Election 2020 updates: 'I think the mute is very unfair': Trump on debate mics

A candidate's mic will be muted at the debate while the other answers a question

ByLibby Cathey
Last Updated: October 21, 2020, 1:56 PM EDT

With 13 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.

Roughly 43 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 remains on defense as his approval rating drags. He's hosting rallies this week mostly in states he won in 2016 including Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.

Biden, maintaining a lead in national polls -- his largest of the election, according to FiveThirtyEight's average -- has no public events on his schedule this week so far ahead of Thursday's final presidential debate with Trump. Staying off the trail ahead of debates is a pattern for the former vice president.

Polls indicate a huge pre-Election Day edge for Biden and a sizable Trump advantage among those who plan to vote on Nov. 3 itself. Trump has sowed doubt in the mail-in ballot process -- and imminent election results -- for months.

The rhetoric between candidates is expected to heat up ahead of their second and final showdown in Nashville.

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

Top headlines

Here is how the day is unfolding. All times Eastern.
Oct 21, 2020, 12:35 PM EDT

Maryland man charged for threats to kidnap and kill Biden and Harris

A Maryland man has been charged for making threats to kill and kidnap Biden and Harris.

James Dale Reed, of Frederick, Maryland, allegedly left a threatening note on the doorstep of a home displaying Biden/Harris signs in the front yard.

PHOTO: James Dale Reed, of Frederick, Md., is pictured in an image from Ring camera footage that was used by law enforcement officials to identify the man accused of making threats against former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris.
James Dale Reed, of Frederick, Md., is pictured in an image from Ring camera footage that was used by law enforcement officials to identify the man accused of making threats to kidnap and kill former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris.
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

Reed was captured by the home’s Ring camera. He is charged for making threats against a major candidate for president and vice president.

Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden speaks while Sen. Kamala Harris listens following a coronavirus briefing with health experts at the Hotel DuPont on Aug. 13, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images, FILE

-ABC News’ Jack Date

Oct 21, 2020, 12:00 PM EDT

Early voting turnout shatters records, more than 40 million cast

With less than two weeks until Election Day, early voting continues to hit record numbers across the country. 

More than 40 million votes have already been cast and at least 84 million ballots have been requested in the 2020 general election, according to the United States Elections Project, spearheaded by University of Florida political expert Michael McDonald.

At this point in 2016, 5.6 million votes had been cast.

Residents wait in line to vote in the Midtown neighborhood on Oct. 20, 2020, in Milwaukee. Today is the first day of early voting in Wisconsin, which is considered a battleground state for the 2020 presidential election.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

The unprecedented early voting numbers can be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic as well as an increase in voter interest. Voters are more eager to cast a ballot ahead of Election Day where polling sites could be viewed as overcrowded during pandemic standards. 

-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh

Oct 21, 2020, 11:15 AM EDT

More than 75,000 votes cast in-person in Wisconsin's 1st day of early voting

Early in-person voting continues in Wisconsin after a record first day with 75,519 votes being cast Tuesday and some voters showing up to their polling sites before dawn with folding chairs, snacks and medication to stand in line.

People wait in line to cast their ballots outside Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building on the first day of in-person early voting for the Nov. 3, 2020 elections in Milwaukee, Wis., on Oct. 20, 2020.
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

The early voting period in Wisconsin lasts through Oct. 30, though the schedule is different in every municipality and is expected to bring a surge of absentee ballots in a state already boasting strong turnout: As of this morning, Wisconsin voters have cast nearly 40% of the total votes counted in the state in 2016.

Because Wisconsin voters fill out absentee ballots in-person, election clerks in the state won't start counting these votes until Election Day, so the timing of the results could vary depending on the staff available to each municipality.

A man casts his ballot at the Washington Park Library on the first day of in-person early voting for the Nov.3, 2020 elections in Milwaukee, Oct. 20, 2020.
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

In Madison, the City Clerk said 6,000 poll workers are signed up, compared with 3,000 for the 2016 election, and they "do not anticipate running any later than usual." Meanwhile, over in Milwaukee, the chair of the Milwaukee Democrats has been telling voters they should be prepared to wait until Nov. 11 so that people aren't concerned by delays.

-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett

Oct 21, 2020, 10:31 AM EDT

Trump campaign trailing behind Biden in funding, new filings show

Trump's reelection campaign committee is entering the critical final stretch with just $63 million left in the bank -- a significant financial deficit for the incumbent compared to his cash-flushed challenger, Biden, the latest campaign disclosure reports show.

The sum was a stunning reversal for a campaign that in the spring boasted $180 million more on hand than Biden and Democrats as the former vice president was coming out of a competitive primary.

Seven months later, Biden's campaign committee closed out September with $177 million in the bank, which is nearly triple his rival's total.

President Donald Trump waves after participating in an NBC News Town Hall, at Perez Art Museum Miami, Oct. 15, 2020, in Miami.
Evan Vucci/AP

Trump's money supply also reflects how dramatically his fundraising is withering.

In all, the president's campaign, the RNC and their joint committees raised a total of $248 million in September and ended the month with $251 million on hand, compared with the $325 million they had at the end of August.

The Biden campaign, the Democratic National Committee and their joint operations in comparison, raised a total of $364.5 million in September and entered the crucial last month of the race with $432 million on hand, which is nearly twice as much as Trump and Republicans.

-ABC News’ Will Steakin, Kendall Karson and Soo Rin Kim