Uncertainty marks final week ahead of US poll

ATLANTA/ANN ARBOR, Michigan — Uncertainty reigns entering the final full week of the 2024 campaign with Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump locked in a fiercely competitive presidential contest as drop box fires destroy hundreds of ballots in states of Oregon and Washington.

Republican Donald Trump on Monday appealed to religious voters in the southern swing state of Georgia as his campaign distanced itself from racist remarks by supporters that could alienate key voter groups. In Georgia, where in-person early voting ahead of Election Day is expected to total up to 70 percent of ballots, Trump courted religious voters during a National Faith Advisory Board event.

But he faces pressure over his rally in New York on Sunday, where a comedian's racist remarks prompted a backlash from Latino celebrities and criticism from both Republican and Democratic politicians. The Trump campaign has said the joke did not reflect their views.

Harris said Trump "fans the fuel of hate and division, and that's why people are exhausted with him".

Georgia is one of seven competitive swing states expected to play a decisive role in an election that wraps up next week.

Harris visited Corning Inc's Hemlock Semiconductor facility to talk to workers, tour the assembly line and speak about the importance of investing in manufacturing jobs.

The company recently received a preliminary investment of up to $325 million via the Chips and Science Act, which a Harris campaign official noted Trump had criticized and Harris helped pass.

Ballot box fires

Just days ahead of the election, hundreds of ballots were destroyed in Washington and Oregon states after incendiary devices were set off on Monday at ballot drop boxes.

A ballot box in southeast Portland, Oregon, and at least one ballot box in nearby Vancouver, Washington, were set on fire, according to the police.

The early morning fire at the ballot box in Portland was extinguished quickly thanks to a suppression system inside the box and a nearby security guard, police said, with three ballot boxes damaged.

However, the Vancouver fire resulted in hundreds of burned ballots, election officials said, calling the incident "an attempt to disenfranchise" voters.

A "suspect vehicle" seen leaving the scene of the fire in Portland has been identified, which is believed to be tied to two similar incidents in Vancouver as well, said the Portland Police Bureau in a statement on Monday.

"We don't know the motive behind these acts," Amanda McMillan, Portland Police Bureau assistant chief, said in a news release. "We do know acts like this are targeted and they're intentional and we're concerned about that intentional act trying to impact the election process."

The incendiary devices were attached to the outside of the boxes.

Agencies - Xinhua