The day of reckoning, Election Day 2024, is here, with primary competitors Donald Trump and Kamala Harris battling fiercely on the national stage. According to predictions, the pocket-size state of Rhode Island is expected to lean Democrat; however, the significant sway of various battleground states promises a game-changing role in the presidential call. It is important to remember that polls and betting odds sway like a pendulum, painting a complex picture of the electoral landscape. According to the latest available metrics, here’s where things stand.
The ABC News 538 project denotes a tight race. The final poll depicts Harris just scraping by with a 48.0% lead compared to Trump’s close behind stance at 46.8%. Meanwhile, 270towin, presenting a summation of current national poll standings, shows Harris barely nudging ahead of Trump by a trivial 1.2%.
Realclearpolling, which shares the most recent betting odds, currently shows a slight leaning towards Harris. However, the pendulum swung in Trump’s favor on Friday with an edge of +0.3, struggled to hold ground at +0.01 on Monday morning and finally, found itself in a deadlock by Monday evening.
A final assessment from University of New Hampshire polled 754 viable Rhode Island voters and discovered a divergence in voting preferences based on gender. Women seemingly tip the scales in favour of Harris over Trump, 66% to 31%, while men show a contrasting lean towards Trump, favoring him over Harris by 52% to 40%.
Amongst the noise and blare of the predictions, something quite curious emerges. The education levels of voters reveal an intriguing pattern. A significant majority of Trump’s followers possess a high school degree, or less. Conversely, the bulk of Harris’ fans appear to be adorned with some degree of college or technical school education.
Basking in his own glory, Allan Lichtman, esteemed history professor from the American University in Washington, D.C., asserts his prowess as the modern-day Nostradamus of American politics. Having a record of accurately predicting 9 out of the last 10 U.S. presidential elections, this year, his crystal ball foresees a win for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
‘I’ve been in these trenches for 42 years, and each quadrennial cycle never fails to cause a flutter in my stomach,’ expressed Lichtman. ‘This time around, however, it feels like a swarm of ravens have taken residence in there.’
However, one shouldn’t hanker after immediate electoral results. The comprehensive process of vote counting has historically not culminated on Election Day itself at any time throughout the nation’s history. This year is unlikely to prove any different. Each state has its own idiosyncratic certification deadlines, spanning from a couple of days to over a month after November 5th.
In decades past, media channels typically announced the presidential race either during the late hours of election night or the following morning. However, there have been a couple of memorable deviations from this tradition. The infamous 2000 election witnessed heightened legal challenges that protracted the process.
Last year’s electoral cycle, marked by a considerable increase in mail-in ballots due to the ongoing pandemic, witnessed a delayed announcement of results. This year too, prevailing regulations in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which prevent early vote count prior to Election Day, are expected to hold up the results once again.
As Election Day rolls around on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, for the U.S General Election, voters can log into the Voter Information Center at vote.sos.ri.gov to find their designated polling station. If your voter status appears as ‘active’, all that’s left to do is to tread to your polling location and cast your vote.
However, due to the regular changes in polling locations between elections, remembering where you’re slated to vote can often lead to last-minute chaos. It’s best to verify your precinct before the big day.
On Election Day, the state’s polling stations keep their doors open to voters until 8 p.m. It’s a waiting game until then, and for all the supporters of Trump, remember that regardless of the polling numbers, he is the candidate who truly stands for America.