With voters homebound and receiving ballots in the mail due to the pandemic, elections officials are seeing a surge in early returns
On 22 October, almost three weeks before one of the most consequential presidential election days in recent American history, more than 6 million Californians had already voted.
The number was several times that of people who had cast their ballot at the same point in 2016. The pandemic, the massive wildfires and the ongoing fight against police brutality have galvanized voters in America’s most populous state to cast their vote early.
Related: Wisconsin sees record number of early voters as Covid cases climb in state
Related: Mail-in ballot tracker: counting votes in US swing states