JAKARTA - The day of battle for the people of the United States (US) is coming. The leader of the country will be determined in less than two weeks. Either Donald Trump will stay or Joe Biden will take over from Potus. Sound results are not visible. However, what is clear, financial support for Biden is greater than Trump's.
The Federal Election Commission released data on campaign funds that the two candidates had collected. In early October, Biden raised more funds totaling US $ 130 million, equivalent to Rp1.9 trillion.
That's three times what Trump managed to collect: $ 44 million. The funds were collected in the period from 1 to 14 October.
Biden spent more than double what Trump disbursed during the period. Biden is noted to be very superior in maneuvering political advertising on US television.
Not a guaranteeEven so, the advantage of money is not a guarantee of victory. The precedent is there. In the 2016 election, Trump also lost to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in a fundraising campaign.
Biden's position did appear to be temporarily superior. Most national public opinion polls put Trump behind Biden at an insignificant distance.
Four weeks before the US presidential election on November 3, more than 3.8 million citizens have exercised their right to vote through early ballots and letters, according to election data provider Elections Project. That figure was recorded at 75,000 more votes than in the same period in the 2016 election.
The early spike in votes illustrates a possible record turnout in the political battle between Trump and Biden. The increase in early votes was influenced by the expansion of the initial voting system and through the postal service in many states.
The move was taken as a safer way of choosing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Michael McDonald of the University of Florida. McDonald, which manages the Elections Project, also said the public's desire to participate in determining Trump's political future.
"We've never seen this many people take advantage of the vote long before the election. People vote when they decide, and we know that a lot of people have been making decisions for a long time and already have a judgment about Trump," said McDonald.
With the high initial turnout, McDonald's predicts the total turnout will reach 150 million people, representing 65 percent of the voter list. That figure could be the highest percentage since 1908.
The 3.8 million plus votes that have so far come from 31 states. That number will accelerate in the next few weeks, given that more states are holding initial and mail-based votes.
The percentage of voters who cast their right to vote in person on polling day November 3 had already fallen before this year's election, according to the Election Assistance Commission. The total number of votes entered via the initial ballot or via mail has more than doubled, from nearly 25 million in 2004 to 57 million votes in 2016.
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