US Election 2020: Voters in UAE worry for future of their country

American residents expect the election will go to the Supreme Court, as division lines across the US deepen

US President Donald Trump speaks during election night in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks at a drive-in election night event as Dr. Jill Biden looks on at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP

Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden watch election results outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP

US Vice President Mike Pence speaks flanked by US President Donald Trump during election night in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

Supporters pose with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, center, following his victory speech after winning another term in office, in Columbia, S.C. AP Photo

Biden supporter Lala Walker reacts to early election results in Houston, Texas. REUTERS

President Donald Trump supporter Loretta Oakes reacts while watching returns in favor of Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, at a Republican election-night watch party, in Las Vegas. AP Photo

People gather to watch results in the presidential election on a screen in Times Square in New York, New York. EPA

Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee election commission is escorted by police from the central count location where absentee ballots were being counted carrying the final count in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AFP

Election officials count absentee ballots in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AFP

Los Angeles Police Department officers form a line in front of demonstrators during the 2020 Presidential election in Los Angeles, California. Bloomberg

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, speaks during a news conference at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. Bloomberg

A woman poses for a photo during an election night watch party organized by a group called "Villagers for Trump" in The Villages, Florida. AFP

People celebrate a win for incumbent candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at Graham's election night watch party in Columbia, South Carolina. AFP

Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden worry as they watch the election results unfold on a giant screen in a square near the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

People react as they watch early results on T.V as they gather at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House during Election Day in Washington. Reuters

Martina Brown celebrates after being the last voter to cast her ballot at a polling station inside Knapp Elementary School on Election Day in Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin. Reuters

A Code Enforcement officer asks to a supporter to stop placing US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence campaign signs in the limits of a polling station during the 2020 US presidential election in Palm Beach, Florida. Reuters

Democratic congressional candidate Ilhan Omar speaks at the DFL election night watch party in St. Paul, Minnesota. Reuters

Republican US Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is joined by his wife Elaine Chao as he speaks at a press conference following his projected senate race victory at the Omni Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. EPA

Cairo Messenger newspaper publisher and editor Randy Fine, center, calls out election results as Steve Reagan writes them on the board on the front wall of the newspaper for the voters gathered in the street in Cairo, Georgia. AFP

Electoral workers at curbside voting in St. Charles County for voters who have coronavirus disease during Election Day in Missouri. Reuters

A election worker collects mail-in ballots at the Clark County election office in Las Vegas, Nevada. EPA

A woman wears a mask depicting US President Donald Trump at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC. EPA

Biden supporters face off a Trump supporter outside of a polling site, on Election Day in Houston, Texas. Reuters

Florida election results are displayed on a screen in Black Lives Matter Plaza during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, DC. Bloomberg

First timer voter Jessica Henderson shows her "I Voted!" sticker after casting her ballot in-person on Election Day outside the Ruben F. Salazar Park recreation center, an official vote centre in East Los Angeles. AP Photo

Carolyn Fieles, left, Suzy Meredith-Orr, Frieda Wallison, and Judy Dunn open ballots in the Pitkin County Administration Building on Election Day in Aspen, Colorado. AP

Election workers organise ballots at the Multnomah County Elections Division Tuesday in Portland, Oregon. AP Photo

A supporter for Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) looks on during an Election Night party at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta In Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP

Volunteers gather at Detroit Branch NAACP Tuesday evening before polls closed in Detroit, Michigan. EPA

People gather in Times Square as they await election results in New York City. AFP

A woman helps an elderly voter put on headphone to follow directions as she casts her ballot at the Salazar Park polling location in Los Angeles, California. EPA

Americans in the UAE say they are worried about the consequences of a nail-bitingly close presidential election in their home country.

While the world waits for a result, both President Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden are predicting they will emerge victorious as votes continued to be counted.

Supporters of both candidates in the UAE were taking similar stances, tipping their preferred candidate to get the votes needed to win.

“I’ve spoken to friends back home in Denver, Colorado, who said the shops have been boarded up overnight because they are expecting riots,” said Dubai-based English teacher Cary Smith, 43.

“It’s disheartening. I expect it will go to the Supreme Court like the 2000 election between George W Bush and Al Gore.”

Ms Smith said she was sure the Supreme Court would side with the current president, given the predominantly right-wing make-up of the nine judges who currently sit on the bench.

Mr Trump has already courted controversy by declaring himself the winner of the election, adding that he was going to the Supreme Court to ask them to stop counting votes.

This drew the ire of Democrats with former Vice President, Mr Biden, stating legal teams were in place to fight Mr Trump’s attempt to stop the count.

“It really shows the division in America right now,” said Ms Smith, who voted for Mr Biden.

“It’s going to get ugly. I think Biden is going to win but it’s going to be contested which could last for months.

“The next couple of months could be extremely uncomfortable for him as I don’t think Trump has it in him to do a concession speech.

“I think there will be pressure put on Biden to stand down,” he said.

With a number of key swing states still to declare, it could be days before either side earn the 270 electoral college votes needed to declare a US president.

Another Dubai resident believed Mr Biden would win the election, but only just.

“I am concerned because it’s not the landslide many had predicted,” said lawyer Orlando Vidal.

“I think Biden will win but not by the margin we had had anticipated. But I’ll still take the win.”

The 54-year-old from Washington DC said, while Biden was comfortably ahead in the popular vote, the electoral college votes were far too close for comfort.

Mr Vidal is a member of the Democrats Abroad group that has 3,000 members registered to vote from the UAE alone.

But Mr Trump was not without his supporters in the UAE.

Robert Dobbs, an American based in Sharjah, was hopeful the current president would win another four years in the White House.

“Donald Trump should reach 270 votes and I fully support this,” said the 54-year-old teacher and US army veteran.

“Joe Biden is not good for the American economy and, as Vice President, didn’t do much to help Americans.

“[Mr Trump] helped regular Americans by giving extended unemployment and Covid-19 relief payments. The US economy will come roaring back.

"The Democrats should have ran Bernie Sanders if they wanted to defeat Trump.”

Last week, the Commerce Department said the US economy grew 33.1 per cent annual rate in the July to September quarter.

However, economists expressed concerns that the recovery was not nearly enough to compensate for the disruption caused by Covid-19.

Screenwriter and author Dedra Stevenson took an opposing view to Mr Dobbs.

The American-Emirati was confident that Mr Biden could defeat Mr Trump.

“I think that Trump has caused way too much division in the country,” said Ms Stevenson.

“Biden would unite the country back again as one America.”

She was closely following the election results from her home in Sharjah.

“In terms of taxes, Biden would probably be more likely to be fairer and not be giving to the ultra-rich,” she said.

“Because that is the big argument against Trump – that he is giving the ultra-rich so many tax incentives.”

Ms Stevenson also hoped a Biden presidency would mean more social welfare programmes.

Most care programmes launched to help the needy during the pandemic have either expired or are close to expiring, increasing poverty rates.

Last month, a Columbia University study showed that the number of Americans living in poverty grew by 8 million since May, particularly after coronavirus relief ended without certainty that more help would follow.

“Biden would show much more compassion with social welfare programmes to help people have a chance,” said Ms Stevenson.

“It would give them a chance to get back on their feet and get jobs, assistance or just to, at least, feed their families.”