Americans cast early votes in several states for presidential election

Americans have begun casting their first in-person ballots in a presidential election just six weeks away, which both Republican and Democratic leaders are calling the most significant in generations.

In-person voting, which began on Friday, marks a six-week stretch to the November 5 Election Day. Most states offer some form of in-person early voting. Besides electing their next president, voters are also casting ballots in local and state-wide elections.

The first in-person voting was in Virginia, Minnesota, and South Dakota with several more states to follow by the middle of October.

"You just feel that we're part of the process," said 56-year-old Tom Kilkenny, who came to a polling station in Arlington, Virginia, where people were lining up before it even opened early in the morning.

His wife Michelle, 55, said she was happy to set a good example for her friends and neighbors by voting early.

"When you... speak with them, I can myself say 'I voted already' and then start spreading the word," said Michelle Kilkenny.

For some Americans casting their ballot as soon as it becomes possible is a family tradition.

Nick Vucic and his wife Becca brought their three daughters to the polling station in Arlington.

"We want them to be engaged as soon as possible," said Vucic, 38.

The stakes are high: Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and other party leaders have described Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump has said he must win to save the country from Democratic party rule.

It means the end is now in sight to the bitterly divided campaign which in just the past two months has seen Harris take over from President Joe Biden as the Democrats' nominee and Trump narrowly escaping one assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and a second apparent one on Sunday at his Florida golf club.

Early voting options

In Arlington, just across the Potomac River from the US capital, the city centre was dotted with Harris and Trump signs and posters. Activists set up information booths, while voters, mostly Democrats, chatted with one another.

"I can't believe we can pick Donald Trump, when I think about it, I become very worried," said Ann Spiker, 71. "That's why we're out and doing what we can."

But an hour west of Washington in the Virginia city of Fairfax, some voters have a different worldview.

Arthur Stewart, a 58-year-old heating and air conditioning technician, said he cast his ballot to return Trump to the White House.

"He already has a record with the economy when he was here before, and I believe he's going to continue that," said Stewart, who has a shaved head and a soft smile.

While Trump has frequently expressed skepticism about early voting in the past, the Republican National Committee has embraced the concept this year as an important way to pile up votes in advance, since weather and other factors can impact the turnout on Election Day.

Democrats have taken advantage of early voting options in recent elections, banking millions of votes in the process.

In 2018, Democrats accounted for 41 percent of early votes in the 24 states that provide partisan data, compared to 35.1 percent for Republicans, according to the US Elections Project at the University of Florida.

In 2022, that gap widened, with Democrats accounting for 42.5 percent of early ballots and Republicans 33.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia's Republican-leaning electoral board has approved a rule requiring counties in the southern US state to hand count all election ballots, sparking fears of delays and chaos in the November presidential vote.