Houston ∙ President Joe Biden cast his vote early in the crucial US midterm elections on November 8. Granddaughter Natalie also became a first-time voter with Biden. Biden has made it clear that he will visit more states in the coming days to try to get as many votes as possible for Democrats.
Democrats had hoped to emerge victorious from a bitter battle with Republicans over abortion rights, but recent polls suggest otherwise. Polls suggest voter discontent over high inflation could cost Democrats control of both houses of Congress.
“I feel good,” Biden told reporters after speaking with an elderly woman in a wheelchair after voting. He said he has already visited 36 constituencies and will visit ‘battleground’ Pennsylvania again next week.
Visits to New Mexico, California and Maryland are also planned, he said. The message he wants to convey to voters is that they are facing an election that could make a profound difference in the coming decades. ‘I am going to spend this time trying to convince you that this is not a referendum. This is an election, a fundamental election,” Biden said. ‘This is a choice between two different visions of the country’ – Biden told his supporters at a $1 million Democratic fundraiser in Philadelphia on Friday.
Biden reiterated his concern about the brutal attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband. He said that the lies and scandals about the elections may have fueled it.
“The debate should stop. That’s the problem. That’s the problem. ‘We are crazy about violence. We condemn it,’ you can’t say we condemn violence,’ Biden said, implicitly blaming Trump’s atrocities.
Nathan Brand, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, claimed the Republican Party would win big. ‘Millions of Americans will vote against Biden and the Democrats’ reckless crime, inflation and open borders,’ he said.
Voter turnout in midterm elections is much lower than in presidential ballot years. Experts say it will be a crucial factor in the ‘battlefield’ states. Democrats came out urging voters to vote early.
Nationwide, 19,495,342 people cast early votes, according to the US Elections Project. According to the nonpartisan Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement at Tufts University, 8.3 million voters who turned 18 after the previous general election in 2020 are eligible to vote in this year’s election.
The center estimates that 50% of 18-29 year olds voted in the 2020 presidential election, an 11% increase from 2016. But the United States is looking forward to see if the trend of declining turnout in non-presidential election years will repeat itself.
English Summary: Biden casts early vote, vows to visit more states in coming days