Record-breaking early voting in U.S. election tops 80 million

Voters stand at voting booths during early voting at the Oklahoma Election Board in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. October 29, 2020. REUTERS/Nick Oxford

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 80 million Americans have cast ballots in the U.S. presidential election, according to a tally on Thursday from the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida, setting the stage for the highest participation rate in over a century.

The record-breaking pace, more than 58% of total 2016 turnout, reflects intense interest in the vote, in which incumbent Donald Trump, a Republican, is up against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, a former vice president.