Generate an appropriate single-sentence summary for the given text such that it includes the main topic of the text.

Input: Consider Input: This can be either in-person at early voting stations, or absentee - that is, by post. In-person early voting is common in Finland and Canada, while Switzerland, Germany and the UK accept postal votes. In the US, this means people are able to cast their ballots before 3 November - either by post or in-person. Early voting has steadily increased with each election year. The number of people who voted early in the 2016 presidential election was more than five times the number who voted early 24 years earlier, in 1992. And with the Covid-19 pandemic affecting everything this year, and some form of early voting under way in all 50 states, we're already seeing record numbers of people casting their ballots ahead of time. Donald Trump is among those who has voted early, casting his vote in his home state of Florida. But the process hasn't been universally popular. So who is voting early, and why? And what do some people have against it? Here's what you need to know. How many people have voted early so far this year? According to the US Elections Project, as of 2 November more than 99 million Americans had voted early - either by post or in person. This is already more than the total number of early votes cast in the 2016 election. This site is run by Michael McDonald, a professor at the University of Florida who specialises in early voting, and tracks the number of votes cast by state and overall. By his count, the state with the highest number of early voters so far is California, where more than 12 million people have already voted. Next is Texas, where the 9.7 million total has surpassed the total turnout for the state in 2016. Florida has had more than 8.9 million early voters so far. The number of people who've voted early so far is also already 72% of the total number of people who voted in the election in 2016. Who is voting early? As well as knowing where this year's early voters live, we are also now getting a sense of who these voters are. First of all, we know that a lot of early voters this year are young. According to the Tufts University Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (Circle), more than five million young people - classified as those aged between 18 and 29 - had cast early votes by 26 October. About three million of those young votes were cast in 14 battleground states, Circle adds. Polls have also shown that young voters could turn out in greater numbers this year than in the last election. In 2016, turnout was just over 46% among 18 to 29-year-olds - while 71% of people older than 65 voted. This year, a Harvard Youth Poll suggests that as many as 63% of people the same age will vote. More African Americans are voting early this year, too. According to analysis from data firm TargetSmart, more than six times as many black voters had cast early votes by 18 October this year, compared to the same point in 2016. Why are so many people voting early? One overarching reason is the coronavirus pandemic. The traditional way of voting - thousands of people going to a single polling station on one particular day, queuing with other people for hours, and standing in polling booths that are in proximity to each other - is not conducive to social distancing measures, particularly when not all states have mandated face coverings indoors. So for this election, at least 30 states have made adjustments to make it easier and more accessible for people to cast absentee votes. This includes, for example, removing strict requirements for people to have an excuse to have a postal vote, or allowing people to cite their concerns about Covid-19 as their excuse. Some states have also implemented ballot drop boxes, so people don't have to go to a crowded polling station, or have offered to prepay postage on election ballots that are sent in by post. Others, such as California and Colorado, have proactively sent all eligible voters mail-in ballots - a practice known as universal mail-in voting. In North Carolina, the state's board of elections extended the deadline for postal ballots, saying that any ballots received up until 12 November would be counted - as long as they were postmarked on or before 3 November. Some states have also brought the start date for early in-person voting forward from last year - for example, Texas moved its start date forward by six days, from 19 to 13 October. Minnesota and South Dakota were the earliest states to begin early voting, with in-person voting starting 46 days before the election. And while not all states have in-person early voting, those that don't are accepting early mail-in ballots. Having said that, voting early doesn't necessarily mean voting easily. In Georgia, for example, thousands of people waited for hours to vote at in-person polling stations. And in Pennsylvania, the state supreme court ruled that ballots needed to be mailed in with a secrecy envelope hiding the identity of the voter. However, because this decision was announced so soon before voting opened, it caused concern that significant numbers of so-called "naked ballots" would be declared invalid. There are also currently more than 300 lawsuits in 44 states concerning how absentee votes are counted, who is allowed to vote early, and how mail-in ballots are collected. Republican-run states say restrictions are necessary to prevent voter fraud, but Democrats say these are attempts at voter suppression. How could this impact the election? Perhaps the most obvious way an increase in early voting will affect the election is by driving up overall turnout. Prof McDonald, who runs the US Elections Project, told Reuters news agency that he predicts that a record 150 million people could vote in this election - which would be about 65% of eligible voters in the country, and the highest turnout by percentage since 1908. And according to Prof McDonald's data so far, the mail-in ballots are already leaning towards a Democrat majority. However, this isn't a reliable indicator of who will win the election in the end. President Trump launched a campaign against postal voting earlier this year, arguing that expanded mail-in voting would lead to the "most corrupt election" in US history and promoting claims that people would be able to vote more than once in the absentee ballot system. His dislike of postal voting may influence some of his supporters to wait until election day to cast their vote in person. To clarify - there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the absentee voting system. In fact, the rate of voting fraud overall in the US is between 0.00004% and 0.0009%, according to a 2017 study by the Brennan Center for Justice.

Output: Early voting is exactly what it sounds like - it's where people are allowed to vote before the scheduled election day.


Input: Consider Input: Stephen Frith, 58, was found at the property in Tarring Road, West Worthing, on 27 October. Four people were arrested on suspicion of murder and have been released under investigation. Crimestoppers' director of operations Roger Critchell said: "His family deserve answers." Sussex Police said Mr Frith had sustained serious injuries consistent with a physical assault and have renewed their appeal for information about his death. 'Hearts broken' Mr Critchell said: "It has been nine months since Stephen's body was discovered and his family deserve answers as to what happened to him. "They have described him as someone with a big heart, but it's their hearts that have been broken after he was taken away from them. "We are appealing for your help. Our charity takes information 100% anonymously, always." Three men aged 40, 38 and 20 and a 22-year-old woman, all from Worthing, were arrested and released in connection with the death.

Output: A £10,000 reward has been offered for information about the death of a "big-hearted" man whose body was discovered in his flat last year.


Input: Consider Input: Rosa is hoping for a miracle. She has barely seen any rain since October and has lost almost all of her crops. She and her husband, Gregorio, earn some cash from their field of six hectares. But crucially most of their crops are used to feed themselves and their two children. Now Rosa is desperate for some rain to salvage whatever they can grow before the winter arrives in April. Otherwise they don't know how they are going to eat. Their plight is typical of the critical situation facing thousands of small farmers in Paraguay as the country endures one of the worst droughts in its history. Several countries in the south of Latin America have been feeling the lack of rain. Experts say it is caused by La Nina, the meteorological phenomenon where falling sea temperatures cause unusual weather patterns. But Paraguay is the worst-affected country. Unlike neighbours Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, its main income comes from agriculture and cattle farming, both severely damaged by the drought. The government estimates that up to 60% of the nation's crops could already have been lost. The private sector says that total damages could be at least $1.5bn (£950m). For a country with almost half the population in poverty, and ranked among the poorest in Latin America by the United Nations, such a figure is a huge blow. Grim prospects "We definitely need some rain now, or we won't have anything to eat," says Rosa at her small farm about 100km (62 miles) from the capital, Asuncion. She takes us to see her crops, or what is left of them. We are shown a shadow of what normally is a thick cornfield. But because of the drought most of the plants are yellow, their leaves rustling in the wind. It is a sad sight. Rosa rips apart one of the corn plants. She finds a small knob, its seeds affording no hope. Despite the grim prospects, Rosa tries to keep her spirits high. "If we could just get some rain before April, when the winter begins, then we could still salvage something. Otherwise the season will end and we will have nothing," she says. The Paraguayan government estimates that there are about 250,000 small-scale farmers like Rosa Aquino and her husband who are at serious risk because of the drought. "The medium and big farms have enough resources to cope with the situation, not so much the small farmers who are the priority for this government," says Edgar Mayeregger, director of the ministry of agriculture's risk department. Its figures show the agricultural sector grew by 50% in 2010, mainly due to the soaring demand for soy beans from markets like China and India. But, with the lack of rain, soy production is expected to fall by nearly a half. "This is terrible news for our country as it will stop the growth we have had in recent years. Initial estimates are already indicating that the 4.8% growth expected from the economy in 2012 will be halved," says Mr Mayeregger. Farm animals are also at risk, in particular cattle. Paraguay is one of the top 10 beef exporters in the world. But the drought is hitting a sector already suffering losses from a foot-and-mouth outbreak last year that caused a drop of 16.5% in exports in 2011. The consequences of the drought in agriculture and cattle farming can be devastating, as both sectors represent about half of the country's economy. High costs Paraguay is still not in recession, although the longer the drought lasts the quicker the country could slip into the red. But the consequences of the lack of rain can already be felt. "When there is a drought, things immediately get more expensive in the market," says Rosa. The government declared a food security emergency last month, in an attempt to guarantee that those most affected in rural areas would be able to feed their families. In the urban areas of Paraguay, like the capital Asuncion, locals say that the cost of living has been rising as the losses in agriculture have gown. "This may not be the worst drought ever seen, but it could bring the worst ever damage to our economy," says Mr Mayeregger. "The nation's income is at risk and that is very worrying." While in recent days there have been some scattered showers in Paraguay, experts believe it has not been enough to improve the situation. In the summer season - between November and March - the average monthly rainfall is more than 150mm. But this summer it has been barely 10% of this figure. Also, temperatures this time of the year can be more than 40C during the day and the few drops that fall on the ground quickly evaporate. "Sadly, nobody controls the rain," says Rosa. As she keeps watching the sky, blocking the powerful light of the sun with her hand, she adds: "All we can do is wait."


Output: A severe drought is threatening the livelihood of thousands of small farmers across Paraguay. The BBC's Vladimir Hernandez visited one family to see how they are affected.


