As the 2024 US presidential election enters its final full week, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump remain neck and neck in a fiercely competitive contest. The outcome will be decided in the coming days, leaving many voters on edge. Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in New York is likely to be a turning point in the campaign, with speakers making racist and crude remarks, including describing Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage”. This has led reggaeton artist Bad Bunny to endorse Harris, with Puerto Ricans, while unable to vote in general elections, exerting significant influence through their relatives on the mainland.
Harris is expected to deliver her closing argument on Tuesday in Washington, while Trump plans a rally in Atlanta on Monday evening. Both candidates are making last-minute appeals to voters, with Harris accusing Trump of being fixated on his own grievances and dividing the country. Trump, on the other hand, has a history of making divisive comments, and his rally at Madison Square Garden is seen as a bid to stir up his base.
Donald Trump (Image via Getty)
Meanwhile, concerns about the integrity of the election have reached new heights. A recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research found that nearly 40% of registered voters are “extremely” or “very” concerned about violent attempts to overturn the election results. A similar share is worried about legal efforts to do so, while about a third are concerned about attempts by local or state election officials to stop the results from being finalised.
The poll also highlights the fragility of democracy, with nearly 40% of voters recounting the violent attempt to stop the peaceful transfer of power in 2020. The current election is being held amidst a heightened sense of anxiety and division, with many voters worried about the potential for political violence, attempts to overturn the results, and the broader implications for democracy.
In a concerning development, early morning fires were set in ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, with hundreds of ballots destroyed. Authorities are investigating, with a suspect vehicle identified in connection with the fires. Amidst this backdrop of uncertainty and concern, voters are left wondering what the outcome of the election will be and what it will mean for the future of American democracy.
