THE US election may still be six days away, but more than 12 million Americans across the country have already cast their ballots, sometimes queuing around the block to do so, a sign of early enthusiasm likely to translate into a high turnout.
According to a poll released yesterday by Pew Research Centre, Barack Obama is leading 53 per cent to John McCain's 34 per cent among those who have already voted, although the actual ballots will not be tallied until next week.
Under the early voting system, 32 states allow voters to cast a ballot before election day, either in person at the polling site or by mail. An additional 14 states and Washington DC allow it if voters can argue that they will be unavailable on Tuesday. The long queues would appear to herald a surge in turnout compared with previous elections, with statistics from key states indicating a clear advantage for Mr Obama.
"If we're in an election year where you have to wait two hours to vote early, you can imagine what it will look like on election day proper," said Doug Chapin, an election expert at the Pew Centre.
"The more people we can get out, the fewer we have to deal with on November 4th," said Faulkner Fox, an Obama volunteer organiser in Durham, North Carolina. -( Guardianservice)