Polls across the United States opened early Tuesday for Election Day and the last day to vote in one of the most divisive campaigns in American history.
It has been four years since Americans elected President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to office.
The contest to win the Democratic nomination to challenge them brought out historic candidacies of women and people of color before former Vice President Joe Biden won out, choosing California Sen. Kamala Harris as a running mate.
Besides the White House race, Democrats are looking to keep control of the House of Representatives and retake a majority in the Senate. At the same time, Republicans are aiming to pick up gains in the House, hold their Senate majority and keep Trump.
Democrats need to win just four seats for a Senate majority if Trump is re-elected, and only three if Biden wins the presidency.
According to the Election Project, 100 million Americans have voted early this year, twice the figure from four years ago. A surge in voting by mail amid the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to slow the ballot count.
Election officials had reported few or no problems at polling sites by Tuesday afternoon, even in political battleground states where tensions may be higher.
Dry, cool conditions with sunshine were forecast for the East Coast.
Some cities were on guard for any strong reactions to the results, which may not be known for days.New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday the city has learned of no specific threats, but will "be ready for anything."
"I want to emphasize at this moment, we don't see a specific challenge, we are ready for all sorts of challenges," he said at a briefing. "A lot of preparations have been happening over the last few weeks."In Chicago, Marisel Hernandez, chairwoman of the city's board of election commissioners, said she's ready for a massive voter turnout.
"We've been planning for a larger turnout because presidential elections historically have a larger turnout," Hernandez told the Chicago Tribune at the United Center, the home of the NBA's Chicago Bulls that for the first time is being used a polling place.
"We've been planning just to give voters a good experience, and a transparent experience," she said.
In St. Louis, voting was heavy across the city's 100 polling sites but long lines that had formed before the polls opened were moving quickly, officials said.
Sunny skies and unseasonably warm Election Day weather was expected in Missouri, according to the National Weather Service.
Long lines were reported in metro areas like Chicago, Milwaukee, Houston and Minneapolis.Polls in Texas will close at 7 p.m. and those in Wisconsin an hour later. Both states have been key targets for Biden's campaign, which is particularly hoping to become the first Democratic candidate to carry Texas since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
In California, law enforcement officials in Sacramento said Monday they're on standby in case Election Day demonstrations that turn violent.
Metal barricades were placed around the California State Capitol and the state's Highway Patrol denied permits to demonstrate around the building.
In Los Angeles, storefronts along the city's upscale Rodeo Drive shopping district were boarded up in preparation for possible violence.
Polls close in California and Alaska close at 8 p.m.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
