Problems appear to be few for U.S. voters

Despite fears of clashes at polling places, chaos sparked by the coronavirus pandemic and confusion due to disinformation and swiftly changing voting rules, millions across the U.S. cast ballots in a historically contentious election with few problems.

About 103 million votes were cast before Election Day, an early voting push prompted by the pandemic. That took some of the pressure off polling places Tuesday, which generally saw short or no lines as coronavirus cases were on the rise. Daily confirmed cases were up 43 percent over the past two weeks in the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Every Election Day comes with problems as millions of people try to cast ballots simultaneously in 50 states. But experts were relieved they were relatively rare at a time when partisan battles over voting reached a fever pitch.

“We were bracing for the worst, and we’ve been pleasantly surprised,” said Kristen Clarke of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.

Though the casting of ballots was relatively tranquil, legal storm clouds hang over the counting of those votes. Both parties had fought a massive battle in the courts trying to shape the contours of the election, and that seemed likely to continue beyond Tuesday.

President Donald Trump has already threatened legal action to prevent the counting of ballots that arrive after Election Day, which some states allow. Two federal lawsuits in potentially decisive Pennsylvania aim to prevent absentee votes from being counted.