Early voting begins for US presidential election in Atlanta

GEORGIA, ATLANTA, US - OCT. 31, 2024: As the countdown to the 60th U.S. presidential election on November 5 continues, millions of American voters are casting their ballots early. In Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia, voters are participating in early voting on Thursday, Oct. 31. More than 62 million Americans have cast early ballots with five days to go until Election Day, according to data published Thursday. The figures from the University of Florida's Election Lab tracker shows 62,725,685 people have voted either by mail or in-person at polling stations. Unlike 2020, when the US was in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, more voters chose to vote in-person than by mail this presidential election cycle. About 900,000 more Democrats than Republicans -- 11,929,062 to 11,076,601 -- have voted early. With the Nov. 5 election less than one week away, polling indicates that Vice President Kamala Harris, and her Republican challenger, Donald Trump, are locked in a dead heat, particularly in the seven critical battleground states. Harris is narrowly ahead in Wisconsin and Michigan by 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively, according to a compilation of polling compiled by the RealClearPolitics website. Trump continues to lead in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. His lead is at or under 1%, however, in Nevada, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Trump holds a relatively larger advantage in Arizona (+2.4%), and Georgia (+2.7%). (Footage by Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)