Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to Union members after touring a plumbers union training center in Erie, Pennsylvania, on October 10, 2020. (Photo by AFP)

US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has cast doubt on the integrity of the country’s forthcoming election race, saying that the only way he can lose to his Republican rival, incumbent President Donald Trump, is through chicanery at polling stations.

During a campaign stop in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Saturday, Biden encouraged potential voters and told them to make sure to vote because the only way we lose this is by the chicanery going on relative to polling places.

The Democratic candidate was referring to attempts by Trump to discourage voting, including challenging the security of mail-in ballots and the encouragement of potentially intimidating Republican poll observers.

Biden called on his supporters to vote in numbers to give him a clear victory so that Trump has no grounds to contest the outcome of the upcoming election.

The American people are voting and they’re voting in large numbers, the 77-year-old told reporters, saying his earlier remark was taken out of context. They’re going to determine the outcome and I’m going to accept the outcome of the election without any question.

Before leaving the state, Biden said to reporters that his comments were taken a little out of context, and once again stated that, I’m going to accept the outcome of this election, period.

Biden has previously said that his single greatest concern was his Republican rival trying to steal the victory. Trump’s campaign team has in turn accused Biden of lying and stoking fear.

Biden’s line in Pennsylvania on Saturday echoed Trump’s repeated efforts to contest election integrity as the incumbent last month said, The only way we’re going to lose is if there’s mischief.

Trump has also refused to commit to leave office peacefully if he loses the election.

Trump, who’s trailing his Democratic opponent in most national and battleground state polls, has suggested without evidence that mail-in voting, which is expected to rise to record levels this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, are subject to widespread fraud.

Biden maintains 12-point national lead: Poll

Meanwhile, a national poll released by The Washington Post and ABC News early on Sunday showed that the Democratic presidential nominee holds a 12-point lead among registered voters.

The poll found that Biden is supported by 53 percent of registered voters while Trump is backed by 41 percent - a finding consistent with similar polls over the past few months. The Democrat also holds a 12-point lead among likely voters, 54 to 42 percent.

Almost six in 10 registered voters - 58 percent - said they disapprove of the Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, while 41 percent expressed satisfaction.

Biden is more trusted on handling the pandemic by a 17-point margin.

The poll also revealed that 44 percent of voters approved of the president’s performance in the Oval Office, compared to 54 percent who disapprove.

The poll was conducted via telephone lines among 1,014 adults between October 6 and 9. It has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points for registered voters and adults, and a margin of error of 4 percentage points voters for likely voters.

Biden held leads ranging from 5 to 12 points over Trump in four polls completed on October 6, according to a RealClearPolitics compilation of surveys.