Mecklenburg County voters this week approved a 1% sales tax increase referendum to fund transportation projects. Support was inconsistent across the county.
JEFF SINER
jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
A majority of Mecklenburg County voters said yes this week to a sales tax increase that is expected to set in motion a multi-billion dollar regional transportation overhaul.
The transit tax earned some of its biggest gains from the central city and NoDa area, which has access to an active line, and one precinct on the far north end of the county around Davidson, which is anticipating access to a line. The median age of registered voters in these areas ranged from 29 to 43. They skew more Democrat than Republican, but the largest share of them don’t affiliate with any party.
The measure appears to have been the least favored around the southeastern edge of the county, an area that was originally supposed to get access to the silver line. But the plan was canceled. The median age of the registered voters in these areas ranged from 46 to 57.
Several precincts in the county’s southeast that opposed the tax skew more Republican than Democrat – but a couple skew more Democrat. But, like the areas that heavily supported the measure, voters are more commonly unaffiliated.
Danny Lakey, left, and Cheryl Shadden, center, pray with fellow community members outside of Brazos River Baptist Church on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Voters will decide whether area around Mitchell Bend Highway will incorporate as a city during the election.
Amanda McCoy
amccoy@star-telegram.com
Voters rejected a proposition to form a city in rural Hood County, according to unofficial results Tuesday. With 100% of the precincts reporting, 76 voters were against the proposal and 50 supported it.
Some residents wanted to form the city in Mitchell Bend as a last resort to regulate noise and pollution from a cryptomining plant and nearby power plants.
The complaints over a constant whirring noise from cooling plants at MARA Holdings’ data center near Granbury began almost three years ago when neighbors, including Cheryl Shadden and Danny Lakey, described how the noise permeated through the walls of their homes and contributed to health issues that included sleep disturbances, dizziness and high blood pressure.
“I’m not sure what we are going to do. We will regroup,” Shadden said. “We are not done fighting.”
Lakey said, “This isn’t good. We will have to see where to go from here.”
The county commissioners lacked the authority to regulate the noise because it was in an unincorporated area, so residents took the matter in to their own hands.
MARA, for its part, said previously that the company is “a good neighbor” and that it has created jobs and contributed to schools and to the community.
However, days before Tuesday’s election MARA filed a federal lawsuit against several Hood County officials, including Elections Administrator Stephanie Cooper, County Attorney Matt Mills and County Judge Ron Massingill, alleging that the officials approved an illegal petition and allowed the incorporation question on the the ballot. The suit also alleged that there was not an official map showing the boundaries for the Mitchell Bend incorporation area. The company also alleged that its Constitutional rights and rights for due process were violated.
Shortly after filing the lawsuit, MARA sought a temporary restraining order to try to stop the election from moving forward, but on Sunday evening, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor denied the motion.
O’Connor stated in his ruling that MARA failed to prove that holding the election would cause irreparable harm and that the company still could challenge the election in court after it is held.
“Stopping the vote on incorporation at this late hour causes confusion and delay to the voters,” he wrote. He said the MARA Holdings would have an opportunity “to challenge alleged misconduct — if needed— after the election takes place.”
“As we have previously said, the current incorporation effort seeks only to target specific businesses — including MARA — with punitive taxes and restrictive ordinances, which is contrary to the principles of fair and lawful governance. We intend to vigorously defend against any attempt to weaponize local government against law-abiding businesses,” the company said.
MARA said it has invested $322 million in Granbury and has contributed to schools and nonprofits. Since acquiring the Granbury site in 2024, the company said, it has moved toward a quieter and more energy efficient cooling method and has built a sound wall around the center. It said independent sound studies show it operates below state and county limits.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 7:28 PM.
With my guide dog Freddie, I keep tabs on growth, economic development and other issues in Northeast Tarrant cities and other communities near Fort Worth. I’ve been a reporter at the Star-Telegram for 34 years.
It’s the final round of The Charlotte Observer’s Cutest Cat Contest, and the competition is down to a few standout felines.
After the first round, readers narrowed the field to 10 seriously adorable cats — from laid-back loungers to playful troublemakers. Now it’s time to choose the winner.
Cast your vote before midnight on Monday, Oct. 27, to help decide which cat will claim the title of Charlotte’s cutest. The winner will be announced on Monday, Nov. 3.
Remember: This poll isn’t scientific — it’s for fun!
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 11:59 AM.
Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.
The final round of The Charlotte Observer’s Cutest Dog Contest is here, and the race for the title is closer than ever.
These pups have won hearts with their big smiles, floppy ears and plenty of personality. Now it’s up to readers to pick the ultimate winner.
Voting closes at midnight on Monday, Oct. 27, so be sure to show your support for your favorite dog before then. The winning pup will be revealed on Monday, Nov. 3.
Remember: This poll isn’t scientific — it’s for fun!
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 11:59 AM.
Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.
More than 1 million ballots turned in for California special election on Prop 50, data firm says
NEXT MONTH’S SPECIAL ELECTION. IF APPROVED, PROP 50 WILL GIVE CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS THE POWER TO REDRAW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS, CREATING FIVE HOUSE SEATS FOR DEMOCRATS. KCRA 3’S CECIL HANNIBAL JOINS US LIVE IN DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO. SO, CECIL, WHAT ARE VOTERS SAYING ABOUT THE PROCESS SO FAR? WE SPOKE TO SEVERAL VOTERS TODAY WHO SAY THAT IT’S BEEN A SMOOTH AND EASY PROCESS SO FAR. ONE, BECAUSE THEY CAN SIMPLY WALK UP OR DRIVE UP TO A BALLOT BOX AND PUT THEIR VOTE RIGHT IN THERE. OR ALSO BECAUSE THEY SAY WHAT’S ON THE BALLOT IS SIMPLE. IT’S 70 WORDS. ONE QUESTION WITH TWO OPTIONS YES OR NO FOR PROP 50. NOW, ELECTION OFFICIALS TODAY SAY THEY WANT THIS TO BE A SIMPLE AND SMOOTH PROCESS FOR VOTERS. PROBABLY WONDERING WHY WE’RE HERE IN DOCO. WELL, THAT’S BECAUSE THIS IS ONE LOCATION WHERE VOTERS IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY CAN COME DROP OFF THEIR BALLOT INSIDE OF THE KINGS TEAM STORE. ACTUALLY, AN EMPLOYEE JUST TOLD ME THEY’VE HAD THREE PEOPLE SHOW UP TODAY, TWO YESTERDAY. SO PEOPLE ARE GETTING OUT AND CASTING THEIR VOTES NOW. SACRAMENTO, EL DORADO AND SAN JOAQUIN COUNTIES ALL SAY THAT BALLOTS HAVE BEEN MAILED OUT, AND IF YOU HAVEN’T RECEIVED IT ALREADY, YOU SHOULD VERY SOON. WELL, YOU KNOW, VOTING LASTS UNTIL NOVEMBER 4TH. ANOTHER REMINDER FOR YOU WHEN YOU’RE DROPPING OFF YOUR BALLOT, MAKE SURE YOU SIGN THE PINK ENVELOPE. THAT’S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. SO ELECTION OFFICIALS CAN VERIFY THAT IT IS YOU AND NOT VOTER FRAUD. YOU CAN ALSO MAIL IT IN FOR FREE THROUGH USPS. NOW WE TALKED ABOUT PROP 50, BUT IT’S NOW TIME FOR VOTERS TO DECIDE WITHOUT DISCUSSING PARTY AFFILIATION. WE TALKED TO VOTERS IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY TODAY ABOUT THE MEASURE. WELL, IT’S REALLY ONE SINGLE QUESTION. AND THAT QUESTION IS CLEAR TO ME. I THINK THAT IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME. I THINK IT’S REALLY UNFORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE TO DO THIS, BUT I FEEL LIKE WE’VE BEEN FORCED BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. ONLY ONE VOTE. YOU KNOW, GOT TO DO WHAT I THINK IS RIGHT. YEAH. BACK OUT HERE LIVE AGAIN. THIS IS ONE LOCATION WHERE VOTERS CAN DROP OFF THEIR BALLOTS. IF YOU’RE HEADING TO A KINGS PRESEASON GAME THIS WEEK, RIGHT ON YOUR WAY TO THE ARENA OR SOMEWHERE TO WATCH THE GAME, YOU CAN JUST COME DROP OFF YOUR BALLOT. NOW WE’RE TALKING ABOUT DROP OFF YOUR BALLOT. IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT SECURITY. TODAY, WE TALKED TO ELECTION OFFICIALS FROM SACRAMENTO, EL DORADO AND SAN JOAQUIN COUNTIES ABOUT JUST THAT SECURITY AND STAFFING FOR THIS SPECIAL ELECTION. WE’LL HAVE MORE ON THOSE DISCUSSIONS COMING UP TONIGHT AT SIX. LIVE IN DOCO. CECIL HANNIBAL KCRA THREE NEWS, OKC. SO THANK YOU. AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE OFFERS A WAY FOR VOTERS TO TRACK THEIR BALLOTS. IT’S CALLED WHERE’S MY BALLOT? VOTERS COULD SIGN UP WITH THEIR NAME, THEIR BIRTH DATE, AND ZIP CODE. ONCE LOGGED IN, YOU CAN TRACK WHERE THE BALLOT IS FROM WHEN IT’S MAILED TO YOU, SENT BACK TO COUNTY ELECTIONS OFFICE, AND RECEIVED AND THEN COUNTED. JUST A REMINDER, THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER IS OCTOBER 20TH AND TODAY IS THE SEVENTH. SO AS OF LAST MONTH, NEARLY HALF OF ALL VOTERS ARE REGISTERED. DEMOCRATS, 25% A
More than 1 million ballots turned in for California special election on Prop 50, data firm says
More than 1 million ballots have been returned so far in California’s special election to decide Proposition 50, according to a data firm used by political campaigns.Political Data Inc. said on X Wednesday that 4.49% of ballots sent out to California voters have already been returned. The firm cited a rate that was “close to recall election numbers,” in a reference to the 2021 vote over whether to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom. According to the early mail-in vote, 5% of Democrats and 5% of Republicans have turned in their ballots. That equates to more than 530,000 votes from Democrats and more than 293,000 from Republicans. About 76% of ballots returned were from people ages 50 or older. White voters have been overrepresented with 72% of the vote so far. California voters on Nov. 4 will decide if the state should temporarily toss its current congressional district map drawn by the state’s independent commission and replace it with a new one that was quickly drawn by Democrats. It’s part of a larger national fight in which Republicans and Democrats are trying to gerrymander their congressional districts to determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives halfway through President Donald Trump’s term.The proposed maps target five California Republicans in an attempt to offset the five Republicans Texas is aiming to add.If approved, the maps would be in place for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. State leaders have said the power to draw maps would return to the independent redistricting commission in 2031.One of the people who works at Political Data Inc., Paul Mitchell, is the owner of a consulting firm that helped to create the congressional redistricting maps for Democrats. He said he is not campaigning for the measure. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 20, though people can also vote on Nov. 3 with Conditional Voter Registration. | RELATED | Everything you need to know about California’s Proposition 50See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channelPHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
More than 1 million ballots have been returned so far in California’s special election to decide Proposition 50, according to a data firm used by political campaigns.
Political Data Inc. said on X Wednesday that 4.49% of ballots sent out to California voters have already been returned.
The firm cited a rate that was “close to recall election numbers,” in a reference to the 2021 vote over whether to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
According to the early mail-in vote, 5% of Democrats and 5% of Republicans have turned in their ballots. That equates to more than 530,000 votes from Democrats and more than 293,000 from Republicans.
About 76% of ballots returned were from people ages 50 or older. White voters have been overrepresented with 72% of the vote so far.
California voters on Nov. 4 will decide if the state should temporarily toss its current congressional district map drawn by the state’s independent commission and replace it with a new one that was quickly drawn by Democrats. It’s part of a larger national fight in which Republicans and Democrats are trying to gerrymander their congressional districts to determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives halfway through President Donald Trump’s term.
The proposed maps target five California Republicans in an attempt to offset the five Republicans Texas is aiming to add.
If approved, the maps would be in place for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections. State leaders have said the power to draw maps would return to the independent redistricting commission in 2031.
One of the people who works at Political Data Inc., Paul Mitchell, is the owner of a consulting firm that helped to create the congressional redistricting maps for Democrats. He said he is not campaigning for the measure.
The last day to register to vote is Oct. 20, though people can also vote on Nov. 3 with Conditional Voter Registration.
Are holes in California mail-in ballot envelopes there so certain votes can be discarded? That’s what some social media users said.
“Gavin Newsom’s redistricting election is going to be RIGGED,” a verified X account, Wall Street Apes, said in an Oct. 9 post. “If you Vote No on prop 50 to stop the redistricting, it shows through the envelope. This makes it easier for Democrats to identify them and throw them in the trash.”
The post, which had 4.7 million views as of Oct. 14, included a photo of a vote-by-mail envelope. A small hole in the envelope showed a mark on the ballot inside.
Another post from the conservative Libs of Tiktok X account made a similar claim.
“If California voters vote ‘NO’ on Gavin Newscum’s redistricting plan, it will show their answer through a hole in the envelope,” according to the Oct. 12 post, which had 5.8 million views as of Oct. 14. “All Democrats do is cheat.”
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The Libs of TikTok post included a video originally posted to TikTok by Steve Hilton, a Republican running for California governor. Hilton said the video showed a California voter filling in the “no” oval on California’s redistricting Proposition 50. The voter folded the ballot and inserted it into a Sacramento County vote-by-mail envelope. He then tapped the left side of the envelope on a table. A filled-in oval became visible through a hole in the envelope.
Sacramento’s vote-by-mail envelopes have three small holes. They’ve had these for years. There are eight ways voters can insert a ballot into the envelope. Depending on how someone inserts a ballot, the oval voters fill out to cast their vote might be visible through the holes. But the holes don’t show the text next to the oval that indicates how a person voted. And the envelopes’ holes aren’t evidence of cheating or nefarious activity.
Two holes were designed in the envelope to make it easier for low-vision voters to cast mail ballots. The third hole gives election officials a quick view of an envelope’s contents to ensure the ballot was removed for counting. Only two of the ways voters can insert their ballots in the envelope might show voting marks. Voters can insert their ballot in a way that no marks are visible.
“Please don’t panic people about something that is easily addressed by turning their ballot around. We need every no vote and we need them now,” the chair of the Republican Party of Los Angeles, Roxanne Hoge, who opposes the ballot measure, said in an Oct. 11 X post. Hoge shared a video of her folding and placing her mom’s mail-in ballot in an envelope so that no vote marks are visible.
C’mon people! If you’re worried about your vote showing through the hole, fold it the other way.
On Nov. 4, Californians will vote on Proposition 50, which will determine the state’s congressional map. If it passes, California will redraw its congressional districts, likely giving Democrats five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is leading the ballot measure in response to Texas’ mid-decade redistricting effort, which added five likely Republican seats.
Sacramento County vote-by-mail envelopes have holes for accessibility purposes
Since 2008, Sacramento’s vote-by-mail envelope has featured two holes punched into the back and one punched into the front.
California vote-by-mail envelopes differ by county, so not all envelopes have holes and not all envelope holes reveal voting marks. However, the punched-in holes are considered best practice in the state, California’s Secretary of State office told PolitiFact.
The two punched-in holes on the front of Scaramento’s envelope appear on either side of the envelope’s signature area, signaling to low-vision voters where they should sign. The hole in the envelope’s front lets election officials know that the envelope is empty and therefore the ballot has been counted, Janna Haynes, Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections’ public information manager, said in a video.
It’s possible to insert ballots in envelopes so marks aren’t visible through holes
There are at least eight ways voters can insert mail-in ballots into envelopes, according to Sacramento County’s elections department. Two of those might show voting marks through the envelope’s holes.
“There is no way to determine how a voter voted through this small hole,” the department said in an Oct. 8 news release.
The envelope holes aren’t large enough to show the filled in oval and the “yes” or “no” text showing how someone voted.
In the county’s video, Haynes recommended that voters who are concerned their votes might be visible fold their ballots so the text is on the inside. Sacramento’s ballot only has one question on it so the back of the paper is blank.
“If this is still a concern to some of you that don’t want to mail in your vote, we do have 31 vote centers that will be open for the Nov. 4 election where you can vote in person,” Haynes said.
She also recommended voters who vote by mail to sign up for BallotTrax, a service that tells voters when their ballot has been mailed, received and counted.
The social media posts claim that the envelope holes would allow for certain ballots to be thrown away. It is a felony under California law for election officials to tamper with peoples’ votes, including by discarding them.
“Our staff is dedicated to fair and ethical elections. Each employee is sworn in before they can access ballots to uphold a fair election,” Haynes told PolitiFact. “No single employee is ever alone with ballots. We have cameras and oversight in all our rooms.”
Our ruling
An X post said, “If you vote no on Prop 50 to stop the redistricting, it shows through the envelope,” making it easy for Democrats to cheat.
Sacramento County vote-by-mail envelopes were designed with two holes to make it easier for low-vision voters to cast ballots. A third hole helps election officials affirm that they’ve counted every ballot. There is no evidence that the holes are being used for nefarious purposes, and it is a felony for election officials to tamper with or discard ballots.
There are several ways to fold ballots and place them into the envelopes. Two of those might result in voting marks being visible through the envelope holes. But none shows how a person voted.
Voters can fold ballots so the blank side of the page faces outward, and no marks can be seen through the envelope’s holes.
The statement contains an element of truth; there are certain ways to insert a ballot into the envelope that might make voting marks visible. But the statement ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. The envelope design is for accessibility purposes and to ensure all votes are counted, not for nefarious purposes or to rig an election. There’s no evidence that “no” votes will be discarded.
We rate the claim Mostly False.
PolitiFact Senior Correspondent Amy Sherman contributed to this report.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber on Monday pushed back against a torrent of misinformation on social media sites claiming that mail-in ballots for the state’s Nov. 4 special election are purposefully designed to disclose how people voted.
Weber, the state’s top elections official, refuted claims by some Republicans and far-right partisans that holes on ballot envelopes allow election officials to see how Californians voted on Proposition 50, the ballot measure about redistricting that will be decided in a special election in a little over three weeks.
“The small holes on ballot envelopes are an accessibility feature to allow sight-impaired voters to orient themselves to where they are required to sign the envelope,” Weber said in a statement released Monday.
Weber said voters can insert ballots in return envelopes in a manner that doesn’t reveal how they voted, or could cast ballots at early voting stations that will open soon or in person on Nov. 4.
Weber’s decision to “set the record straight” was prompted by conspiracy theories exploding online alleging that mail ballots received by 23 million Californians in recent days are purposefully designed to reveal the votes of people who opposed the measure.
“If California voters vote ‘NO’ on Gavin Newscum’s redistricting plan, it will show their answer through a hole in the envelope,” Libs of TikTok posted on the social media platform X on Sunday, in a post that has 4.8 million views. “All Democrats do is cheat.”
GOP Texas Sen. Ted Cruz earlier retweeted a similar post that has been viewed more than 840,000 times, and Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, a conservative commentator, called for the November special election to be suspended because of the alleged ballot irregularities.
The allegation about the ballots, which has been raised by Republicans during prior California elections, stems from the holes in mail ballot envelopes that were created to help visually impaired voters and allow election workers to make sure ballots have been removed from envelopes.
The special election was called for by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats in an effort to counter President Trump urging GOP-led states, notably Texas, to redraw their congressional districts before next year’s midterm election to boost GOP ranks in the House and buttress his ability to enact his agenda during his final two years in office.
California Democrats responded by proposing a rare mid-decade redrawing of California’s 52 congressional boundaries to increase Democratic representation in Congress. Congressional districts are typically drawn once a decade by an independent state commission created by voters in 2010.
Nearly 600,000 Californians have already returned mail ballots as of Monday evening, according to a ballot tracker created by Political Data, a voter data firm that is led by Democratic strategist Paul Mitchell, who drew the proposed congressional boundaries on the November ballot.
Republican leaders in California who oppose the ballot measure have expressed concern about the ballot conspiracy theories, fearing the claims may suppress Republicans and others from voting against Proposition 50.
“Please don’t panic people about something that is easily addressed by turning their ballot around,” Roxanne Hoge, the chair of the Los Angeles County Republican Party, posted on X. “We need every no vote and we need them now.”
Jessica Millan Patterson, the former chair of the state GOP who is leading one of the two main committees opposing Proposition 50, compared not voting early to sitting on the sidelines of a football game until the third quarter.
“I understand why voters would be concerned when they see holes in their envelopes … because your vote is your business. It’s the bedrock of our system, being able to [vote by] secret ballot,” she said in an interview. “That being said, the worst thing that you could do if you are unhappy with the way things are here in California is not vote, and so I will continue to promote early voting and voting by mail. It’s always been a core principle for me.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris offered a spirited defense of her short, unsuccessful 2024 presidential bid, lamented the loss of voters’ faith in institutions and urged Democrats to not become dispirited on Monday as she spoke at the first hometown celebration of her new book about her roller-coaster campaign.
She appeared to take little responsibility for her loss to President Trump in 2024 while addressing a fawning crowd of 2,000 people at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.
“I wrote the book for many reasons, but primarily to remind us how unprecedented that election was,” Harris said about “107 Days,” her political memoir that was released last week. “Think about it. A sitting president of the United States is running for reelection and three and a half months before the election decides not to run, and then a sitting vice president takes up the mantle to run against a former president of the United States who has been running for 10 years, with 107 days to go.”
She dismissed Trump’s claims that his 2024 victory was so overwhelming that it was a clear mandate by the voters
“And by the way, can history reflect on the fact that it was the closest presidential election?” Harris said, standing from her seat on the stage, as the audience cheered. “It is important for us to remember so that we that know where we’ve been to decide and chart where we are.”
Trump beat Harris by more than 2.3 million votes — about 1.5% of the popular vote — but the Republican swept the electoral college vote, winning 312-226. Other presidential contests have been tighter, notably the 2000 contest between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore. Gore won the popular vote by nearly 544,000 votes but Bush won the electoral college vote 271-266 in a deeply contentious election that reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
Harris, faulted for failing to connect with voters about their economic pain in battleground states in the Midwest and Southwest, criticized former President Biden about his administration’s priorities. She said she would have addressed kitchen table issues before legislation about infrastructure and semiconductor manufacturing.
“I would have done the family piece first, which is affordable childcare, paid leave, extension of the child tax credit,” she said, basic issues facing Americans who “need to just get by today.”
Harris spoke about her book in conversation with Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan, the hosts of the “I’ve Had It” podcast and former cast members of the Bravo series “Sweet Home Oklahoma.”
Attendees paid up to hundreds or thousands of dollars on the resale market for tickets to attend the event, part of a multi-city book tour that began last week in New York City. The East Coast event was disrupted by protesters about Israeli actions in Gaza. Harris is traveling across the country and overseas promoting her book.
The former vice president’s book tour is expect to be a big money maker.
Harris’ publisher recently added another “107 Days” event at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on Oct. 28.
The Bay Area native touched upon current news events during her appearance, which lasted shortly over an hour.
About the impending federal government shutdown, Harris said Democrats must be clear that the fault lies squarely with Republicans because they control the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“They are in power,” she said, arguing that her party must stand firm against efforts to cut access to healthcare, notably the Affordable Care Act.
She also ripped into Trump for his social media post of a fake AI-generated video of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The video purports to show Schumer saying that Latino and Black voters hate Democrats, so the party must provide undocumented residents free healthcare so they support the party until they learn English and “realize they hate us too.” Jeffries appears to wear a sombrero as mariachi music plays in the background.
“It’s juvenile,” Harris said. Trump is “just a man who is unbalanced, he is incompetent and he is unhinged.”
Harris did not touch on the issues she wrote in her book that caused consternation among Democrats, such as not selecting former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to be her running mate because she did not believe Americans were ready to support a presidential ticket with a biracial woman and a gay man. She also did not mention her recounting of reaching out to Gov. Gavin Newsom after Biden decided not to seek reelection, and him not responding to her beyond saying he was out hikinG.
Harris lamented civic and corporate leaders caving to demands from the Trump administration.
Among those Trump targeted were law firms that did work for his perceived enemies.
“I predicted almost everything,” she said. “What I did not predict was the capitulation of universities, law firms, media corporations be they television or newspapers. I did not predict that.”
She said that while she worked in public service throughout her career, her interactions with leaders in the private sector led her to believe that they would be “among the guardians of our democracy.”
“I have been disappointed, deeply deeply disappointed by people who are powerful who are bending the knee at the foot of this tyrant,” Harris said.
Harris did not mention that her husband, Doug Emhoff, is a partner at the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher that earlier this year that reached an agreement with the White House to provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal work during the Republican’s time in the White House and beyond.
In April, the firm reached an agreement with the Trump administration, with the president saying their services would be dedicated to helping veterans, Gold Star families, law enforcement members and first responders, and that the law firm agreed to combat antisemitism and not engage in “DEI” efforts.
Emhoff, who joined the law firm in January and also is now on the has faculty at USC , has condemned his law firm’s agreement with the administration.
Emhoff, who was in attendance at the event and posing for pictures with Harris supporters, declined comment about the event.
A key committee of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted Thursday to alter its recommendation on an early childhood vaccine, after a discussion that at times pitted vaccine skeptics against the CDC’s own data.
After an 8 to 3 vote with one abstention, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will no longer recommend that children under the age of 4 receive a single-shot vaccine for mumps, measles, rubella and varicella (better known as chicken pox).
Instead, the CDC will recommend that children between the ages of 12 to 15 months receive two separate shots at the same time: one for mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) and one for varicella.
The first vote of the committee’s two-day meeting represents a relatively small change to current immunization practices. The committee will vote Friday on proposed changes to childhood Hepatitis B and COVID vaccines.
But doctors said the lack of expertise and vaccine skepticism on display during much of the discussion would only further dilute public trust in science and public health guidance.
“I think the primary goal of this meeting has already happened, and that was to sow distrust and instill fear among parents and families,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Infectious Diseases, during a Zoom press conference Thursday.
“What we saw today at the meeting was really not a good faith effort to craft immunization policy in the best interest of Americans. It was, frankly, an alarming attempt to undermine one of the most successful public health systems in the world,” O’Leary said. “This idea that our current vaccine policies are broken or need a radical overhaul is simply false.”
Giving the MMR and chickenpox vaccines in the same shot has been associated with a higher relative risk of brief seizures from high fevers in the days after vaccination for children under 4 — eight children in 10,000 typically have febrile seizures after receiving the combination shot, compared with four out of 10,000 who receive separate MMR and chickenpox shots at the same time.
Distressing as they are for family members to witness, seizures are a relatively common side effect for high fevers in young children and have not been associated with any long-term consequences, said Dr. Cody Meissner, a former pediatric infectious diseases chief at Tufts-New England Medical Center who is serving on ACIP for the second time (he previously served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama).
The problem with splitting vaccines into multiple shots is that it typically leads to lower vaccine compliance, Meissner said. And the risks of not vaccinating are real.
“We are looking at a risk-benefit of febrile seizures … as compared to falling below a 95% coverage rate for herd immunity, and the consequences of that are devastating, with pregnant women losing their babies, newborns dying and having congenital rubella syndromes,” said Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist and another current ACIP member.
Meissner, Hibbeln and Hilary Blackburn were the only three members to vote against the change.
The meeting ended with a vote regarding continued coverage of the MMRV shot under the CDC’s Vaccines for Children Program, a publicly-funded service that provides immunizations to nearly half of the nation’s children. VFC currently only covers shots that ACIP recommends.
As chair Martin Kulldorff called the vote, several committee members complained that they did not understand the proposal as it was written. Three abstained from the vote entirely.
As the meeting broke up, members could be heard trying to clarify with one another what they had just voted for.
The committee also spent several hours debating whether to delay the first dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine, a shot typically given at birth, until the child is one month old. They will vote on the proposal Friday.
The medical reason for altering the Hepatitis B schedule was less clear.
“What is the problem we’re addressing with the Hepatitis B discussion? As far as I know, there hasn’t been a spate of adverse outcomes,” said pediatrician Dr. Amy Middleman, one of several people to raise the point during the discussion and public comment period.
Committee member Dr. Robert Malone replied that changing the recommendation for when children should get vaccinated for hepatitis B would improve Americans’ trust in public health messaging.
“A significant population of the United States has significant concerns about vaccine policy and about vaccine mandates, [particularly] the immediate provision of this vaccine at the time of birth,” Malone said. “The signal that is prompting this is not one of safety, but one of trust.”
Hepatitis B is often asymptomatic, and half of infected people don’t know they have it, according to the CDC. Up to 85% of babies born to infected mothers become infected themselves, and the risk of long-term hazards from the disease is higher the earlier the infection is acquired.
Since the vaccine was introduced in 1991, infant hepatitis B infections have dropped by 95% in the U.S. Nearly 14,000 children acquired hepatitis B infections between 1990 and 2002, according to the CDC; today, new annual infections in children are close to zero.
This week’s two-day meeting is the second time the committee has met since Kennedy fired all 17 previous ACIP members in June, in what he described as a “clean sweep [that] is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science.”
The next day, he named seven new members to the committee, and added the last five earlier this week. The new members include doctors with relevant experience in pediatrics, immunology and public health, as well as several people who have been outspoken vaccine skeptics or been criticized for spreading medical misinformation.
They include Vicky Pebsworth, a nurse who serves as research director for the National Vaccine Information Center, an organization with a long history of sharing inaccurate and misleading information about vaccines, and Malone, a vaccinologist who contributed to early mRNA research but has since made a number of false and discredited assertions about flu and COVID-19 shots.
In some cases, the new ACIP members also lack medical or public health experience of any kind. Retsef Levi, for example, is a professor of operations management at MIT with no biomedical or clinical degree who has nonetheless been an outspoken critic of vaccines.
“Appointing members of anti-vaccine groups to policy-setting committees at the CDC and FDA elevates them from the fringe to the mainstream. They are not just at the table, which would be bad enough; they are in charge,” said Seth Kalichman, a University of Connecticut psychologist who has studied NVIC’s role in spreading vaccine misinformation. “It’s a worst-case scenario.”
Though ACIP holds three public meetings per year, it typically works year-round, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a former ACIP member in the early 2000s.
New recommendations to the vaccine schedule are typically written before ACIP meetings in consultation with expert working groups that advise committee members year-round, Offit said. But in August, medical groups including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases Society of America were told they were no longer invited to review scientific evidence and advise the committee in advance of the meeting.
That same month, Kennedy fired CDC director Dr. Susan Monarez — who had been appointed to the position by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate. This past Wednesday, Monarez told a Senate committee that Kennedy fired her in part because she refused to sign off on changes he planned to make to the vaccine schedule this month without seeing scientific evidence for them.
She did not specify during the hearing what those changes would be.
ACIP’s recommendations only become official after the CDC director approves them. With Monarez out, that responsibility now goes to Health and Human Services deputy secretary Jim O’Neill, who is serving as the CDC’s acting director.
Asked by reporters on Wednesday whether the U.S. public should trust any changes ACIP recommends to the childhood immunization schedule, Sen. Bill Cassidy (Rep. – LA) was blunt: “No.”
He cast his vote after Kennedy privately pledged to Cassidy that he would maintain the CDC immunization schedule.
As public trust in the integrity of CDC guidelines wobbles, alternative sources for information have stepped up. Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that it would publish its own evidence-based vaccination schedule that differs from the CDC’s on flu and COVID shots. And on Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law giving California the power to establish its own immunization schedule, the same day the state partnered with Oregon and Washington to issue joint recommendations for COVID-19, flu and RSV vaccines.
On Tuesday, an association representing many U.S. health insurers announced that its members would continue to cover all vaccines recommended by the previous ACIP — regardless of what happened at Thursday’s meeting — through the end of 2026.
“While health plans continue to operate in an environment shaped by federal and state laws, as well as program and customer requirements, the evidence-based approach to coverage of immunizations will remain consistent,” America’s Health Insurance Plans said in a statement. The group includes major insurers like Aetna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, Cigna and several Blue groups. UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest insurer, is not a member.
Voters leave the Bricolage Academy gym after casting their ballots in New Orleans, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Matthew Perschall/Louisiana Illuminator)
NEW ORLEANS –Nziki Wiltz, buzzed around a crowded job fair Sept. 4 at the headquarters for the criminal justice reform nonprofit Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), helping people apply for jobs.
“We’re making copies for those that need copies … whatever you need,” Wiltz said, “we’re going to make sure that if we don’t have it, we help you get it.”
Wiltz, a regional policy coordinator for VOTE, said that having a racketeering charge brought against her by the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office over six years ago taught her how vulnerable people are to the criminal justice system. The charge was later dropped.
“I lost everything, and then I started learning, studying the law and getting [involved with] more organizations that do work like VOTE,” Wiltz said.
Now, after setting up VOTE’s job fair designed to connect people with criminal convictions with employers willing to hire people with that history, Wiltz and her colleagues have their eyes set on the city’s upcoming election.
Wiltz and her colleagues are advocating for voters to vote to approve an amendment to the city charter to protect people with a conviction history from laws that “arbitrarily and unreasonably” discriminate against them. They hope that the Fair Chance Amendment, as proponents of the measure call it, will serve as a declaration of the city’s residents in support of giving people with past convictions a second chance.
The amendment, if passed, will amend the municipal Bill of Rights, a largely aspirational section of the charter, that “reflects the beliefs, convictions and goals of the citizens of New Orleans,” according to the document.
Although it’s not clear that the amendment will result in any immediate, concrete change for formerly incarcerated people, supporters say it will serve as a foundation to combat discrimination against people with convictions on their record.
“If we vote yes on that, it enshrines a protected class of people with conviction history,” said Ronald Marshall, chief policy analyst at VOTE.
Marshall, who found work with VOTE after getting out of prison, said that he constantly meets people who are getting turned down for jobs and can’t find housing because they were discriminated against due to their status as a formerly incarcerated person.
Nearly 1 in 3 Americans has some sort of criminal record, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Roughly 45 million have had misdemeanor convictions and an estimated 19 million have had a felony conviction. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the statistical arm of the Department of Justice, Louisiana was ranked 2nd in the nation for imprisonment rates in 2022, behind Mississippi.
Research done by the Historic New Orleans Collection has shown how Louisiana has long been a leader in incarceration in the United States. And a study released by the BJS in 2021, revealed that no more than 40% of formerly incarcerated people they tracked were employed at any given time over a four year period between 2010-2014.
“When people are leaving incarceration and coming back to their communities, a job and housing are the two major things that they’ve got to get sorted out in order to restabilize, and oftentimes, you can’t get a job without a house and you can’t get a house without a job,” Monique Blossom, director of policy and communications at the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center told Verite News in an interview before the job fair.
A streetcar rolls past a voting precinct in New Orleans. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
During a public hearing at City Hall in April for the ballot measure, several supporters of the issue shared how a criminal conviction can stay with a person, making finding a job and housing difficult.
“This amendment is just not about a fairness, it’s about giving our people, our neighbors, a real second chance,” said Ciara Green, a business owner and volunteer with VOTE who spoke at the hearing. “It’s about ending the sentence at the prison gate, not extending it to every job interview, every housing application and every ‘no’ that gets thrown at someone who’s already paid the price.”
Marshall helped advocate in City Hall for the ballot measure. He said that the progress the city made this year, sharpening the city’s existing “Ban the Box” ordinance, has already laid the foundation to support people with a history of conviction when they’re applying for jobs with the city and city contractors. The “Ban the Box” ordinance was originally passed in 2018, and it required the city and its contractors to interview candidates before checking for a criminal record.
This summer, the City Council passed an ordinance that amended the city’s Ban the Box ordinance, adding five criteria that the city’s hiring managers would have to consider before denying a formerly incarcerated person a position. The ordinance also created a means for job applicants to sue in District Court if they feel they were denied a position in violation of the code.
Marshall said that voting to enshrine formerly incarcerated people as a protected class in city law — which the amendment would do, supporters say — ups the ante by creating further legal foundations to protect people with histories of conviction, especially where it does not clash with state law.
“We are preempted from creating local laws on housing. We are preempted from creating local laws on licensures. … We are preempted in a lot of areas by state law,” Marshall said, arguing that in areas where state or federal law does not prevent it, the measure’s passage could create space for formerly incarcerated people to challenge potentially discriminatory practices.
“We’ve got to end the permanent punishment,” Marshall said.
Councilmember Oliver Thomas introduced the changes to the Ban the Box law and the ordinance to amend the Bill of Rights. Dominique Lang Jackson, his legislative director, said the two pieces of legislation work together to protect formerly incarcerated people from discrimination. The latter, if passed by the voters, “will reflect the beliefs of our citizens,” Lang Jackson wrote, and the former “protect(s) formerly incarcerated individuals from discrimination based on conviction history in employment/contracting with the City of New Orleans.”
City Council President JP Morrell, who told Verite News that he “fully supports the amendment on the ballot,” also clarified the limitations of the amendment, in a previous hearing.
“When we amend the charter, that affects the city, not private industries,” he said during a City Council Criminal Justice Meeting in April.
At the Sept. 4 job fair, which offered a wide range of assistance from resume writing to offering free business clothes, others lauded the amendment and what it might be able to achieve for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Local entrepreneur, Sess 4-5, was at the event to promote it on social media and encourage some of his followers to come out and look for a job. When asked about the ballot initiative he said that he was in favor of it.
“It’ll help take the barriers off of folks who were incarcerated, who changed their lives and [are] in the process of becoming productive citizens, so that you won’t have those obstacles or barriers placed on you,” he said. “If you qualify for the job, you should be able to get the job.”
Jordan Bridges, organizing director at the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice, was there to tell attendees what services his organization offers.
“As a workers’ center focused on economic justice and labor justice we wanted to make sure that those workers specifically have access to resources in case things go wrong at work,” Bridges said.
The NOWCRJ is preparing for their own event to help people impacted by the justice system — a warrant clinic scheduled for Sept. 20. At the clinic, attendees will be able to address outstanding misdemeanor warrants and associated fines and fees and reinstate their Louisiana drivers licenses with the Office of Motor Vehicles.
With respect to the ballot question, Bridges said they are urging everyone to vote yes.
“Our goal, for even our own warrant clinic, is to make sure that we address systemic issues, we dissolve barriers to employment, and this Fair Chance Amendment gives formerly incarcerated people a chance to participate more fully in society,” Bridges said.
For a second straight year, we are asking YOU the fans to help us pick the second game featured in Friday Night Hits.It’s the “You Pick 2” poll, vote for which matchup you would like to see as the second game featured on Friday Night Hits.The poll will be open until 5 p.m. on Wednesday.The WESH 2 Sports team will announce which matchup received the most votes in the “You Pick 2” poll live on-air.Game of the WeekOur Game of the Week for Week 4 will be Jones at Edgewater. It’s a battle between two of Central Florida’s top programs. The Fighting Tigers fresh off a trip to the state championship game but trying to bounce back after falling to Evans last week. Meantime, the Eagles are finding their way under new head coach Patrick Browning, starting off the season a perfect 3-0. You Pick 2 PollHere are the Week 4 options for the You Pick 2 Poll:Dr. Phillips at OcoeeSpruce Creek at MainlandWest Orange at Boone >> Vote here if you cannot see the poll
ORLANDO, Fla. —
For a second straight year, we are asking YOU the fans to help us pick the second game featured in Friday Night Hits.
It’s the “You Pick 2” poll, vote for which matchup you would like to see as the second game featured on Friday Night Hits.
The poll will be open until 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
The WESH 2 Sports team will announce which matchup received the most votes in the “You Pick 2” poll live on-air.
Game of the Week
Our Game of the Week for Week 4 will be Jones at Edgewater.
It’s a battle between two of Central Florida’s top programs. The Fighting Tigers fresh off a trip to the state championship game but trying to bounce back after falling to Evans last week. Meantime, the Eagles are finding their way under new head coach Patrick Browning, starting off the season a perfect 3-0.
You Pick 2 Poll
Here are the Week 4 options for the You Pick 2 Poll:
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You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
The Democrats, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, are hitting back at the Texas Republican lawmakers with a proposed redistricting map of California. The Proposed Congressional Map aims to add five Democratic seats in the upcoming elections.Redistricting, which typically happens every decade as the census updates, has created a new battleground between the Democrats and Republican-led states. President Donald Trump first prompted Republican district representatives in the GOP stronghold of Texas to redraw congressional lines to give the party an advantage in the upcoming elections. What followed was a two-week standoff in which Democratic Texas House representatives fled the state to stall the vote.Texas’ new congressional maps were eventually passed in an 88-52 vote, creating five new Republican-leaning seats.California’s Democratic leaders Thursday moved forward with an effort to change the congressional district maps. California currently has 52 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives; 43 of these seats went to the Democrats, while nine went to the Republicans in the 2024 election.The five California Republicans targeted by the redistricting plan include Reps. Doug LaMalfa in District 1, Kevin Kiley in District 3, David Valadao in District 22, Ken Calvert in District 41 and Darrell Issa in District 48.Each of these five districts is shown in the maps below. See if you can guess how these districts will be redrawn by trying our puzzle game below.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
The Democrats, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, are hitting back at the Texas Republican lawmakers with a proposed redistricting map of California. The Proposed Congressional Map aims to add five Democratic seats in the upcoming elections.
Redistricting, which typically happens every decade as the census updates, has created a new battleground between the Democrats and Republican-led states.
President Donald Trump first prompted Republican district representatives in the GOP stronghold of Texas to redraw congressional lines to give the party an advantage in the upcoming elections.
What followed was a two-week standoff in which Democratic Texas House representatives fled the state to stall the vote.
Texas’ new congressional maps were eventually passed in an 88-52 vote, creating five new Republican-leaning seats.
California’s Democratic leaders Thursday moved forward with an effort to change the congressional district maps.
California currently has 52 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives; 43 of these seats went to the Democrats, while nine went to the Republicans in the 2024 election.
The five California Republicans targeted by the redistricting plan include Reps. Doug LaMalfa in District 1, Kevin Kiley in District 3, David Valadao in District 22, Ken Calvert in District 41 and Darrell Issa in District 48.
Each of these five districts is shown in the maps below. See if you can guess how these districts will be redrawn by trying our puzzle game below.
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs on Tuesday denounced President Donald Trump’s announced plan to eliminate vote-by-mail and voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, calling the proposal a “direct threat” to American democracy.
“The president’s announcement should be rejected for what it is: federal interference in state authority and a direct threat to every eligible American’s right to cast a ballot and have it counted,” Secretary Hobbs said in a statement.
The President said he intends to issue an executive order banning mail-in ballots and voting machines, citing unproven claims of widespread fraud.
Hobbs argued that the president has no constitutional authority to make such a move, pointing to Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress and state legislatures — not the executive branch — the power to regulate elections.
“For nearly two decades, Washington voters have benefitted from a vote-by-mail system upheld by our Legislature,” Hobbs said. “In Washington, our system works. Every ballot is accounted for, signatures are verified, and results are audited.”
He also criticized the Trump administration for a series of recent actions he said have undermined election integrity, including the dismantling of federal election security programs and the imposition of new federal requirements tied to Homeland Security funding.
“These moves stripped local elections offices of resources while piling on new burdens from Washington, D.C.,” Hobbs said. “This is the Trump Administration’s next step to systematically dismantle and undermine our state and country’s election systems, and I will not idly stand by while it happens in real time.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Philanthropist and Levi’s heir Daniel Lurie has won the hard-fought race for San Francisco mayor, ushering in a new era of leadership for a city whose voters made clear they are fed up with brazen retail theft and sprawling tent cities.
It took two days to determine a winner under San Francisco’s ranked-choice voting system, which allows voters to select multiple candidates by order of preference. The city uses a multiround process to count the ballots, and it can take several rounds of tallying before a winner receives more than 50% of the vote. Though thousands of votes remained uncounted Thursday evening, the gap of support between Lurie and his opponents was deemed too big to bridge.
Lurie, a centrist Democrat, outpaced incumbent Mayor London Breed and three other prominent local Democrats, receiving 56.2% of the total ranked-choice vote compared with Breed’s 43.8% as of Thursday’s count.
Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, the only leading candidate running as an old-school progressive, came in third after being eliminated from the running with 21.6% of first-choice votes, and venture capitalist Mark Farrell, a moderate, trailed in fourth place. Supervisor Ahsha Safaí was knocked out of the running early after getting just 2.7% of first-choice votes.
Lurie issued a brief statement on social media Thursday night thanking supporters. In an election night event Tuesday, he summarized his leadership vision for jubilant supporters gathered at a music venue in the Mission district to cheer him on.
“Our challenge and opportunity is to show how government can deliver on its promise of a safer and more affordable city,” Lurie said. “And executing on these promises requires us to be courageous, compassionate and honest.
“It’s never been more clear to me that so many people love this city, and it’s time for us to start making people feel like the city loves them back.”
In a statement posted on social media Thursday evening, Breed said she had called Lurie to congratulate him.
“Being mayor of San Francisco has been the greatest honor of my lifetime. I’m beyond grateful to our residents for the opportunity to serve the City that raised me,” Breed wrote. “During my final two months as your mayor, I will continue to lead this City as I have from Day One — as San Francisco’s biggest champion.”
The transition from Breed to Lurie is a remarkable turn on many fronts.
Breed, 50, made history six years ago when she became the city’s first Black female mayor. She was born into poverty in the Western Addition, at the time one of San Francisco’s toughest neighborhoods, and raised by her grandmother. She lost a sister to a drug overdose and has a brother in prison for robbery. Before being elected mayor, she was president of the powerful Board of Supervisors.
Lurie, 47, was also born in San Francisco, the son of a rabbi. His parents divorced when he was a young boy, and his mother, Miriam Haas, went on to marry Peter Haas, who helped raise Lurie. Peter Haas, now deceased, was the great-grandnephew of the Levi’s founder and a longtime executive at the company. Lurie and his mother are among the primary heirs of the Levi Strauss family fortune. Lurie has never before held elected office.
Throughout the campaign, Lurie distinguished himself as a political outsider running against four City Hall veterans. He pledged to root out government corruption, a concern among voters following a series ofpolitical scandals in city departments and nonprofits in recent years.
The election was broadly viewed as a referendum on Breed’s efforts to address homeless encampments, crime and a flagging post-pandemic economy that cut at voters’ sense of a safe, well-functioning city.
“This is not an election that was about an ideological or policy-based shift or rejection of Breed,” said Jason McDaniel, a political science professor at San Francisco State University. “It’s an outsider who is different and who was able to portray himself in that way as someone who will do things differently.”
In a marked shift for San Francisco, the city’s wealthy tech sectorplayed an influential role in this year’s race. Tech titans who have put down roots in the city poured millions of dollars into campaign contributions, pressing for an outcome that would infuse this famously liberal city with more centrist politics.
That money overwhelmingly benefited Lurie, Farrell and Breed.
“It’s been the billionaire election,” said Jim Ross, a veteran Bay Area Democratic strategist.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed faced a tough reelection bid against four challengers who said she had not done enough to address property crime and homelessness in the city.
(Eric Risberg / Associated Press)
Breed was first elected in 2018, winning a special election after the unexpected death of then-Mayor Ed Lee. She led the city through a challenging period that includes the unsettling early spread of COVID-19 and the subsequent exodus of scores of downtown tech workers who, amid pandemic-related shutdowns, found themselves able to work remotely — and more cheaply — from other cities.
Breed has never been a bleeding-heart progressive, despite San Francisco’s liberal reputation. But the Breed of six years ago was more open to experimenting with a progressive reformist agenda when it came to solving complex issues such as addiction and poverty.
In the last two years, by contrast, she has become a leading voice in a movement to crack down on homeless people and addicts who refuse shelter or treatment. And this year she successfully championed two local ballot measures that bolstered police surveillance powers and will require drug screening and treatment for people receiving county welfare benefits who are suspected of illicit drug use.
Many of her supporters noted her quick action to shut down San Francisco in the early days of the COVID emergency, a decision credited with saving thousands of lives.
In making her case for reelection, Breed touted recent data showing improvements in some of San Francisco’s greatest problems, notably a reduction in property crime and violent crime over the last year.
Her opponents dismissed that progress as too little, too late, and seized on voter dissatisfaction to pitch themselves as more qualified alternatives.
Both Lurie and Farrell promised a more concerted crackdown on crime and homelessness and to reinvigorate the downtown economy.
Lurie had the advantage of his family’s vast wealth to strengthen his name recognition. He showered his campaign with more than $8 million of his own money. His mother contributed more than $1 million to an independent committee backing his mayoral bid.
He showcased his role as founder of Tipping Point, a San Francisco nonprofit that funds efforts to lift people out of poverty, to highlight his commitment to solving intractable problems. He said the organization has funneled $500 million to Bay Area organizations focused on early childhood education, scholarships, housing and job training since its founding nearly two decades ago.
Farrell entered the race with support generated during his seven years as a supervisor, and made the case that his blend of political and business experience made him most qualified to get San Francisco back on track. But his campaign floundered amid ethical concerns. This week, he agreed to pay a fine of $108,000 following an ethics investigation that determined he had illegally financed his mayoral campaign with money poured into a separate ballot measure committee he sponsored to reduce the number of government commissions in San Francisco.
Peskin, a longtime supervisor, organized a robust grassroots campaign focused on traditional liberal ideals, such as making the city affordable for nurses, teachers, and the artists and bohemians who have long made San Francisco a creative hub.
For nearly a quarter-century, voters in Clallam County, Wash. — a lush green dot in the far corner of the country — have gone with the winner in 11 straight presidential elections. That’s an unmatched level of precision among more than 3,000 counties nationwide.
But the streak, dating to 1980, ended on Tuesday as voters favored Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Trump, by a decisive 53% to 44% margin. While there are still votes to be counted, Harris’ lead appears certain to hold.
That means there are no bellwether counties left in America; heading into the 2020 election there were nearly 20. After that, Clallam County — roughly balanced politically between its three small population centers and sparsely populated rural reaches — stood alone.
(Yours truly visited the county and took the measure of voter sentiments in September, just after the Trump-Harris debate: At the time, neither candidate was running away with the contest and virtually everyone was firmly dug into their positions.)
Marc Abshire, director of the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce and a Harris supporter, said he was proud the county went for the Democratic ticket “but also disappointed we’re losing our bellwether status because of it.”
“Out here, we just didn’t have the grievance vote that most of the rest of the country seemed to have,” Abshire said.
Setting aside any bruised pride, he said there are plenty of reasons to visit the region, beyond its former political prescience.
“We’re lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places in the nation, if not the world,” Abshire said. “We have the sea and mile-high mountains all in our front and backyards. Our weather is always temperate.”
People will just have to start looking elsewhere for a political barometer.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT 15 MINUTES. WELL, THERE IS LESS THAN 48 HOURS TO GO. AND WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BE A VERY TIGHT RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE. AND AS THE LAST EARLY VOTERS MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE POLLS, CANDIDATES UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT HAVE JUST ONE DAY TO GET THEIR MESSAGE OUT. AND AS EARLY VOTING COMES TO A CLOSE IN OSCEOLA, ORANGE AND SEMINOLE COUNTIES, CENTRAL FLORIDA IS SEEING RECORD TURNOUT. WESH TWO SPENCER TRACY CHECKS OUT THE POLLS IN SEMINOLE COUNTY TONIGHT, WHERE PEOPLE FACED LONG LINES. IT’S THE FINAL PUSH TO GET TO THE POLLS BEFORE ELECTION DAY. GETTING OUT IN EARLY VOTING THIS YEAR. I’VE BEEN TRYING TO GET OUT. I JUST HAVEN’T HAD THE TIME. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THIS MORNING IS THE BEST TIME TO GET OUT. IT’S THE LAST DAY IN ORANGE SEMINOLE AND OSCEOLA COUNTIES TO EARLY VOTE. I THINK IT’S GREAT. I JUST THINK EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET OUT AND VOTE, PERIOD. WHETHER IT’S EARLY VOTING DAY OF YOUR VOTE COUNTS, AND ESPECIALLY IN THIS ELECTION, YOUR VOTE COUNTS. THOUSANDS OF VOTERS AND RECORD TURNOUT IS WHAT CENTRAL FLORIDA HAS BEEN SEEING SINCE EARLY VOTING STARTED. TWO WEEKS AGO. FOR OLIVIA BOWEN, IT WAS HER FIRST TIME VOTING EXPERIENCE PROCESS, SO I WAS HAPPY ABOUT THAT, BUT I LIKED IT. BOWEN DIDN’T HAVE TO WAIT IN LONG LINES SUNDAY MORNING. HOWEVER, THROUGHOUT EARLY VOTING, PEOPLE IN ORANGE AND SEMINOLE COUNTIES HAVE WAITED IN LINES OVER AN HOUR LONG. POLL WORKERS HERE AT THE CASSELBERRY LIBRARY SAYS THIS LOCATION HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST FOR EARLY VOTING. HERE IN SEMINOLE COUNTY. THEY’VE HAD RECORD TURNOUT AND THE WHOLE COUNTY HAS SEEN OVER 123,000 VOTERS COME OUT. SO FAR. THE STATE DIVISION OF ELECTIONS REPORTED NEARLY 8 MILLION PEOPLE IN FLORIDA HAVE VOTED SO FAR. THAT IS, 57% OF REGISTERED VOTERS IN THE STATE, AND OFFICIALS SAY THAT NUMBER WILL ONLY GO UP. IT’S GREAT. THAT’S THAT’S THAT GIVES ME HOPE IN SEMINOL
Central Florida counties wrap up early voting with record-high turnout
Updated: 8:47 PM EST Nov 3, 2024
As the clock wound down on early voting, Central Florida residents made their final trips to the polls. Sunday marked the last opportunity for voters in Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties to cast their ballots before Election Day. Related: Voting Guide: Do’s and Don’ts while at polls in Central Florida”I have been trying to get out. I just haven’t had the time, but it seemed like this morning was the best time to get out,” said local voter Brittany Randle.Thousands of voters have turned out, with Central Florida seeing record numbers since early voting started two weeks ago.”I think it’s great. I just think everyone needs to get out and vote, period. Whether it’s early voting, day of, your vote counts and especially in this election, your vote counts,” said Tony Boni, another voter.Related: Central Florida county leading the state in voter turnoutFirst-time voter Olivia Boni shared she had a positive experience at the polls. “It was a pretty easy experience, process, so I was happy about that, but I liked it,” Olivia Boni said. Olivia Boni did not have to wait in long lines Sunday morning. However, during early voting, people in Orange and Seminole counties waited in lines for over an hour.Poll workers at the Seminole County Public Library said it is the county’s biggest location for early voting. Seminole County has seen over 123,000 voters, and even more will head to the polls on Election Day.More: Seminole County: Will it swing red or blue this upcoming election?The state Division of Elections reported that nearly 8 million people in Florida have voted so far, which is 57% of the state’s registered voters.Officials expect this number to increase.”That’s great. It gives me hope, it gives me hope, so yeah, feels good,” said Randle.Related: What amendments will be on Florida’s ballot?
, Fla. —
As the clock wound down on early voting, Central Florida residents made their final trips to the polls.
Sunday marked the last opportunity for voters in Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties to cast their ballots before Election Day.
“I have been trying to get out. I just haven’t had the time, but it seemed like this morning was the best time to get out,” said local voter Brittany Randle.
Thousands of voters have turned out, with Central Florida seeing record numbers since early voting started two weeks ago.
“I think it’s great. I just think everyone needs to get out and vote, period. Whether it’s early voting, day of, your vote counts and especially in this election, your vote counts,” said Tony Boni, another voter.
First-time voter Olivia Boni shared she had a positive experience at the polls.
“It was a pretty easy experience, process, so I was happy about that, but I liked it,” Olivia Boni said.
Olivia Boni did not have to wait in long lines Sunday morning. However, during early voting, people in Orange and Seminole counties waited in lines for over an hour.
Poll workers at the Seminole County Public Library said it is the county’s biggest location for early voting.
Seminole County has seen over 123,000 voters, and even more will head to the polls on Election Day.
The rallying call urges all the Spanish-speaking and corrido-loving sapphics, butchonas, jotas and vaqueeras, to grab their boots and meet up at Little Joy Cocktails for a carne asada-style, family party every fourth Sunday of the month, featuring spins by DJ Lady Soul, DJ French and DJ Killed By Synth.
In Los Angeles, these three disc jockeys have embraced the word buchona, adding the ‘t’ as a play on the word butch.
The free event, now locally known as Butchona, is a safe space for all the Mexican and Spanish music-loving lesbians to gather on the last Sunday of every month.
Buchona is usually a term used in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries to describe a woman who is a boss– someone who exudes dominant energy or marries into a powerful position.
“I didn’t know how well [the idea for Butchona] was going to be received and my favorite part of all that, has been the looks everyone has been bringing,” said Rocio Flores, who goes by DJ Lady Soul.
(Photo Courtesy of Adelyna Tirado) DJ Lady Soul poses outside of Little Joy Cocktails in her butchona outfit.
The event that started only a few months ago, brings in dozens of dressed-up jotas. The ‘looks’ that the crowds bring are reminiscent of how dad’s, tíos, and their friends dressed at Mexican family parties: a tejana, cowboy boots, giant belt buckle and a beer in hand.
Dressing up in these looks is a way to show wealth and status to earn the respect of other males in a male-dominated and -centered culture– that is until now.
This traditionally male, Mexican, cultural identity, is something that has never been embraced or accessible to women or gender non-conforming people. The giant belt buckles that are traditionally custom-made and specific to male identities like head of household, ‘only rooster in the chicken coop’ and lone wolf, are only part of the strictly cis-gendered male clothes that dominate the culture.
The embroidered button-ups, belt buckles and unique cowboy hats –all come together to create the masculine looks that are now being reclaimed by women and gender nonconforming people at the event curated by three queer, Mexican DJs, who once had a little idea that could.
Flores, 37, (she/her), Gemini, says that to her the term butchona describes a woman who is a little ‘chunti,’ a little cheap in the way she dresses– but in a queer way.
“That title also means that you’re a badass,” she said. “I want to look like that señor, I want to look like that dude and now I feel like I could, so why not?”
Flores says that now she feels like she can embrace and reclaim that cultural identity, but it wasn’t always that easy.
At first, her family upheld the traditional cisgender roles that forced her to dress more feminine, but she always wanted to dress like her cousins and her tíos.
“Now, I’m like: ‘Fuck that!’ I’m going to wear the chalecos and the Chalino suits,” she said in Span-glish.
The Chalino suits are traditional, Mexican, suits that were worn and popularized by Chalino Sanchez, known as the King of corridos—a genre of music that is said to have originated on the border region of Texas, Tamaulipas and Nuevo León, Mexico.
“It felt good to break into the DJ scene, but what I always noticed was that the lesbian culture was always lacking,” said DJ Lady Soul. “I would mainly see gay males at parties and a lot of male DJs.”
According to Zippia–a career site that sources their information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics and the U.S. Census–23.5 percent of disc jockeys are women, 16 percent are LGBTQ+ and only 12.7 percent are Hispanic or Latin American.
What has always been a traditionally machista music genre and scene, is now being embraced by a growing number of queer women and non-male DJs in Los Angeles.
For Fran Fregoso, who goes by DJ French, 33, (they/she), Taurus– embracing their cultural identity came a lot easier because of their late uncle who sort of paved the way for them to come out as queer and be more accepted than he was as the first openly out queer person in their family.
(Photo by Adelyna Tirado)Dj French poses in their vaquero-style outfit.
Their music journey began listening to the 90s grunge, alternative, hip-hop and metal music played by their older siblings at home.
“Then I met Vanessa [DJ Killed By Synth], and she introduced me to the industry,” said DJ French.
DJ French felt the acceptance and support to enter this music space and decided to embrace their cultural roots by playing music that they grew up listening to at family parties. They booked their first gig with Cumbiatón LA, a collective of DJs and organizers who host Latin American parties across Los Angeles, often centering queer DJs and other performers.
“When [Lady Soul and Killed By Synth], brought this idea up to create Butchona, I was like: ‘Oh, I’m in 100 percent’,” they said. “Because I love playing corridos and banda music because that’s a core memory from my childhood and family parties.”
Banda, corridos, cumbias and other traditional music is a big part of Mexican culture, even as gendered and male-centered as it has been, it is embraced by all.
“I know a lot of people in our queer, Latino, community love that music too, but they also want to be in a safe space,” they said. “That’s where we decided to make an environment for our community to dance and be themselves.”
Vanessa Bueno, 40, (she/her), Libra, who goes by DJ Killed By Synth, says her journey started about 20 years ago when she started DJing for backyard parties in East L.A. and across L.A. County.
(Photo by Adelyna Tirado)DJ Killed By Synth playing her set.
Her family is from Guadalajara, so she says that growing up she also had a lot of family parties with corridos and banda blaring in the background of memories with the many cousins she says she lost count of.
“A lot of the music we heard was bachata, banda, cumbia and even some 80s freestyle,” said Bueno.
Even while she had a ‘little punk rocker phase,’ she says she couldn’t escape that Spanish music her family played ritualistically at family get-togethers.
When they began their music journey–back in the AOL, Instant Messenger days, they played a lot more electronic music, hence the name Killed by Synth. At first, it was just a username, but then it became her DJ name.
“Later down the line, comes [the idea for] Butchona came about, and me, Rocio and French collaborated,” she said. “It’s kind of always been my goal to create these safe spaces for women and queer people, and I had been in the scene long enough to where people were willing to answer my calls to work with them to make it happen.”
For Bueno, it was natural for her to build community and embrace this part of their culture later on in her career when she saw a need for queer, Latin American-centered club spaces with family party vibes.
She started hosting Latin American-style parties, blending music, culture, and food and attracting the exact audience she envisioned. With these events, Bueno aimed to reclaim her Mexican identity and foster a sense of family and community at these events.
“We’re here to build a safe space to embrace the music and kind of not think about the machismo that is tied to it and celebrate who we are,” said Bueno.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics, California, Texas, New York, Arizona and Washington rank the highest in employment rates for disc jockeys in 2023. There is also a recent trend in more women DJs–the study does not include gender nonconforming DJs–booking twice as many gigs as men in event spaces and concerts that host DJ sets.
“It feels like we’re barely cracking into these safe spaces and expanding our horizons a little bit,” said DJ French. “I hope this inspires other people to also create safe spaces like Butchona.”
The next Butchona event will be on Sunday, Oct. 27 and will feature all three DJs playing corridos, banda, cumbia and all the classics, for a chunti Halloween party.
Election Day is less than a week away, and there are concerns about keeping mail-in ballots safe. Following incidents of ballot drop box fires in Oregon and Washington and a mishap in Miami-Dade, supervisors of elections across Central Florida say they have plans put in place to keep people’s votes secure. “I treat ballots and votes like money. You don’t want to give it to anyone else. You want to make sure it’s secure,” said Lisa Lewis, Volusia County Supervisor of Elections. “Somebody who has ill intent like that couldn’t get into our offices and pull off those tricks,” said Alan Hays, Lake County Supervisor of Elections.Lewis says the only time people can drop off their mail-in ballots is during their voting hours. “They are manned, and we have someone who stands with them. Then that person stamps them, and they check to make sure people have signed it,” Lewis said. She said the mail-in ballot box is brought in every night. “Our box is kind of small, so we have two cameras on it, as well as someone standing there next to it,” Lewis said. Alan Hays, the Lake County Supervisor of Elections, says his office follows the same protocols. “We never leave voted ballots in a polling place overnight; they are always returned to our office,” said Hays.RELATED: Orange County leaders making historic safety enhancements after ballot box fires around US Florida law mandates that drop boxes at early voting sites be manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Another way to track your mail-in ballot is by going to your county election’s website. You click on BallotTrax and enter your information. All mail-in ballots are due by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
, Fla. —
Election Day is less than a week away, and there are concerns about keeping mail-in ballots safe.
Following incidents of ballot drop box fires in Oregon and Washington and a mishap in Miami-Dade, supervisors of elections across Central Florida say they have plans put in place to keep people’s votes secure.
“I treat ballots and votes like money. You don’t want to give it to anyone else. You want to make sure it’s secure,” said Lisa Lewis, Volusia County Supervisor of Elections.
“Somebody who has ill intent like that couldn’t get into our offices and pull off those tricks,” said Alan Hays, Lake County Supervisor of Elections.
Lewis says the only time people can drop off their mail-in ballots is during their voting hours.
“They are manned, and we have someone who stands with them. Then that person stamps them, and they check to make sure people have signed it,” Lewis said.
She said the mail-in ballot box is brought in every night.
“Our box is kind of small, so we have two cameras on it, as well as someone standing there next to it,” Lewis said.
Alan Hays, the Lake County Supervisor of Elections, says his office follows the same protocols.
“We never leave voted ballots in a polling place overnight; they are always returned to our office,” said Hays.
Republicans ask US Supreme Court to block counting of some provisional ballots in Pennsylvania
Updated: 1:21 PM PDT Oct 28, 2024
SHATTER PREVIOUS SPENDING RECORDS, ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT FROM OPEN SECRETS, A NONPROFIT THAT TRACKS MONEY IN POLITICS. FEDERAL ELECTION SPENDING IS SET TO TOP $15.9 BILLION. WILL THAT RESULT IN A HIGHER VOTER TURNOUT? ONLY 66% OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS ACTUALLY CAST A BALLOT IN 2020. THAT TURNOUT WAS THE HIGHEST FOR A NATIONAL ELECTION IN OVER A CENTURY. ONE NONPARTISAN ORGANIZATION IS TAKING A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO EMPOWERING PEOPLE TO VOTE AND NOT JUST IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, ALEX NIEMCZEWSKI IS THE CO-FOUNDER OF BALLOTREADY. ALEX, SO NICE TO HAVE YOU IN STUDIO. THANK YOU. WHEN AND WHY DID YOU START BALLOTREADY? SO IN 2015, I WAS READY TO VOTE FOR THE CANDIDATES AT THE TOP OF MY BALLOT, BUT I REALIZED MY BALLOT WAS VERY LONG AND THERE WERE ALL THESE CANDIDATES WHO I’D NEVER HEARD THEIR NAMES BEFORE. AND WHEN I ASKED OTHER PEOPLE, THEY ALL SAID, OH YEAH, I DON’T KNOW WHO TO VOTE FOR. SO IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME THAT THIS WAS A BIG PROBLEM, NOT JUST FOR ME. WHAT IS THIS BALLOTREADY DO WE HAVE A BIG TEAM AND WE CONTACT EVERY ELECTION AUTHORITY IN THE COUNTRY. SO THAT’S OVER 3000 COUNTIES, BOARDS OF ELECTIONS. WE SHOW VOTERS BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT ALL THE CANDIDATES THAT WILL BE ON THEIR BALLOT AND BALLOT MEASURES. OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE IT REALLY EASY FOR EVERYONE TO BE INFORMED AND BE VERY CONFIDENT WHEN THEY GO TO VOTE. SO IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN HOW CIVICALLY INVOLVED SOMEBODY IS AND THEIR ACCESS TO NEWS AND INFORMATION IN VOTING? YES, WE KNOW THAT IN THE MEDIA, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT LOCAL NEWS HAS BEEN UNDERFUNDED, THERE’S JUST MUCH MORE ATTENTION ON CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. SO FOR MANY VOTERS, THEY DON’T EVEN REALIZE IT’S GOING TO BE MORE THAN TRUMP AND HARRIS ON THE BALLOT. THEY DON’T REALIZE IT’S GOING TO BE LONG. AND YOUNG PEOPLE. THEY’RE GETTING THEIR INFORMATION FROM SOCIAL MEDIA THAT MAY NOT HAVE AS MUCH LOCAL CONTENT. IT HAS ASTONISHED ME THE NUMBER OF UNCONTESTED RACES THAT EXIST. GIVE ME SOME OF THE DATA AROUND THAT. IT’S CRAZY. YEAH. SO WE’VE DONE THIS ANALYSIS SINCE 2020 ON THE NUMBER OF SEATS THAT ARE UNCONTESTED, WHICH MEANS THERE’S ONLY ONE CANDIDATE RUNNING. AND EACH YEAR IT’S BEEN ABOUT 70% OF RACES ARE UNCONTESTED, WHICH IS CRAZY, INSANE, DEPRESSING. IT’S NOT DEMOCRACY WORKING THE WAY THAT IT SHOULD. WHY DO YOU THINK THERE ARE SO MANY RACES THAT ARE UNCONTESTED? WE SEE IT’S WORSE FURTHER DOWN THE BALLOT. SO RACES THAT AFFECT DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SHERIFF, THOSE TEND TO BE UNCONTESTED. WE THINK THE REASON FOR THIS IS THIS HUGE INFORMATION GAP THAT THE PUBLIC HAS AROUND WHO REPRESENTS THEM. AND WHAT’S GOING TO BE ON THEIR BALLOT. AND THAT’S KIND OF THE FIRST WAY WE ARE TRYING TO TACKLE THAT IS MAKING IT EASY TO BE INFORMED ABOUT YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND YOUR SAY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. THE SECOND IS THERE ARE AN INCREASING NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT PEOPLE RUNNING FOR OFFICE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. ONCE AN INCUMBENT IS IN OFFICE, THEY DON’T REALLY HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO MAKE IT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO RUN AGAINST THEM. ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT DEMOCRACY? AS YOU SEE THIS GAP THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO SORT OF BRIDGE FOR FOLKS? I AM CONCERNED ABOUT DEMOCRACY, NAMELY, HOW LOW TURNOUT IS IN LOCAL ELECTIONS AND EVEN IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. AND I’M CONCERNED ABOUT HOW MANY UNCONTESTED RACES THERE ARE. I AM OPTIMISTIC BECAUSE A LOT MORE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE INCREASINGLY CIVICALLY ENGAGED. THEY’RE REGISTERING TO VOTE AT HIGHER RATES THAN THEY HAVE BEEN BEFORE. THEY’RE PROTESTING. THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT CIVIC ISSUES ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I THINK THERE’S A LONG WAY TO GO, BUT I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT WE’RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AL
Republicans ask US Supreme Court to block counting of some provisional ballots in Pennsylvania
Updated: 1:21 PM PDT Oct 28, 2024
Republicans on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency order in Pennsylvania that could result in thousands of votes not being counted in this year’s election in the battleground state.Just over a week before the election, the court is being asked to step into a dispute over provisional ballots cast by Pennsylvania voters whose mail ballots are rejected for not following technical procedures in state law.The state’s high court ruled 4-3 that elections officials must count provisional ballots cast by voters whose mail-in ballots were voided because they arrived without mandatory secrecy envelopes.The election fight arrived at the Supreme Court the same day Virginia sought the justices’ intervention in a dispute over purging voter registrations.Four years ago, the high court weighed in on pandemic-inspired changes in voting rules in several states, including Pennsylvania.In their high-court filing, state and national Republicans asked for an order putting the state court ruling on hold or, barring that, requiring the provisional ballots be segregated and not included in the official vote count while the legal fight plays out.
WASHINGTON —
Republicans on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency order in Pennsylvania that could result in thousands of votes not being counted in this year’s election in the battleground state.
Just over a week before the election, the court is being asked to step into a dispute over provisional ballots cast by Pennsylvania voters whose mail ballots are rejected for not following technical procedures in state law.
The state’s high court ruled 4-3 that elections officials must count provisional ballots cast by voters whose mail-in ballots were voided because they arrived without mandatory secrecy envelopes.
The election fight arrived at the Supreme Court the same day Virginia sought the justices’ intervention in a dispute over purging voter registrations.
Four years ago, the high court weighed in on pandemic-inspired changes in voting rules in several states, including Pennsylvania.
In their high-court filing, state and national Republicans asked for an order putting the state court ruling on hold or, barring that, requiring the provisional ballots be segregated and not included in the official vote count while the legal fight plays out.
When President Joe Biden enters a voting booth in Delaware on Monday to cast his early ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris, the moment will be bittersweet.Biden, of course, once hoped to vote for himself, one last opportunity to check the box next to his own name after a half-century in the political arena.Instead, he is voting for his chosen successor – a moment of pride, to be sure, that is still coming earlier than he wanted it to.Instead of a big campaign event – as it would likely have been if he were still the candidate – his trip to a polling station in Delaware will be a low-key affair compared to the roiling presidential campaign that is unfolding without him.With eight days until Election Day, the president’s schedule this week doesn’t reflect a surrogate in high demand. After suggesting in September he would be on the road regularly for Harris in the final months, Biden has been largely absent from the campaign trail in the closing stretch.His union event in Pittsburgh over the weekend provided an outlet to attack Donald Trump and boost Harris – but the outing wasn’t heavily promoted by the Harris campaign, unlike higher-profile rallies with the Obamas.Biden has a few “campaign calls” scheduled this week, where he hopes to rally various groups telephonically behind Harris. He’ll attend a union event in Philadelphia on Friday, but it’s considered an official event rather than a Harris campaign rally.The rest of his week before the election, for now, is devoted to official tasks: receiving briefings on hurricane recovery, a Diwali reception in the East Room, remarks in Baltimore about infrastructure, trick-or-treating at the South Portico.Such is the existence of an unpopular incumbent on the way out. He joins a club that includes Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as presidents mostly kept off the campaign trail as their party looks to turn a page.After so much time in politics, Biden is fully aware of the delicate decisions that govern a campaign season. He has long said – usually as a joke – that he’s willing to campaign for or against his favored candidate, “whichever will help the most.”Still, that doesn’t make it any easier to watch as the party moves forward without him. Biden believes he could still be of use to Harris among the White, working-class voters in Blue Wall states where he retains sway.Nor is it lost on Biden — or anyone inside the White House – that he has a lot riding on the outcome. The result of next Tuesday’s election will either burnish his legacy or launch harsh recriminations that he stepped aside too late.Speaking at the get-out-the-vote event in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Biden seemed to acknowledge his time on the national stage was coming to an end.”We got a lot more work to do, Kamala and I,” he said, before quickly adjusting: “Kamala does.”
When President Joe Biden enters a voting booth in Delaware on Monday to cast his early ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris, the moment will be bittersweet.
Biden, of course, once hoped to vote for himself, one last opportunity to check the box next to his own name after a half-century in the political arena.
Instead, he is voting for his chosen successor – a moment of pride, to be sure, that is still coming earlier than he wanted it to.
Instead of a big campaign event – as it would likely have been if he were still the candidate – his trip to a polling station in Delaware will be a low-key affair compared to the roiling presidential campaign that is unfolding without him.
With eight days until Election Day, the president’s schedule this week doesn’t reflect a surrogate in high demand. After suggesting in September he would be on the road regularly for Harris in the final months, Biden has been largely absent from the campaign trail in the closing stretch.
His union event in Pittsburgh over the weekend provided an outlet to attack Donald Trump and boost Harris – but the outing wasn’t heavily promoted by the Harris campaign, unlike higher-profile rallies with the Obamas.
Biden has a few “campaign calls” scheduled this week, where he hopes to rally various groups telephonically behind Harris. He’ll attend a union event in Philadelphia on Friday, but it’s considered an official event rather than a Harris campaign rally.
The rest of his week before the election, for now, is devoted to official tasks: receiving briefings on hurricane recovery, a Diwali reception in the East Room, remarks in Baltimore about infrastructure, trick-or-treating at the South Portico.
Such is the existence of an unpopular incumbent on the way out. He joins a club that includes Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as presidents mostly kept off the campaign trail as their party looks to turn a page.
After so much time in politics, Biden is fully aware of the delicate decisions that govern a campaign season. He has long said – usually as a joke – that he’s willing to campaign for or against his favored candidate, “whichever will help the most.”
Still, that doesn’t make it any easier to watch as the party moves forward without him. Biden believes he could still be of use to Harris among the White, working-class voters in Blue Wall states where he retains sway.
Nor is it lost on Biden — or anyone inside the White House – that he has a lot riding on the outcome. The result of next Tuesday’s election will either burnish his legacy or launch harsh recriminations that he stepped aside too late.
Speaking at the get-out-the-vote event in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Biden seemed to acknowledge his time on the national stage was coming to an end.
“We got a lot more work to do, Kamala and I,” he said, before quickly adjusting: “Kamala does.”
