Washington: Most ballot stations throughout the United States have opened for Americans to vote for the nation’s 47th president amid a neck-and-neck competition between the two presidential hopefuls, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the reason that not all the centers have opened simultaneously is due to the time differences across various time zones, including Eastern Time observed by Washington, Central Time, Pacific Time, Atlantic Time, and Alaska Time. Generally, centers started opening at 5:30 a.m. local time and are scheduled to shut by 8 a.m.
Figures released by Florida University indicate that the number of early voters reached 82 million, as some ballot stations had opened weeks ahead of the official kickoff today. Trump of the Republican Party and Harris of the Democratic Party are vying to win at least 270 seats in the Electoral College, which amounts to a total of 538. The candidate who wins 270 Electoral College seats wil
l be declared the winner.
The competition is particularly intense in swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, which are known as strongholds for Arab voters. Texas remains predominantly Republican, while states like New York are dominated by Democrats. Campaign issues have covered local affairs such as inflation and immigration, as well as external questions, notably the ongoing war in Gaza. Opinion polls suggest a very tight race between the two candidates.
The number of Muslims in the United States is estimated at three million. These Muslim and Arab communities are expected to vote for the candidate perceived to be more sympathetic toward the Gazans and Lebanese in their conflicts with Israel.