State election officials across the US are reporting record numbers of voters casting their ballots ahead of election day on 3 November. Experts say the surge in early voting correlates to the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused many people to seek alternatives to election day voting. On Tuesday, Texas, a state that only allows postal voting if medically excused, set a record for most ballots cast on the first day of early voting. Reports indicate that many of the early voters are Democrats - disproportionally women and black Americans - who are motivated by distaste for Donald Trump. Republicans, who claim postal voting is vulnerable to fraud, say Democrats may win the early vote, but that Republicans will show up in large numbers on election day.

Source: The Star October 16, 2020 18:56 UTC