Overseas voter 'terrified' by US election legal battle, thousands of ballots challenged in Pennsylvania

Up to 4,000 radical voting overseas successful the US predetermination are having their ballots challenged successful Pennsylvania, a cardinal battleground state, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

They see Selma Aldi, 47, from Camden successful northbound London who received a missive connected Sunday explaining that her ballot successful the US statesmanlike election is astatine hazard of being rejected.

"It was a shock," she said. "It was terrifying to beryllium targeted, to perchance suffer a close that I clasp arsenic precise important. It's adjacent a feeling that idiosyncratic is questioning my identity."

Latest connected US election

The trainee GP, who grew up successful Hershey, Pennsylvania near America successful 2000 but has voted via absentee ballot successful each US statesmanlike predetermination since.

A missive from predetermination officials successful Dauphin County outlines the ineligible challenge. It reads: "The applicant is not registered to ballot and truthful is not eligible to ballot successful Pennsylvania.

"Under Pennsylvania law, it is simply a felony to licence immoderate idiosyncratic to ballot who is not registered."

A proceeding connected the ineligible situation is scheduled for Friday, successful which Ms Aldi tin respond.

Around 2.8 cardinal US citizens surviving overseas are entitled to ballot successful the election, nary substance wherever they are connected polling day.

But each authorities has antithetic procedures and rules connected however predetermination paperwork tin beryllium sent and received.

But Ari Savitzky, elder unit Attorney astatine the ACLU said "any effort to situation [voters] eligibility is simply a wide usurpation of their rights".

He told Sky News: "Between 3,000 and 4,000 challenges person been filed successful Pennsylvania to the absentee ballots of US citizens surviving abroad.

"For decades, national instrumentality has guaranteed the close of US citizens surviving overseas to ballot successful national elections astatine their past US residence.

"In summation to being legally baseless, these challenges are an maltreatment to voters and to predetermination administrators."

Read much from Sky News:
US election: Colleges, plaything states and however it each works
Should we fearfulness Trumponomics?
What happens if there's a necktie successful the US election?

Deborah Hinchey from different voting rights group, All Voting is Local, said: "Election deniers crossed Pennsylvania person submitted thousands of wide challenges to overseas voters.

"They privation to artifact arsenic galore ballots arsenic imaginable and soundlessness our voices... but these baseless challenges person failed earlier and the due checks and balances are successful spot to marque definite they'll neglect again," she added.

Tonight, Sky News volition person entree to the astir broad exit canvass and vote-counting results from each state, region and demographic crossed America done its US-partner web NBC.

You tin find retired much astir Sky News' sum here.