Election lawsuits already flooding courts
Voting related lawsuits are already piling up even before the polls open on Election Day. Nevada is one of the states seeing legal cases.
Fox – 5 Atlanta
After months and months of campaigning and political analysis, 2024’s Election Day has arrived. We will know soon who will be the new president of the United States, Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, and who has earned state and federal legislative positions.
Come here for updates throughout the day on the election’s progress in western Pennsylvania and throughout the state.
Bomb threats to multiple polling places in Pennsylvania were sent via email, according to Secretary of State Al Schmidt.
Officials are not yet certain who was behind the threats, but during a Tuesday evening news briefing, Schmidt emphasized that they weren’t credible.
“Threats are intended to intimidate and coerce,” he said. “Our election officials and our voters are not going to be intimidated.”
Clearfield and Chester counties were among those targeted, along with York County, where officials reported receiving a threat to the East York elections and voter registration office. Voting and election work went on uninterrupted, and a sheriff’s office canine unit found there was no danger to employees or the public, according to a county statement.
The county said the threats seemed similar to others reported around Pennsylvania and in other states.
Bomb threats have also surfaced in Georgia and Arizona. According to the FBI, threats that appear to originate from Russian email domains have been made against polling sites around the country, although the agency did not specify which states were affected.
— Bethany Rodgers
Bomb threats were called into multiple polling places across Pennsylvania Tuesday evening, but so far authorities have determined “there is no credible threat to the public,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
State and local authorities and the FBI are investigating the threats, Shapiro told reporters during a news conference.
A judge granted an emergency request to extend voting by an hour to 9 p.m. at the Clearfield County administrative building, which received one of the threats, according to state court officials.
Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell posted on X that the county’s government services center was evacuated because of a threat. He said voters at the building were rerouted to nearby polling places, where they were able to cast provisional ballots.
— Bethany Rodgers
Pennsylvania has strict measures in place to maintain election integrity, including mandatory audits. All counties must conduct a 2% sample audit of ballots, along with a Risk-Limiting Audit (RLA), to confirm accuracy. These audits ensure that the reported results reflect the true vote count, but they can add time to the process, especially in close races.
Making the final call on who won depends on how fast counting goes and the margin between Harris and Trump.
News organizations and election officials closely monitor vote totals, and once they see a clear trend unlikely to change with remaining ballots, they “call” the race.
Polls officially closed at 8 p.m., except in Cambria and Lucerne counties, whose deadlines were extended until 10 p.m. Anyone standing in line at 8 p.m. at other polling places will still be allowed to cast votes.
There have been two recent times when a presidential candidate won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College — and thus, the presidency. How important is the popular vote in November’s presidential election?
Damon C. Williams, J. Staas Haught
While some economic problems, even big ones, affect small segments of the population, high costs at the supermarket and gas pump have “a salience that other economic maladies do not,” said Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, an economics professor at the University of Pennsylvania
If inflation is the issue that will help determine your vote for U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, spend some time with a look at the race through the lens of “shrinkflation” and “greedflation.”
Election: Inflation becoming important topic for PA Senate race
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What to know about the PA auditor general candidates, office
What to know about the PA attorney general election race, candidates
ABC News project 538 shows Harris leading in the national polls by +1.2%, Harris 48.0% to Trump’s 46.8%; Pennsylvania has Harris leading by +0.2%. Trump continues to lead in 4 of the 7 swing states compared to last week’s polls results.
270towin shows Harris leading the national polls by 1.2% over Trump while in the Pennsylvania poll has Trump and Harris is even tie. Trump is also leading these polls in 5 of the 7 swing states compared to last week’s polls results.
realclearpolling shows the betting odds favor Harris by +0.1 over Trump, while Pennsylvania shows odds favoring Trump by +0.4. The odds are favoring Trump in 5 out of 7 swing states compared to last week’s polls results.
Polymarket, a crypto-trading platform is expressing high odds by the betting public in the national race favoring Trump 62.7% over Harris 37.4%. Pennsylvania shows Trump favored 61% over Harris’s 39%. The betting odds have shifted 5 out of 7 in favor of Trump compared to last week’s polls results.
Polls and odds are constantly changing. These numbers were reflected as of Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.
-Maria Francis
If Democrats were to gain three seats in the upper chamber — plus hold their slim majority in the state House of Representatives — they’d take complete control of the Legislature for the first time in more than three decades.
A net gain of three for Democrats is important because it would bring the upper chamber to a 25-25 deadlock. Democratic Lt. Gov. Austin Davis could then represent the tiebreaker in any party-line vote.
Democrats look to control PA Senate in 2024 election
Meanwhile, there are at least three state House districts where Republican insiders like their chances for an upset this cycle.
2024 election: Races the GOP wants to win to control Pa.’s state house
Democrats, too, think they might be able to gain seats in the state House of Representatives. Pa. Democratic challengers target flipping 8 seats
Pennsylvania is one of seven swing — or battleground — states in this year’s election. Candidates need 270 electoral votes to win the presidency, and none of the swing states offer more than Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes. What is a swing state? Here are the seven battleground states
Damon C. Williams, Clare Mulroy
While Puerto Rico conducts primary elections and sends delegates to both the RNC and DNC, the U.S. territory has no electoral college votes so does not weigh in during the general election. However, residents of Puerto Rico are American citizens, so those who have moved from the territory to one of the 50 states or Washington D.C., can cast a ballot for president.
A large number of Puerto Ricans live in the states, roughly 5.8 million, according to the Pew Research Center. They represent the second-largest population of Hispanic origin living in America and a sizeable voting bloc.
The other U.S. territories — Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa — also do not have any electoral votes.
If you plan to vote in person in Pennsylvania, you could have to stand in line even if voter traffic isn’t very busy. According to the commonwealth’s election rules guidance, no more than 10 voters will be allowed in polling places at one time. All others must wait outside of the polling place in line.
In 2020, the average wait time was a little more than 16 minutes, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
Ten U.S. House representatives from Pennsylvania, including one Republican, expressed commitment to certifying the results of the presidential election no matter whether former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris is victorious. See how – or whether – your elected officials responded.
Will Pa’s reps accept presidential election results?
From the White House to the state House of Representatives, Pennsylvanians have some hefty decisions to make in this year’s election. Check the voter guide for a look at some of the most pivotal races on the ballot.
What day is the presidential election 2024
Under Pennsylvania law, it’s illegal to intimidate or coerce someone to vote, refrain from voting or vote in a certain way.
The state department says this conduct can take many forms. It could look like someone blocking access to a polling place or demanding documentation from a voter. It could include threatening or harassing behavior around a polling place. Spreading false information about polling hours or voter eligibility could constitute intimidation.
“There’s a difference between advocating for your preferred candidate outside of a polling place and intimidating voters,” Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt said.
Know your rights when you go to the polls: How to spot voter intimidation in PA elections
Candidates and political parties can station poll watchers in each polling place to observe the activity throughout the day and examine lists of voters. They are barred from any electioneering inside the polling place, meaning they can’t hand out campaign flyers or pamphlets or encourage people to vote for their preferred candidate.
They’re not permitted to question voters, photograph or record them or demand documentation, according to the state department.
Poll watchers are able to challenge a voter’s eligibility to cast a ballot, but only on the limited grounds of identity or residency inside the district.
Those challenges have to be lodged directly with the judge of elections at the polling place and must be made in good faith, former Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said. For instance, a poll watcher could challenge someone’s eligibility if he or she knew for a fact the individual had moved out of the neighborhood or was impersonating another voter, according to Boockvar.
But the state prohibits poll watchers from submitting challenges simply based on a voter’s ethnicity, language or national origin or other characteristics.
If someone challenges your right to vote, you can still cast a provisional ballot. You could also choose to vote normally by signing an affidavit and bringing forward a witness — who’s also a registered voter in your precinct — to vouch for you.
If you are inclined to wear campaign merchandise to the polls in the commonwealth, it is legal. Poll watchers and local election officials are not permitted to wear partisan or candidate merchandise.
Can I wear my MAGA hat to polls in Pennsylvania?
If you plan to vote in person in Pennsylvania, you could have to stand in line even if voter traffic isn’t very busy. According to the commonwealth’s election rules guidance, no more than 10 voters will be allowed in polling places at one time. All others must wait outside of the polling place in line.
In 2020, the average wait time was a little more than 16 minutes, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
Pennsylvania law could create long lines at polling places
Mail-in ballots can be returned Tuesday to county elections offices or deposited in official drop boxes in counties that offer them. Ballots must be received by the close of voting at 8 p.m.
If you applied for, received and returned a mail ballot, you are not eligible to vote in person.
If you did not return your mail-in or absentee ballot and you want to vote in person, the state makes two options available:
Take your ballot and pre-addressed outer return envelope to your polling place to be voided. After you surrender your ballot and envelope and sign a declaration, you will be able to vote a regular ballot. If you don’t surrender your ballot and return envelope, you can vote by provisional ballot at your polling place. The county election board will verify that you did not vote by mail before counting your provisional ballot.
You can track the status of a mail-in or absentee ballot at Online/Absentee Ballot Tracking.
Pa voters’ provisional ballots will count if mail ballots are rejected
Voters dealing with a last-minute emergency that prevents them from voting in-person on Election Day still have another voting option: an emergency absentee ballot.
Voters can download an emergency absentee ballot application from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website. Ballots also can be picked up at a county elections office.
Emergency absentee ballot applications require voters to provide a reason.
Pa. emergency absentee ballots help voters facing last-minute issues
According to the Department of State, this is the timeline for vote counting and certification:
Nov. 5: Poll workers begin counting mail ballots at 7 a.m. on Election Day and in-person ballots when polls close at 8 p.m. Poll workers will continue to count both in-person and mail ballots into the next day. Nov. 8: On the Friday after Election Day, counties begin their official canvass of the election. During this time, counties “reconcile” their votes by ensuring the number of voters recorded as having voted in each precinct matches the number of ballots counted from each precinct. Election officials also check the eligibility of provisional ballots and process all eligible provisional ballots, among other tasks. Nov. 12: Counties are required to submit their unofficial results to the Department of State. Nov. 22: Counties must complete the pre-certification risk-limiting audit. Nov. 25: Counties must certify all election results to Secretary Al Schmidt, who will then certify the election results statewide after review. Dec. 11: Gov. Josh Shapiro must sign Pennsylvania’s Certificate of Ascertainment. Dec. 17: The Electoral College meets in Harrisburg to vote for president and vice president. When will election results be available in Pennsylvania?
If this year is anything like the last general election, it could take days for elections officials to tally all of the votes across the country. In 2020, the Associated Press didn’t call the race for President Joe Biden until the Saturday morning after Election Day.
Lacey Latch, Amanda Wallace, Maria Francis
In this video, Al Schmidt, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of State, explains why many results are not expected to be known on Election Night.
How soon will Election Night results be counted in Pennsylvania?
Election Day in Pennsylvania: What to know Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. If you are in line to vote at 8 p.m. you still will be allowed to cast your ballot. It is not necessary in Pennsylvania to show identification to vote unless it is your first time voting at a new polling location. Call the Department of State voter hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) if you encounter problems or have a question that can’t be answered locally. Polls are open
The voting polls have officially opened in Beaver and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania and those voting in person can now cast their ballots for candidates at designated precinct voting places.
(The story was updated to include new blog entries.)
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Publish date : 2024-11-04 10:59:00
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