U.S. votes Tuesday: Democrats’ Biden holds polling lead but incumbent Trump catching up 

He has trailed in the polls through months of turmoil, but the most recent ones say he is catching up in the key constituencies he needs to win a majority of the Electoral College of 538 votes to remain President. 

The Democratic Party candidate, former Vice-President Joseph Biden, continues to hold a national lead but several states are in the balance – among them Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Georgia, and Arizona. 

Even some states that Trump won handily last time out, such as Texas, look tighter this time. 

It all leads to tomorrow Tuesday’s national vote, after which counting begins around 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Results, normally available within hours, may be delayed this year because of the volume of votes by mail as well as in person. 

According to the BBC, both major candidates have been sprinting through key battlegrounds as the race enters its final hours. The Republican President, 74, visited five battleground states while his 77-year-old Democratic challenger spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, where the race also looks tight. 

The New York Times said President Trump is travelling to four critical states where he lags in polls and is already gearing up to challenge the results in Pennsylvania, where Joe Biden is holding three rallies today. Biden told supporters in Cleveland, “The power to change the country is in your hands.” 

More than 96 million people have already cast their ballots in early voting, putting the country on course for its highest turnout in a century. 

In addition to open seats in the Senate and the entire House of Representatives as well as local races, voters are deciding on the presidency at state level. To be elected, a candidate must win at least 270 votes in the Electoral College. Each U.S. state gets a certain number of votes partly based on its population and there is a total of 538 up for grabs. It is possible for a candidate to win the most votes nationally – like Hillary Clinton did in 2016 – but still lose the election. 

The BBC says Tuesday’s vote comes amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The US has recorded more cases and more deaths than any other country worldwide, reporting more than 81,000 new infections on Sunday alone. 

Top virus expert Anthony Fauci has sharply criticised the Trump administration’s handling of the pandemic, drawing a rebuke from the White House on Sunday. 

Other major issues include the economy, racial tension, immigration and crime, corruption and governance reform, and foreign affairs, especially with Russia, China, and Iran.