US presidential elections rife with rhetoric of vote rigging and fraud

WITH seven weeks to go before the election of the year, concern has only grown that the 2020 US presidential contest - arguably a global event with impact well beyond the American electorate - could become mired in quagmire and political paralysis.

Not so long ago, US election talk would conventionally centre around an assessment of which of the two major candidates would win the race to the White House and how their policies would affect US domestic and foreign policy. This year, however, interest in the "outcome" of the vote on Nov 3 around the US and in foreign capitals has more to do with whether it will be even possible to declare a winner in the days, weeks or even months after the election. Indeed, if one skims through American media these days, one will find that the main topic of discussion seems to be "what could go wrong on Election Day?"

While most opinion polls predict that former Democratic vice-president Joe Biden will win the popular vote in November, they also expect very tight races between him and Republican President Donald Trump in key electoral states that will determine who will win the electoral college votes and become the next US president.