Americans by the millions flocked to polls on Tuesday amid pandemic in a mostly calm, orderly show of political determination and civic duty.
The masks worn by many voters and the sight of boarded-up storefronts in major city centers were reminders of two transformative issues defining the 2020 election, with corona virus pandemic still ravaging parts of the country after a summer of mass protests against racial injustice.
A few developments stood out during a day that was freighted with anxiety but otherwise mostly tranquil.
The FBI and the New York attorney general’s office opened investigations into torrents of anonymous robocalls urging people in several states to stay home.
A Republican congressional candidate in Pennsylvania on Tuesday sued election officials in a suburban Philadelphia county, accusing them of illegally counting mail-in ballots early and giving voters who submitted defective ballots a chance to re-vote.
And a federal judge ordered the U.S. Postal Service to conduct a sweep of some facilities across the country for undelivered mail-in ballots and to ship them immediately to election offices to be counted.
But few if any major disruptions were reported at polling sites through the day as civil liberties groups and law enforcement were on high alert for any interference.
