Masks, social distancing and patience: U.S. voters experience their 1st pandemic presidential election
With COVID-19 cases rising across the U.S., pandemic safety measures were in evidence at polling stations
With record high early and mail-in voting, millions of U.S. voters still turned out to vote in person Tuesday, with few of the disruptions and problems that had been feared materializing on election day.
We take a look at how voting unfolded across the country:
Pennsylvania is one of the most closely watched states tonight and is considered one of the must-win swing states for Donald Trump. Here, an election worker in West Chester, Pa., checks mail-in and absentee ballots.
A worker in Harrisburg, Pa., counts a mail-in ballot. Under Pennsylvania's rules, mail-in ballots could not start to be counted until 7 a.m. ET election day.
North Carolina is another state that election observers will be watching closely. Polling in the state was neck-and-neck between Trump and Joe Biden in the last days before the vote, and while Trump won the state by more than 170,000 in 2016, it was considered as a possible pickup for Biden.
This year's presidential campaign energized many U.S. voters, with more 100 million of them voting in advance of election day, 73 per cent of the total vote in the 2016 presidential election. That energy was on display Tuesday at the polls, with volunteers and voters out in force and enthusiasm for the vote palpable.
The changing demographics of Texas had given some Democrats hope that they could turn this red state blue, but most observers still consider that a long shot in this election.
The election will be nearly impossible for Trump to win without Florida. Its first results are expected to be in fairly soon after polls close at 7 p.m. ET.
While some polling places experienced long lines, much of the anticipated voting day disruption did not come to fruition.
Although in Georgia, a burst pipe at a facility where absentee ballots were being counted delayed counting for four hours, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
People came prepared with masks and PPE and kept physically distanced in line, such as these voters in Biloxi, Miss.
Other measures allowed voters to minimize interaction with surfaces and people when voting.
