Mariachi bands and bell ringing: 8 uplifting moments from US election day

US election day isn’t known for being enjoyable, but some people (and animals) are trying to increase the fun factor

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  Lorraine Crawford puts vote signs as the sun rises the Main Street Branch Library vote centre in Huntington Beach, California. AFP

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  A group of kids who support presidential candidate Joe Biden hold signs on the sidewalk in front of a polling place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. AFP

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  Supporters of US President Donald Trump rally in front of a poll station at Coral Gable Branch Public Library in Miami, Florida. AFP

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  Demonstrators marching for voting rights pass supporters of US President Donald Trump carrying Confederate flags in Graham, North Carolina, US. Reuters

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  A person watches a screen showing early voting results at Black Lives Matter Plaza on in Washington DC. AFP

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  A worker of the Miami-Dade County Elections Department carries U.S. Postal Service trays with mail-in ballots in them in Miami, Florida. Reuters

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  Electoral workers count ballots in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reuters

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  Poll workers sort ballots at the Franklin County Board of Elections in Columbus, Ohio. Reuters

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  Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden visits The Warehouse for teens by teens in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP

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  Steph Smith drops off her ballot for the US presidential election in Rollinsville, Colorado. AFP

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  Voters line up at the John F. Kennedy Library, a Miami-Dade County polling station, during the 2020 U.S. presidential election in Miami, Florida. Reuters

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  A supporter of U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden uses a megaphone near the White House during Election Day in Washington. Reuters

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  Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden rallies supporters in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia. Getty Images

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  US President Donald Trump speaks as he visits his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. AFP

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  Children entertain themselves while their mother and grandmother vote at a polling location in Cleveland Ohio. EPA

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  Campaign workers applaud as President Donald Trump visits his campaign headquarters in Arlington. AFP

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  Police block the path of a truck carrying a live band on a closed street in Washington. Reuters

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  A television correspondent reports outside the White House on Election Day in Washington. Reuters

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  A demonstrator going by the name Azul Azul walks around with a painted face outside the White House in Washington. AP Photo

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  Joe Biden supporters wave to pedestrians from a school bus in Houston, Texas. AFP

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  Voters fill out their ballots at the Lenox, Massachusetts, Town Hall. AP PHOTO

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  Denise Pumphrey shouts "first-time voter" at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage in Louisville. AP Photo

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  A person dressed in a 'Vote' superhero costume holds a campaign sign for Joe Biden outside a polling location in Atlanta, Georgia. Bloomberg

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  Police officers detain a man as people gather to demonstrate at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington. Reuters

Election days can be fraught. Voters worry about getting their ballot in on time, opposing sides snipe at each other and it can all feel a little overwhelming.

But here are eight moments of joy from polling day:

1. A surprise serenade

Voters at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles were surprised by a mariachi band. The baseball team had two reasons to celebrate: hosting voting early and on the day, and winning the world series last week for the first time since 1988.

After voting, baseball fans were given a Dodgers-themed sticker and allowed to look out over the field.

2. Bell ringing for first-time voters

First-time voters in Washington DC were treated to rounds of applause and the ringing of a special bell in one polling place. The National's Cody Combs recorded the touching moment.

3. Earliest result returned for 60th year

The tiny town of Dixville Notch, near the Canadian border, returned the earliest result for the 60th year in a row. It was a sweep for former vice president Joe Biden, who won the town’s five votes.

4. Dogs saved the day

Auggie Mejia holding his dog, Baby, casts his ballot at the Legion Park polling place in Miami, Florida. AFP

In a bid to entertain and encourage people out to the polls, voters shared photographs of their pets dolled up in campaign merchandise.

5. Dancing to the polls

Many dancers were captured in polling queues, but the 90-year-old Ms Mildred took the medal for most stylish and enthusiastic. She boogied to Shame by Evelyn King.

6. Running to the polls

Another fun moment caught on camera as this gentleman hurried to exercise his democratic rights.

7. Kamala Harris celebrated in ancestral home

Villagers from the southern Indian ancestral home of US vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris prayed on Tuesday for her victory.
Ms Harris was born in California but was often taken to India by her mother, Shyamala Gopalan.
Her maternal grandfather PV Gopalan, a senior Indian civil servant, was born in Thulasendrapuram village in Tamil Nadu state.
"The entire village is rooting for her," villager Rajesh told AFP.

8. OK, we know you want more dancing

Here are some of the best dancers from polling day, many inspired by the Joy to the Polls movement, a non-partisan group playing music and encouraging a happy vibe among people in line to vote.

"We wanted to figure out a way so while people are outside of the polling station, we can bring them a feeling of safety and a feeling of joy," Nelini Stamp, an organiser for the group, told The Guardian.

They even got Congress members involved.

If you want to dance too, why not try out the Joy to the Polls playlist, as shared by Foo Fighters?