Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz voting in Minnesota
Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is voting in the 2024 election in St. Paul, Minnesota, Wednesday morning. Walz was joined by his wife, Gwen and son, Gus. When asked by CBS News how it feels to have his son, who is 18, voting with him for the first time, the vice presidential candidate said “I’m excited about it.”
Georgia secretary of state expects to pass 2 million early votes cast in state “by lunch”
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperge said the state is seeing record early voting turnout with just under two weeks until Election Day, with nearly 27% of active voters having already cast their ballots.
“Georgia is having continuing records every day, it seems, with early voting turnout,” Raffensperger said. “By lunch, we should cross the incredible hallmark of 2 million voters casting their ballots already.”
Raffensperger, who in 2021 resisted Trump’s urging to “find” more than 11,000 votes and overturn the results of the election in the Peach State, said the milestone proves that in Georgia, “it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat.”
Georgia secretary of state says state has “cleanest voter list” in the nation
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said at a news conference on Wednesday that the state has the cleanest voter rolls in the nation, pointing to technological advancements in its voter registration technology and a new cancellation portal.
“Georgia has the cleanest voter list in the entire country,” Raffensperger said, adding that “Georgia can trust in their elections.”
Raffensperger said other states haven’t been able to get to the level of detail that his office achieved through an audit process, citing Georgia’s emphasis on technological advancements, along with its willingness to work with other government agencies.
The secretary of state also called Georgia a “model” for preventing noncitizens from voting. The state found 20 individuals who were identified as noncitizens, Chief Operating Officer Gabriel Sterling said.
Sterling said noncitizen voting, an issue that Republicans have expressed serious concerns about, is “rare,” especially in Georgia.
“In Georgia, we know we have the best system in America of stopping it on the front end,” he added.
Battle over abortion access stretches to state supreme court races
As abortion continues to be a focal point of Democrats’ campaigns for Congress and Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House, the issue has also taken on a prominent role in state supreme court races as judges are tasked with determining access.
Voters in at least 30 states will decide who will fill 69 state supreme court seats in judicial elections, with the ideological balances of two high courts — in Michigan and Ohio — at stake. In both of those states and several others, including North Carolina, Kentucky and Montana, state high courts have decided high-profile cases and could see their compositions shift in November.
In the Rio Grande Valley, what’s on voters’ minds ahead of the election?
With Election Day approaching, candidates up and down the ballot are making their final push to reach voters. CBS News Texas has been following the polls and covering political events all year long in a quest to find the Texas State of Mind.
But ultimately, it’s the people who matter and who will decide what happens. In an effort to get a better understanding of what voters across the Lone Star State will be thinking about as they cast their ballots, reporter Jason Allen and a CBS News Texas crew are spending the weeks leading up to the election traveling across the state, speaking to people from the Chihuahuan Desert to the Pineywoods.
Last week, Jason traveled to the Texas High Plains. This week, we head to the southernmost region in the state: the Rio Grande Valley.
Read more from CBS News Texas and watch the full report in the player above.
With early voting under way in Chicago, undecided voters seem to be hard to find
Early voting expanded this week across Cook County, and on Tuesday night, CBS News Chicago talked with some people casting their ballots ahead of Election Day.
As of Tuesday night, nearly 107,000 ballots had been received in Chicago—including those cast in person and by mail. Among those who have already voted or are waiting to cast their ballots, CBS News Chicago did not find any undecided voters.
Underneath the Clark/Lake ‘L’ stop downtown, ballots are being counted at Chicago’s voting Supersite.
William Howell, Professor of American Politics, University of Chicago
“The stakes of this election are incredibly high, and it’s close,” said William Howell, the Sydney Stein Professor of American Politics at the University of Chicago. “I think Chicago is going to clearly break blue, and Illinois at the top of the ticket is going to break blue.”
How to watch the Mondaire Jones and Mike Lawler debate for New York’s 17th Congressional District
Mondaire Jones and Mike Lawler are in one of the most closely watched House races in New York’s 17th Congressional District, which represents all of Rockland and Putnam counties and parts of Westchester and Dutchess.
CBS News New York is hosting a live debate between the candidates Wednesday night in New York City.
You can watch the debate live on CBS News New York.
You can also find our stream on the free CBS News App, Pluto TV and other streaming services.
The debate will also be broadcast on New York 55.
Read more here.
Eminem endorses Harris at Detroit rally with Obama
Eminem endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally with Obama at a rally in Detroit, Eminem’s hometown.
Paul Sancya / AP
“As most of you know, the city of Detroit and the whole state of Michigan mean a lot to me. And going into this election, the spotlight is on us more than ever,” Eminem, a longtime critic of former President Donald Trump, told the crowd. “And I think it’s important to use your voice. So I’m encouraging everybody to get out and vote.”
Obama walked out to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” saying “my palms are sweaty,” a line from the song. He then rapped several lines from “Lose Yourself.”
Trump privately praised Hitler, would govern like a dictator, former chief of staff says
Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly in a pair of interviews released Tuesday voiced serious concerns about Trump’s ability to lead, saying he fits “the general definition of fascist,” had privately praised Adolf Hitler and his generals — and would govern like a dictator if he returns to the White House.
The Trump campaign denied Kelly’s accounts in both stories.
Walz: “Trump is descending into madness”
Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz on Tuesday night responded to a report in The Atlantic that Trump had praised Hitler’s generals, saying it made him “sick as hell.”
“The guardrails are gone,” Walz said. ” Trump is descending into this madness. A former president of the United States and the president of the United States says he wants generals like Adolf Hitler had. Think about it. And he already has the Supreme Court in his pocket. They’ve effectively given him full immunity.”
Harris tells NBC’s Hallie Jackson: “Of course” team is prepared if Trump declares victory
Vice President Kamala Harris, asked by NBC News’ Hallie Jackson if her team has a plan, should Trump declare victory on election night before all the votes are counted, said she’ll be ready.
“We’ve got two weeks to go, and I’m very much grounded in the present, in terms of the task at hand, and we will deal with election night and the days after, as they come, and we have the resources and the expertise and the focus on that, as well,” she told Jackson in an interview that aired Tuesday on “NBC Nightly News”
