What is the voting situation in Virginia and Florida at this time?

[Anchor]

This U.S. presidential election is being described as one of the most fiercely contested in history.

We are curious if the heated early voting enthusiasm will carry over into today's voting.

Let's connect to two local polling places in turn.

First, Virginia.

Correspondent Jo Hye-jin, voting has started, right?

What is the atmosphere like there?

[Reporter]

Behind me is a high school in Virginia where a polling station for the U.S. presidential election has been set up.

The polling station opened about an hour ago.

Voters looking to cast their ballots before heading to work are gradually arriving here since early morning.

In the U.S., polling stations can only be set up on election day, so this Wakefield High School has been busy setting up ballot boxes since 4 a.m.

Voting will continue here until 7 p.m. local time.

Virginia, along with nearby Washington D.C., is known as a stronghold for the Democratic Party, often referred to as the 'Blue Wall'.

Let's hear from the first citizen who arrived at the polling station.

[Mitch Eisman/Virginia, USA: "I'm super excited. I have to go to work today because unfortunately it's not a holiday. So, I wanted to come early but I also couldn't sleep last night. Just exited about the opportunity to vote today."]

Earlier, Vice President Harris arrived in Washington D.C. after finishing a campaign in Pennsylvania just after 1 a.m.

This evening, she plans to visit her alma mater, Howard University, which is about a 30-minute drive from here, to watch the vote counting broadcast.

Access around Howard University has been restricted, and fences have been installed to prepare for any unforeseen incidents.

[Anchor]

Now, let's go to Florida, where candidate Trump is voting and will also be watching the vote counting.

Correspondent Park Il-jung, voting has just started there, right?

[Reporter]

Yes, voting has started here as well.

It began at 7 a.m. local time, which is one hour later than in Virginia, or 9 p.m. Korean time.

Voting will continue for 12 hours until 7 p.m.

It is still quite quiet here.

This may be due to the early hour, but also because there was a lot of early voting.

In Florida, it is reported that 60% of registered voters have already cast their ballots early.

Many citizens I met here also said they have already voted.

[Katie/Resident of Palm Beach, Florida: "I'm going to say about half of them did and the other half are going tomorrow. I don't know anybody that isn't going to vote."]

Former President Trump is expected to come to this polling place to cast his vote today.

He is also reported to be hosting a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort this evening and will watch the vote counting at a convention center in downtown Palm Beach afterward.

When reporters visited Mar-a-Lago yesterday, the club was closed, and police were controlling traffic in various areas.

Due to two assassination attempts, security has been heightened around the Palm Beach Convention Center, with barriers installed, and foreign media are preparing for live coverage from outside the barriers.

Voting in the U.S. presidential election will close tomorrow at 3 p.m. Korean time, with Alaska being the last state.

[Anchor]

Yes, thank you for the report.

Park Il-jung and Jo Hye-jin, thank you for your hard work.