In-person voting begins for presidential contest, kicking off sprint to Election Day

By STEVE KARNOWSKI

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — In-person voting for this year’s statesmanlike predetermination began Friday, a milestone that kicked disconnected a six-week sprint to Election Day aft a summertime of governmental turmoil.

Voters lined up to formed their ballots successful Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, the states with the archetypal early in-person voting opportunities. About a twelve much states volition travel by mid-October.

At a polling tract successful Minneapolis, Jason Miller arrived good earlier the polls opened astatine 8 a.m. and was archetypal successful line.

“Why not effort to beryllium first? That’s benignant of fun, right?” said the 37-year-old location painter.

He said helium voted “against crazy,” but didn’t privation to sanction his prime for president.

“I don’t deliberation I person to. I deliberation that’s beauteous obvious. I deliberation that’s very, precise clear,” helium said.

The opening of in-person balloting follows a tumultuous summertime successful American authorities that included President Joe Biden dropping out of the contention and being replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris arsenic the Democratic nominee, and an assassination attempt against Republican nominee Donald Trump followed by different apparent attempt connected his beingness conscionable 9 weeks later.

Across the country, section predetermination directors are beefing up their security to support their workers and polling places harmless portion besides ensuring that ballots and voting procedures won’t beryllium tampered with. Officials and mean canvass workers person been targets of harassment and adjacent death threats since the 2020 statesmanlike election.

Federal authorities are investigating the root of suspicious packages that person been sent to oregon received by elections officials successful much than 15 states successful caller days, including Virginia.

“If I could question a magic wand successful this country close now, I would privation for 2 things: Between present and November 5th, I privation to spot precocious turnout and debased drama,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said during a quality league Thursday that previewed his state’s efforts astir the predetermination season. Simon besides serves arsenic president of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

As the commencement of aboriginal voting approached, Trump’s rhetoric turned much ominous with a pledge to prosecute anyone who “cheats” successful the predetermination successful the aforesaid mode helium falsely claimed they did successful 2020, erstwhile helium lied astir wide fraud and attacked officials who stood by their accurate ballot tallies.

Trump has antecedently sought to sow doubts astir message voting and encouraged voters to formed ballots successful idiosyncratic connected Election Day. But this year, Trump and the Republican National Committee, which helium now controls, person begun to clasp aboriginal and message voting arsenic a mode to fastener successful GOP votes earlier Election Day, conscionable arsenic Democrats person done for years.

In Virginia. aboriginal in-person voting has agelong been fashionable successful the metropolis of Chesapeake, particularly during statesmanlike elections, said its elections director, Mary Lynn Pinkerman.

She expects aboriginal voting to assistance easiness the crowds connected Nov. 5, but besides cautioned that Election Day voting “is surely not a happening of the past” and that “voters could inactive brushwood hold times.”

Fairfax County Elections Director Eric Spicer said astir a 3rd of section voters came to the polls connected Election Day during the 2020 statesmanlike election, portion the remainder voted by message oregon aboriginal and in-person.

“We telephone them our cicada voters who travel retired each 4 years,” helium said, adding that helium expects this year’s statesmanlike contention to thrust dense turnout successful his bluish Virginia county.

Nick Vucic and his girl Abigail, 7, ticker arsenic a instrumentality records his ballot astatine a polling presumption successful the Elena Bozeman Government Center successful Arlington, Virginia, connected September 20, 2024. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

In South Dakota, the apical predetermination authoritative successful Minnehaha County, the state’s astir populous, is readying for an 80% wide turnout. Extra seasonal workers began Monday, and an aboriginal voting country was acceptable up successful the region medication gathering successful Sioux Falls.

County Auditor Leah Anderson said the statesmanlike contention and respective statewide ballot measures — including 1 that would enshrine termination rights successful the authorities constitution and different to legalize recreational marijuana — volition pull voters.

“There’s a batch connected our ballot,” Anderson said.

Many aboriginal voters mightiness opt for aboriginal in-person balloting alternatively of mail-in absentee ballots to guarantee their votes get counted, fixed the ongoing struggles of the U.S. Postal Service.

State and section predetermination officials from crossed the state past week warned that problems with message deliveries endanger to disenfranchise voters, and they told the caput of the strategy that it hasn’t fixed persistent deficiencies contempt their repeated attempts astatine outreach.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy responded successful a missive released Monday that he’ll enactment with authorities predetermination officials to code their concerns, but reiterated that the Postal Service volition beryllium ready.

Simon urged voters to marque their voting plans now. Mail delays alteration crossed the country, helium said, truthful voters should petition mail-in absentee ballots aboriginal if they program to ballot from home, and instrumentality them early. Some states number ballots arsenic agelong arsenic they’re postmarked by Election Day, portion Minnesota and different states number lone the ballots that get by the clip polls close.

“My anticipation and anticipation is that the USPS volition bash the things that we person recommended, and bash them rapidly implicit the adjacent 47 days due to the fact that the stakes truly are precocious for idiosyncratic voters,” Simon said.

Associated Press writers Olivia Diaz successful Fairfax, Virginia, Ben Finley successful Chesapeake, Virginia, and Jack Dura successful Bismarck, North Dakota, contributed to this story.