 3 November, is election day. Here's a simply guide to what an official presidential election ballot looks like to prepare you for the big decision.
USA election 2020: where do I vote?
Where to vote...
Make sure you know where you have to go to cast your ballot.
USA Election 2020: is it mandatory to vote and can I be fined?
Do you have to vote in the election if eligible?
The simple answer: no. Here's why... (though we'd urge you to vote!)
USA Election 2020: what does an official ballot look like?
Get prepared - official ballot guide
Here's our guide to the official voting forms. Have a look before you vote.
Another Texas judge rules in favor of drive-thru votes
Harris County, the most populous county in Texas and majority Democratic set up drive-thru voting sites to help voter cast their ballots safely in the coronavirus pandemic. The challenge to the votes has been thrown out of previous courts with today the most recent. Republicans are seeking to have 127,000 votes cast at drive-thru voting locations thrown out say it is an illegal way to vote. The judge said the plaintiffs had no legal standing and asked why the suit had not been brought sooner since the drive-thru sites were available during the primaries in the summer and there was no complaint.
Electoral college map: how many electors are there per county in Florida?
Florida's electors key prize in 2020 race
Florida is always must stop every four years for the presidential campaigns trying to win the 29 electoral votes that can carry them to the White House.
Trump: "I'll tell you who wants him to win... China"
The president revisited one of his favourite themes during a final push on Monday when he accused his challenger Joe Biden of being in thrall to big tech and "owned by China."
US President Donald Trump speaks during a Make America Great Again rally at Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport on November 2, 2020, in Avoca, Pennsylvania. The US presidential campaign enters its final day Monday with a last-minute scramble for votes by Donald Trump and Joe Biden, drawing to a close an extraordinary race that has put a pandemic-stricken country on edge. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
In setback to Republicans, judge rules ballot-counting measures in Nevada legal
A Nevada judge ruled that ballot-counting measures in the state's largest county, home to Las Vegas, were legal, in a setback to US President Donald Trump and Republican officials in a battleground state ahead of Tuesday's election.
Their suit claimed the counting process in Clark County was plagued by several issues, including observers not being able to get to where they needed to observe the count and ballots being handled in a way observers deemed improper.
Trump's campaign, the state's Republican Party and an individual voter filed the lawsuit against Nevada's secretary of state and the Clark County registrar on Oct. 23. The ruling, issued on Thursday, was released on Monday.
Trump is trailing Democratic nominee Joe Biden in opinion polls in Nevada, one of a dozen battleground states that traditionally decide presidential elections.
Judge James Wilson said the plaintiffs in the Nevada case did not have legal standing to bring the case and had not provided evidence that the county's processes had led to the counting of fraudulent votes.
"There is no evidence that any vote that should lawfully not be counted has been or will be counted. There is no evidence that any election worker did anything outside of the law, policy, or procedures," the judge wrote.
Trump has repeatedly warned of fraud, although election experts say that is rare in US elections. Both campaigns have mobilized armies of lawyers in preparation for post-election litigation battles.
Trump denies reports he will declare early victory
The president played down a report from Axios that he intended to claim an early victory on Tuesday if it looked as though he was ahead in the voting, describing the story as "false."
Judge weighs bid to void 127,000 votes cast at drive-through sites in Texas
A federal judge in Texas will consider on Monday whether Houston officials should throw out about 127,000 votes already cast in the US presidential election at drive-through voting sites in the Democratic-leaning area.
US District Judge Andrew Hanen was set to hear an emergency bid at 10:30 a.m. local time (16:30 GMT) by a Republican state legislator and others who accuse Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, a Democrat, of exceeding his constitutional authority by allowing drive-through voting as an alternative during the coronavirus pandemic.
The lawsuit was brought on Wednesday by plaintiffs including state Representative Steve Toth, conservative activist Steve Hotze, and judicial candidate Sharon Hemphill.
The Texas Supreme Court, a state court, on Sunday rejected a nearly identical bid by the same plaintiffs to halt drive-through voting in Harris County. The same court also previously denied similar challenges brought by the Texas Republican Party and the Harris County Republican Party.
Texas, the second largest US state, is traditionally a Republican state, but polls show a tight race this year between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden with more than 9 million ballots already cast, eclipsing the state's total turnout from the 2016 presidential election.
Kanye West election 2020 campaign: ads, policies and more
Rapper Kanye West made a presidential bid based on his fierce faith. Whether it's a "spoiler" or for publicity; impossibly, it's still a thing.
Dollar gains on investor uncertainty before US election
The U.S. dollar hit one-month highs against a basket of peers on Monday and expected volatility in major currencies rose to the highest levels since April on investor jitters over the outcome of Tuesday’s US presidential election.
The dollar has strengthened in the past week as risk sentiment has soured, with investors reducing positions due to uncertainty over the result.
“The move we saw last week was a pretty broad derisking and I think that makes a lot of sense; people are naturally skeptical about any sort of prognostication with regards to the election after what happened four years ago,” said Erik Nelson, a macro strategist at Wells Fargo in New York.
US Elections 2020: who is on the ballot besides Trump and Biden?
US Elections 2020: who is on the ballot besides Trump and Biden?
Although all eyes are on Biden and Trump this election year, there are some other crucial races going on further down the ballot, especially in the Senate.
Twitter offers more details on action plan for US election
Twitter Inc on Monday detailed its action plan for the U.S. presidential election as the social network braced for what it called an unusual election due to a high number of mail-in ballots that might cause a delay in final results.
Beginning on election night through the inauguration, Twitter said it would place a warning label on tweets from certain accounts, including those of candidates and campaigns, that claim victory in advance of official declarations.
Only accounts with over 100,000 followers and a significant engagement will be considered for labeling, Twitter said.
Social media companies are under pressure to combat election-related misinformation and prepare for the possibility of violence or poll place intimidation around the November vote.
In an updated blog, the company said it would consider state election officials and national news outlets such as ABC News, Associated Press, CNN and Fox News that have independent election decision desks as official sources for results.
Lady Gaga adds support for Biden
With over 82 million followers the singer has a powerful voice on Twitter. Gaga will not only appear at Biden's final rally but has published a series of tweets encouraging people to vote for the Democrat candidate in tomorrow's election.
Twitter to label candidate tweets that claim early US election win
Twitter Inc said on Monday it would place warning labels on tweets tweets from certain accounts, including candidates and campaigns, that claim victory in US elections in advance of official declarations of results.
In an updated blog on the issue, the company laid out in more detail how the policy would apply ahead of Tuesday's voting.
US urpasses 95 million early ballots one day before election
More than 95 million Americans had cast their votes in the 2020 presidential election by Monday, according to a tally from the US Elections Project at the University of Florida, a harbinger of what is expected to be the highest turnout in modern times.
Trump or Biden? Billions of dollars at stake as betters lay money down
The 2020 US election is shaping up to be the biggest betting event of all time, with one player placing a record-breaking one million-pound bet on a victory for Democratic challenger Joe Biden, betting companies say.
People were still rushing to place bets on the eve of Tuesday's election and Matthew Shaddick, Head of Politics Betting at Ladbrokes Coral Group, said it estimated about one billion pounds would be wagered globally across the industry.
U.S. President Donald Trump's chances of re-election gained slightly over the weekend, but Biden remained a clear favourite in online betting markets.
Betters on British exchange Smarkets give Biden a 65% chance of winning, while Trump's prospects improved to 35% from 4%.
UK-based internet Betfair Exchange said it also saw Trump's odds improve on the same level.
Election dominates Monday's LA Times
Reports from both the Biden and Trump camp dominate today's the front page of LA Times newspaper.
Which states do Biden and Trump need to win?
Which states do Biden and Trump need to win?
As the candidates try to lock up the electoral map in their race to reach 270 Trump’s lane to reelection narrows. What are the make or break states?
Trump questions integrity of US Election
Trump again questioned the integrity of the U.S. election, saying a vote count that stretched past Election Day would be a "terrible thing" and suggesting his lawyers might get involved.
Americans have already cast nearly 60 million mail-in ballots that could take days or weeks to be counted in some states - meaning a winner might not be declared in the hours after polls close on Tuesday night.
"I don’t think it’s fair that we have to wait for a long period of time after the election," Trump told reporters. Some states, including Pennsylvania, do not start processing mail-in votes until Election Day, slowing the process.
Trump has repeatedly said without evidence that mail-in votes are prone to fraud, although election experts say that is rare in U.S. elections. Mail voting is a long-standing feature of American elections, and about one in four ballots was cast that way in 2016.
US judge weighs bid to void 127,000 votes cast at drive-through sites in Texas
A federal judge in Texas will consider on Monday whether Houston officials should throw out about 127,000 votes already cast at drive-through voting sites in the Democratic-leaning area.
US District Judge Andrew Hanen is set to hear an emergency bid at 10:30 a.m. local time (16:30 GMT) by a Republican state legislator and others who accuse Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, a Democrat, of exceeding his constitutional authority by allowing drive-through voting as an alternative during the coronavirus pandemic.
The lawsuit was brought on Wednesday by plaintiffs including state Representative Steve Toth and a conservative activist, Steve Hotze.
Israeli settlers pray for Trump re-election at biblical tomb
Jewish settler leaders prayed on Monday for U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election, citing his support for Israel, during a ceremony at a biblical tomb in the occupied West Bank that has been a flashpoint of conflict with the Palestinians.
"We have come to bless President Trump, both for the past, to thank him, but also for the future, that he succeeds in the coming election," Yishai Fleisher, spokesman for the Hebron settlers, said at the Cave of the Patriarchs burial site.
One of those interred there, according to tradition, is Abraham, who is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Hoping to encourage coexistence between Jews and Palestinians, the Trump administration has named the Israeli-Arab rapprochement that it has been brokering the "Abraham Accords".
But Trump, a Republican running against Democratic former vice president Joe Biden in Tuesday's election, has been shunned by Palestinians for perceived bias since he broke with global consensus by recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
Brexit 'godfather' Farage says Trump will win US election
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said on Monday that he felt Donald Trump would win the US presidential election as his support base was so enthusiastic and he had gathered momentum in the final days of the campaign.
"He's not just the president of the USA, he is a human dynamo," Farage, whom Trump calls a friend, told Talk Radio from Pennsylvania. "I have never seen a support base as enthusiastic as they are for this man. These crowds chant 'we love you'."
"You can, if you want to, look at the opinion polls, look at the betting markets, look at the lead editorials of the global press and they will all tell you that its a slam dunk for Joe Biden. I do not believe it," Farage said. "I genuinely think he's going to win tomorrow," Farage said of Trump.
Trump suggests he might try to fire Fauci post-election
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested early on Monday that he might seek to fire a highly respected member of his coronavirus task force, Anthony Fauci, after Fauci further criticized Trump's handling of the virus.
Fauci, the country's leading infectious-disease expert who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has taken issue with Trump's repeated assertions that the U.S. fight against the virus was "rounding the turn" when in fact tens of thousands of people are being infected daily.
“We're in for a whole lot of hurt. It’s not a good situation," Fauci told The Washington Post on Friday. "All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors. You could not possibly be positioned more poorly."
When Trump defended his handling of the virus at a late-night campaign rally at Opa-Locka airport in the Miami area, a "Fire Fauci" chant broke out.
Polarized electorate, mail-in ballots could spark post-election legal 'fight of our lives'
Tuesday's U.S. presidential election has all the ingredients for a drawn-out court battle over its outcome: a highly polarized electorate, a record number of mail-in ballots and some Supreme Court justices who appear ready to step in if there is a closely contested race.
The only missing element that would send both sides to the courthouse would be a razor-thin result in a battleground state.
"If it comes down to Pennsylvania and Florida I think we'll be in the legal fight of our lives," said Jessica Levinson, who teaches election law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
Election disputes are not unusual but they are generally confined to local or state-wide races, according to election law experts.
This year, in the months leading up to the Nov. 3 showdown between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden, the coronavirus pandemic fueled hundreds of legal challenges over everything from witness signatures, US mail postmarks and the use of drop boxes for ballots.
Two recent court rulings on deadlines for counting mail-in ballots have increased the likelihood of post-election court battles in the event of close outcomes in Pennsylvania and another crucial state, Minnesota, election law experts said.
Trump and Biden seek battleground state votes on last full day of campaign
President Donald Trump will hunt for support in four battleground states on Monday while Democratic rival Joe Biden focuses on Pennsylvania and Ohio during the final day of campaigning in their race for the White House.
The Republican Trump trails Biden in national opinion polls ahead of Tuesday's Election Day. But the race is seen as close in enough swing states that Trump could still piece together the 270 votes needed to prevail in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the winner.
Trump, aiming to avoid becoming the first incumbent president to lose re-election since fellow Republican George H.W. Bush in 1992, will hold rallies on Monday in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and two in Michigan.
He won those states in 2016 against Democrat Hillary Clinton, but polls show Biden is threatening to recapture them for Democrats.
Trump will wrap up his campaign in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the same place he concluded his 2016 presidential run with a post-midnight rally on Election Day.
Biden, running mate Kamala Harris and their spouses will spend most of Monday in Pennsylvania, splitting up to hit all four corners of a state that has become vital to the former vice president's hopes.
Biden will rally union members and African-American voters in the Pittsburgh area before being joined for an evening drive-in rally in Pittsburgh by singer Lady Gaga.
He also will make a detour to bordering Ohio, spending time on his final campaign day in a state that was once considered a lock for Trump, who won it in 2016, but where polls now show a close contest.
Barack Obama showed off his basketball skills while campaigning for Joe Biden
The former US president casually hit a three point shot from the corner of the court in Michigan where he was campaigning on behalf of Democrat candidate Joe Biden.
What are the requirements to be US president according to the Constitution?
What are the requirements to be US president according to the Constitution?
Constitutional rules prevented Arnold Schwarzenegger from trying for the White House and the Democrats from fielding Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2020.
Who can and can't vote in the 2020 US Election?
Who can and can't vote in the 2020 US Election?
Election Day looms with disinformation floating around trying to suppress the vote, voters are left to wonder whether or not they can legally cast a ballot.
How many votes do Trump and Biden need to win?
How many votes do Trump and Biden need to win?
In the US the President is elected by an electoral college and not the popular vote so the candidate that reaches 270 votes is the one who wins.
Live US elections updates: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the run-up to the 2020 presidential and congressional elections in the United States.
There are now 24 hours to go until Election Day on 3 November, which will see President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden go head to head for the White House - although a record total of more than 70 million Americans have already voted.