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It’s been a protracted 12 months. However by this time subsequent week, the voting might be over.
It’s not clear after we’ll know which candidates and measures gained these votes — whether or not pandemic-related glitches, cliffhanger outcomes or authorized challenges depart some outcomes, not least the competition between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, up within the air after Tuesday.
However between from time to time, there’s an intense week forward. The Trump and Biden campaigns are making their closing pitches to voters. Persons are lining up for hours to solid early ballots. Instances reporters are unfold throughout the nation, making an attempt to seize the final days of the 2020 election as they unfold amid a worsening coronavirus contagion.
As we enter the countdown of a traditionally uncommon election, let’s pause to think about the place we’re and what lies forward.
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What’s the depend to date?
For a number of weeks, we’ve reported that Individuals — together with California residents — are voting early in record numbers. Janet Hook described it this week as the electorate’s “great awakening.” A number of locations present us what that appears like by way of knowledge.
A statewide poll tracker created by the analysis agency Political Information Inc. makes use of info collected from county elections places of work throughout California. As of Tuesday, more than 7.9 million ballots were returned — more than half of all ballots cast in 2016.
The nonpartisan U.S. Elections Undertaking provides a broader view. Nationally, their tracker studies 71 million early votes, 47.7 million of which had been mail-in ballots. These votes additionally signify about half of all ballots solid nationwide in 2016.
To this point, most of these early votes are coming from Democrats, and that’s not a lot of a shock. My colleague David Lauter has coated this divide over early and mail-in voting extensively: Individuals are deeply cut up over whether or not and find out how to take protecting measures towards the coronavirus and that split follows partisan lines.
How is voting going?
Whereas the surge in early voting was anticipated given the pandemic in addition to Individuals’ eagerness to solid their ballots, domestically run election methods are straining underneath the load of excessive turnout, political disputes and accusations of voter suppression, writes James Rainey.
Those that wish to solid their ballots in particular person are discovering lengthy strains at polling stations. Rainey, Benjamin Oreskes and Melanie Mason spoke with L.A. County residents and located that they eagerly lined up in the first days of early voting, fearful that their mail-in poll may not arrive in time to be counted given studies of postal service cutbacks. These had been concerns echoed by voters in states including Georgia, North Carolina and Texas, Houston bureau chief Molly Hennessy-Fiske reported earlier this month.
In California, there have additionally been studies of shenanigans involving the drop packing containers meant for voters to securely deposit their absentee ballots. Sacramento bureau chief John Myers has been following the dispute between California elections officers and state Republicans over whether or not the occasion’s unofficial ballot collection boxes are legal. Individually, legislation enforcement officers and firefighters have responded to incidents of suspected arson in drop packing containers in Baldwin Park and in Boston.
Then we’ve bought pre-election drama within the courts. For months, because the pandemic persevered, Republicans and Democrats in battleground states have been arguing about particular guidelines for casting and counting all these early votes. David G. Savage reported two new developments this month, courtesy of a divided Supreme Court docket. The justices refused to increase the election-day deadline for mail ballots in Wisconsin however rejected an appeal from Pennsylvania’s Republican leaders, who sought to tighten mail poll deadlines. The Pennsylvania resolution leaves in place a ruling that claims ballots might be counted so long as they had been mailed by election day.
What are the presidential campaigns as much as?
The strain to shore up supporters and win over the few remaining undecided voters is intense. Even after 5 members of Vice President Mike Pence’s interior circle examined constructive for the coronavirus, Pence maintained his schedule of campaign appearances.
Each the Biden and Trump campaigns began the week in battleground states, as Janet Hook and Eli Stokols reported. By Tuesday, nonetheless, Biden was assured sufficient of his lead that he ventured to the traditionally Republican state of Georgia; on Friday he plans to go to Iowa, which Trump gained comfortably 4 years in the past, whereas his operating mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, is scheduled to marketing campaign in long-red Texas.
Trump’s standing has fallen amongst a few of the demographic teams that helped him win in 2016, together with seniors and white suburban girls. Whereas he has publicly implored girls to assist him, it’s not clear that his mixture of insults and flattery is working, as Chris Megerian and Stokols wrote this week.
What are we looking forward to?
Over the previous few weeks, reporter Arit John has coated the fears that voters, election officers and different consultants have expressed about issues that would come up: postal delays, extremist “poll watchers” (with Megerian), even gun violence.
A brand new UC Berkeley ballot discovered practically 9 in 10 doubtless California voters had been fearful others wouldn’t accept the outcome, Lauter studies.
Election officers have tried to organize for doable conflicts on Nov. three and past. In California, they’ve made contingency plans to avoid the mask-related disputes that some companies have needed to cope with, as Stephanie Lai studies. And there may be some legal machinery to assist the nation navigate disputed outcomes, writes Matt Pearce.
Millie Quan, The Instances’ 2020 marketing campaign editor, is making an attempt to organize for an election consequence maybe as unpredictable and contentious because the 2000 photo-finish between George W. Bush and Al Gore, when the winner wasn’t clear till a cut up Supreme Court docket dominated in mid-December. Instances viewers engagement editor Adrienne Shih has extra about how you can follow our coverage.
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The most recent from the marketing campaign path
— Signature verification is a technique election officers confirm absentee ballots — and one potential pitfall for voters. Maya Lau and Laura J. Nelson explain how it works.
— The most recent polling, from David Lauter: California stays on observe at hand former Vice President Biden a victory by the largest margin for a Democratic presidential candidate in state historical past, the ultimate UC Berkeley Institute for Governmental Research ballot signifies.
— Falsehoods concentrating on Latino voters are flying arduous and quick in Spanish and English, dividing families, friend groups and communities, report Melissa Gomez and Brittny Mejia.
— There’s no “typical” Latino voter, Mejia writes, and the Biden and Trump campaigns are attempting to point out their understanding of Latinos’ variety with appeals to particular communities.
The view from Washington
— The Republican-controlled Senate on Monday narrowly confirmed Decide Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court docket, securing a 6-3 conservative majority. No Democratic senator supported Barrett’s affirmation — the primary time because the mid-1800s {that a} Supreme Court docket nominee has not obtained any votes from the opposing occasion, Jennifer Haberkorn writes.
— The primary quantity of former President Obama’s new memoir is on the best way. Instances books author Dorany Pineda writes that excerpts have been launched, overlaying his quest for healthcare reform.
The view from California
— Campaigns on each side of Proposition 22 have put drivers for ride-share and food-delivery apps on the middle of their messaging. The drivers themselves are divided on whether or not they need to be thought of impartial contractors or staff, Suhauna Hussain and Johana Bhuiyan discovered. Stated one: “I don’t want to end up on the wrong side of it.”
— Passage of Proposition 15, which might levy new property taxes on high-value enterprise property homeowners, would supply further funds for Okay-12 faculties and native governments throughout California. John Myers writes that the question is how much. (Discover out more about California’s ballot measures here.)
— L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey is a longtime champion for mentally sick defendants. However as she runs for reelection, the query has arisen: do her reforms go far sufficient? Her critics say no, studies James Queally.
— From Phil Willon: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday threw his assist behind the enchantment of a person on loss of life row convicted of homicide, arguing in an amicus brief that “racial discrimination infects the administration of California’s loss of life penalty.”
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