Democratic officials in key swing states lashed out at Donald Trump after he pledged to mount a legal challenge before all the votes are counted as the US prepared for a chaotic election.
Democrats fear Mr Trump is trying to boost his re-election chances by making baseless claims about voter fraud, in an effort to undermine the result if he loses. Mail-in and early votes, which may take days to tally in key Midwest swing states, have been cast more by Democrats in most regions, meaning an early cut-off of the count could disadvantage Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Dana Nessel, Michigan’s attorney-general, on Monday warned that any attempt to prevent the state from counting more than 3m absentee ballots that are expected to be cast would be tantamount to a “coup”.