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(RNN) – Across the country there are congressional races to be decided, amendments to state constitutions to be voted on and new laws to be considered, but all eyes are on the one election being contested in all 50 states – president.
The election itself has even come under fire with Republican Donald Trump calling it rigged long before voting even began. A Nevada judge tossed the Trump campaign’s lawsuit Tuesday that claimed Clark County illegally kept its polling places open late on the last night of early voting.
Nevada law allows people already in line to vote after polls close, but the campaign claimed people who weren’t in line were allowed as well. A spokesperson for the state Republican Party said it was not part of the suit and claimed suits of that type were not unusual.
Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have traded barbs and insults – some subtle and some not – for months leading up to Tuesday’s election. He’s called her “nasty” and she’s called him “unfit.”
Voters in the tiny towns of Dixville Notch, Hart’s Location and Millfield, NH, cast the first ballots of the 2016 election at midnight, starting what is expected to be a busy day of balloting. Republican Donald Trump prevailed over Democrat Hillary Clinton by a 32-25 margin, the AP reported.
Clinton herself voted Thursday morning in her home town of Chappaqua, NY, to the cheers of supporters outside the polling location. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton was with her at the polling location.
“It is the most humbling feeling,” Clinton told reporters after casting her ballot. “I know how much responsibility goes with this. So many people are counting on the outcome of this election.”
Trump voted in New York City near his home in Trump Tower with his wife, Melania, and adult children in tow. He waved to supporters and bought a cookie from children with a booth inside the polling location.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine cast his vote in Richmond, VA, while Republican VP pick Mike Pence voted in Indianapolis, following a bike ride with his wife.
“A day like today is very humbling and very moving for our little family,” Pence said. “We’re just so grateful for the support and prayers from people all across the United States, for Donald Trump and for our firm belief that we can make America great again.”
It’s been a contentious affair with allegations of corruption on both sides, temperaments being declared disqualifying, charges of racism and a threat of imprisonment.
Trump has promised to accept the results of the vote if it names him president-elect, but polls leading up to Election Day indicate he’s behind in public sentiment and hasn’t gained enough support in states with a history of deciding the outcome.
Clinton has led Trump in polling since they won their parties’ nominations over the summer. But Trump and his supporters have dismissed those polls as biased and rigged against him, along with the media outlets who sponsor and report their results.
Her lead has fluctuated throughout the race and grew smaller leading up to the election because of new information released by the FBI regarding emails sent from a private server during her time as secretary of state.
FBI director James Comey said in July he would not pursue criminal charges against Clinton due to a lack of evidence that she intended to violate rules regarding classified information, but said she was careless with the material and refuted several of her claims about the server’s security and what was in the emails she received on it.
Then, Oct. 28, 11 days before the election, Comey said the FBI was reviewing additional emails it discovered while investing former New York congressman Anthony Weiner for sexting with a 15-year-old girl. The emails were on a computer Weiner shared with his now-estranged wife Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton aide.
Comey then sent a letter to Congress on Sunday saying he stood by the July decision to not prosecute the case.
Republicans criticized Comey for closing the investigation and praised the announcement that he was looking into the Weiner emails. Clinton and fellow Democrats chided Comey for interjecting himself into the race so close to Election Day without provided further information.
On Sunday, after Comey’s latest letter to Congress, Clinton representatives called the matter “resolved.” Clinton herself declined to comment on the issue during her campaign events.
Trump reacted by saying Clinton is “protected by a rigged system,” a claim he has made for weeks.
READ MORE: Cleveland19.com
Article Courtesy of WOIO Cleveland 19 News
Picture Courtesy of Paul J. Richards and Getty Images
First Video Courtesy of CNN and WOIO Cleveland 19 News
Second Video Courtesy of CNN, Pool, Fox News Channel, and WOIO Cleveland 19 News
