Trump Activates 'Refusal Scenario'... Supporters Occupy Bridges and Highways

Early Voting Nears 100 Million, Record High
Final Counting Time Likely to Extend
Potential Nationwide Chaos if Candidate Results Unconfirmed
Republicans and Democrats Mobilize All Legal Resources
Trump Supporters Occupy Bridges and Highways in New York and New Jersey
Manhattan Stores Reinforce Exterior Walls Against Post-Election Looting

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min, Reporter Naju-seok] As the possibility grows that U.S. President Donald Trump will declare victory on election day, concerns are spreading that social division and post-election uncertainty in the United States could become greater than ever before.

The Axios report that President Trump said he would declare his victory late in the afternoon on the 3rd (local time) confirms that the long-feared scenario of election refusal is being concretely pursued by the Trump camp. President Trump himself supported this scenario by saying, "We need to know the results on election day."

If this plan is executed, President Trump cannot avoid criticism that he is effectively ignoring the 92.35 million early votes cast so far and claiming that he is the elected president solely based on the votes of core Republican supporters who voted in person on election day.

This situation reflects the possibility that the election results may not be clearly finalized due to the large-scale mail-in and early voting. Especially, intense attention is focused on Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Unlike other regions, these areas count votes on election day, so the actual tally is expected to be available no earlier than the 4th. Considering that early voting in the U.S. this year is the largest ever, the final counting period may be extended, and if the presidential race is undecided in other regions, confusion over the election results is inevitable.

If the election results are not finalized by the 14th of next month, the state government must decide the electors who will select the U.S. president. Notably, in these regions, the governor is a Democrat, while the majority in the state legislature is Republican, raising a high risk of political turmoil over the decision of the electors.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Both the Republican and Democratic parties are preparing for legal battles after the election. Especially in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, where mail-in votes are expected to decisively affect the election results, all available legal resources are being mobilized. Among these, both parties are focusing on Pennsylvania. With 20 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is considered, along with Florida, to be a key determinant of the U.S. presidential election outcome. This time, Pennsylvania has a record 3 million voters who applied for early voting. Moreover, mail-in ballots can be received up to three days after the election, so the final tally will inevitably take time. Both parties, as well as civic groups, plan to deploy a large number of vote observers and election monitoring personnel to oversee the counting process.

In Pennsylvania, it is known that instructions have been given to separately classify ballots arriving late in preparation for post-election legal disputes.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the U.S., with early voting at an all-time high, legal battles over mail-in voting and ballot receipt deadlines are occurring nationwide. According to the Healthy Elections Project of Stanford-MIT, lawsuits concerning election rules have been filed in 44 of the 50 states.

An example is the Texas Supreme Court blocking an attempt to invalidate about 120,000 votes cast via the 'drive-thru' voting method. According to the AP news agency, the Texas Supreme Court dismissed the Republican Party's petition to invalidate 127,000 votes cast at the Harris County drive-thru polling station in Houston, the most populous area in Texas.

According to the news agency, over 40% of Harris County residents are Latino, and about 20% are Black. According to the U.S. Election Project, the scale of early voting in Texas is 9.71 million, exceeding 10% of the total 93.25 million early voters nationwide. The number of early voters in Texas has also surpassed 80% of the total voters in 2016.

Confusion Continues with Trump Supporter Agitation in Democratic Strongholds New York and New Jersey

As confusion surrounding the election continues, Americans' concerns about social unrest such as riots and looting after the election are growing. On this day, major stores and hotels in central Manhattan, New York City, installed or completed boarding up entrances and windows in preparation for looting.

On the afternoon of the 1st, work was underway to reinforce the exterior of The North Face store in Manhattan, New York, with wooden boards in preparation for potential looting. (Photo by Baek Jong-min)

Not only Fifth Avenue, which has the highest concentration of luxury stores in Manhattan, but also nearby sports goods stores and general clothing shops added panels to prepare for any emergency. The Plaza Hotel, a representative hotel located near Central Park in New York City, was operating with all first-floor windows and entrances boarded up. According to the New York Consulate General, the New York Police Department has issued guidelines to stores in New York City to prepare for expected protests or disturbances after the presidential election.

Supporters of President Trump stopped trucks on the Mario Cuomo Bridge in New York State on the afternoon of the 1st, obstructing traffic. Mario Cuomo, the namesake of the bridge, is the father of current New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and also served as New York Governor. (Photo captured from Twitter)

The possibility of spontaneous actions by Trump supporters after the election is also high. According to NBC News, on this day, Trump supporters staged a protest on the Garden State Parkway highway running through New Jersey by stopping trucks and blocking traffic. The spontaneous actions of Trump supporters continued on the Mario Cuomo Bridge in New York State. Earlier, in Manhattan, New York City, clashes broke out between Trump supporters and anti-Trump groups, resulting in fistfights.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.