Final Day of U.S. Voting Arrives Amid Surge in Early Ballots

Election Day 2024 has arrived, but for millions of Americans, the process is already well underway. With tens of millions of early votes already cast, including record-breaking numbers in battleground states like Georgia and North Carolina, this election is shaping up to be one of the most significant in recent history. These early ballots are expected to play a critical role in determining the winner, especially in pivotal swing states that have seen fierce competition in past elections.

In Georgia, which has seen a shift between Republican and Democratic candidates in the last two presidential races, more than 4 million voters have already cast their ballots, a turnout so robust that state officials have warned Election Day itself could appear “like a ghost town” at the polls. As of Monday, early voting nationwide had already surpassed 82 million ballots—slightly more than half of the total votes cast in the 2020 election. Notably, Republican voters, energized by former President Donald Trump's calls for early voting, have contributed significantly to this surge.

Despite some reports of long lines and minor logistical issues—common on any Election Day—early voting, both in person and by mail, has proceeded relatively smoothly. Notable efforts to ensure accessibility included overcoming the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of western North Carolina last month. State and local officials, with support from changes made by the Republican-led legislature, managed a monumental effort to ensure that residents impacted by power outages, flooding, and washed-out roads were still able to vote. By the end of early voting on Saturday, over 4.4 million North Carolinians had voted, with an impressive 59% turnout in the hurricane-affected western counties.

Yet not all disruptions have been natural disasters. In Oregon, arson attacks on two ballot drop boxes near the Oregon-Washington border have led to an ongoing investigation. Authorities are working to identify the perpetrators.

While the process has generally been smooth, former President Trump and the Republican National Committee (RNC), under his influence, have continued to make unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. Trump has especially highlighted an investigation into 2,500 potentially fraudulent voter registration applications in Pennsylvania, falsely suggesting that these could be linked to illegal ballots. In Georgia, a lawsuit by Republicans seeking to prevent voters from returning mail ballots on Election Day was dismissed, but the rhetoric around supposed election irregularities persists.

Trump has also continued to allege that Democrats are attempting to recruit noncitizens to vote—another claim without evidence. Research consistently shows that noncitizen voter registrations are rare, and any attempt to vote illegally carries severe consequences, including deportation. The only verified case occurred in Michigan, where a Chinese student was charged with casting an illegal early ballot.

This election marks the first since Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in 2020 and his subsequent efforts to overturn the results, culminating in the violent January 6 Capitol insurrection. Despite multiple recounts, audits, and court rulings affirming Biden’s victory, a significant portion of Republicans still believe the 2020 election was stolen. A recent Associated Press-NORC survey found that a majority of Republicans remain skeptical about the integrity of this year’s election process, with concerns about whether their votes will be accurately counted.

In response, Republican-controlled state legislatures have passed a series of restrictive voting measures in the last few years, including shortening the window for absentee voting and imposing stricter ID requirements. Trump, in his campaign appearances leading up to Election Day, reiterated his claims of a “rigged” election and demanded an immediate declaration of victory on election night, before all votes are counted.

Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking at a rally in Michigan over the weekend, urged voters to ignore Trump’s false narrative. "He wants you to think your vote won’t matter,” she told the crowd. “But we know it does. And if you’ve already voted, encourage your friends to do the same.”

As election season nears its close, local election officials continue to grapple with the fallout from years of baseless election fraud claims. Many have faced harassment, threats, and even violence, leading to high turnover and increased security at polling places. Amidst this climate, cyber threats from foreign actors remain a concern. U.S. intelligence officials have recently warned that Russia is ramping up its influence operations, including the dissemination of fake videos and disinformation, with the potential to incite violence and undermine voter confidence.

Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), urged Americans to trust state and local election officials for accurate information. "We cannot allow foreign adversaries to have a vote in our democracy," Easterly stated, emphasizing the heightened threat of disinformation during this election cycle.

As Election Day unfolds, the resilience of voters and election officials will be tested, but one thing is clear: the future of American democracy hinges not just on who wins—but on the confidence in the process itself.