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'Raw exposed nerves': Anxious nation awaits Election Day

David Goldman/AP

Diane Spiteri clutches her absentee ballot before dropping it off at the city clerk's office in Warren, Mich., Wed, Oct. 28, 2020. "I just can't wait until the whole thing is over. And I think it's long from over, even after Tuesday. There's just so much anxiety," said Spiteri, who cast her ballot last week for Biden. As the traditional Election Day closes in, Americans are exhausted from constant crises, on edge because of volatile political divisions and anxious about what will happen next. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

By: AP Newsroom

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As the final Election Day closes in, Americans are exhausted from constant crises, on edge because of volatile political divisions and anxious about what’s to come.

Voters arriving in record numbers to cast early ballots say basic democratic foundations feel brittle: Will their vote count?

Will the loser accept the result?

Will the winner find a way to repair a sick and unsettled nation?

Tension is ratcheted up, as each side believes the other is threatening to usher in the end of America as we know it.