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More than 58 million Americans have already voted

U.S. voters have cast 42.7% of the total votes counted in the 2016 election.

Last Updated: October 26, 2020, 11:05 AM EDT

With nine days to go until Election Day, and President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden racing toward Nov. 3, voters are turning out in record numbers to cast their ballots early.

More than 58 million Americans have already voted in the 2020 election, reflecting an extraordinary level of participation and interest despite unprecedented barriers brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

In the final weeks of campaigning, the president has continued to press as polls show him trailing nationally and in several battleground states key to his reelection hopes. The president had a campaign rally in New Hampshire Sunday to top off a weekend of events across multiple states, and Biden appeared at a virtual "I Will Vote" concert.

All 50 states plus Washington, D.C., have some form of early voting underway. Check out FiveThirtyEight’s guide to voting during the COVID-19 pandemic here.

Top headlines:

Here's how the news developed Sunday. All times Eastern.
Oct 25, 2020, 1:35 PM EDT

GOP shuts down Dem filibuster of Barrett nomination

In a key procedural vote Sunday afternoon, the Republicans shut down a Democratic filibuster of the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

The vote was 51-48 and Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted with Democrats. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., did not vote because she is campaigning in Michigan.

Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris speaks to the congregation during the drive-in church service, Oct. 25, 2020, at Millennium Centre in Southfield, Michigan.
Nic Antaya/Getty Images

Sunday's vote moves Barrett closer to the final confirmation Monday night, less than two weeks before Election Day.

-ABC News' Trish Turner

Oct 25, 2020, 1:17 PM EDT

Schumer advises members to avoid congregating on Senate floor after reports of positive COVID-19 tests

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a "Dear Colleague" letter to Democrats Sunday morning urged them to cast their votes on the Senate floor quickly and avoid congregating in the chamber following reports of Senate staff and members of the vice president's team contracting the novel coronavirus.

The Senate convened Sunday afternoon to resume debate on Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court ahead of Monday's expected final confirmation vote.

Five individuals in Vice President Mike Pence's orbit have tested positive for the coronavirus, including his chief of staff Marc Short and political aide Marty Obst. The vice president and his wife tested negative for the coronavirus Sunday morning.

Pence anticipates continuing his campaign schedule Sunday and said he will be in the Senate Monday for Barrett's confirmation vote.

"While CDC guidelines would dictate contract tracing a quarantining be practiced, our colleagues and the Vice President have indicated that they do not intend to follow such protocols. The Vice President is maintaining his campaign schedule and, inexplicably, intends to preside over the Senate chamber tomorrow evening. Their carelessness with the health and safety of their colleagues and Capitol employees mirrors their carelessness with the health and safety of Americans during this crisis," Schumer wrote. 

"Therefore, considering the Republicans’ refusal follow CDC guidelines regarding quarantining and contact tracing, I would recommend that you not congregate in the Senate chamber today and that you cast your votes quickly and from a safe distance," he continued.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Oct 25, 2020, 12:54 PM EDT

What goes into the tallying process?

The last day to vote in the 2020 general election is Nov. 3. But ballots may not be counted for several days, if not weeks, after that date, experts said.

Due to an anticipated record amount of mail-in voting this election season, combined with ballot counts that won't start until Election Day in most states, election officials across the country could be overwhelmed in some cases.

Deadlines for receiving mail-in ballots also extend past Nov. 3 in several states, all but making it a given that votes will be recorded in the days or even weeks after the election.

"I buy that we're going to know quite a bit on election night … we could even get an election night call. Still, I would advise caution. If it does come down to the Midwest, we could be waiting for a long time," Nate Silver, editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight, said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday,

The issue of mail-in ballot receipt deadlines is also fraught with legal challenges -- some of which are still playing out in court with less than two weeks to go until the general election.

Despite these new complexities, experts are confident voters' ballots will be counted this election season.

Here's a general look at what it takes to tally up the votes of millions of citizens.

Oct 25, 2020, 12:41 PM EDT

Trump arrives in New Hampshire for rally

Air Force One touched down in New Hampshire a short time ago and was making its way over to the crowd of people waiting for the president's campaign rally.

Air Force One with President Donald Trump aboard, arrives at a campaign rally at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, Oct. 25, 2020, in Londonderry, N.H.
Elise Amendola/AP