Virginia leads the US in early voting as the midterm election campaign heats up

Virginia has become the first state to open early in-person voting ahead of November's US midterm elections, with about 800 people voting on the first day at a single site in Arlington.

Democrats have historically pushed hardest for expanded early voting access, while President Donald Trump has criticised prolonged voting calendars and mail-in voting, though voters from both parties turned out on the first day.

One voter, James, said Virginia leading the nation in early in-person voting made him proud, calling it a sign of "good and eager citizens."

Republicans are expected to campaign chiefly on Trump's "one big, beautiful bill," which Democrats dismiss as harmful welfare policy that closed rural clinics, as well as on cultural issues such as transgender athletes in school sports.

Al Jazeera's Eva McKend reports from Arlington, Virginia.

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