Elections

Colorado People's Alliance and Colorado Black Women for Political Action hosted a nonpartisan "ballot block party" in Denver's historically Black Five Points neighborhood ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. With 14 statewide ballot measures plus local races and judicial questions, organizers aimed to demystify complex ballot language rather than endorse candidates or positions, partnering with the nonpartisan group Count Me In. Attendees discussed measures touching immigration, economic policy and law enforcement, then filled out ballots and walked together to a nearby drop box. Organizers said the event addressed voter fatigue and fear, and both groups plan continued outreach in Aurora, Northglenn and beyond through Election Day.

A Virginia rights-restoration letter from Gov. Abigail Spanberger's administration was sent to "Biscuit Rigsby," a beagle-hound mix that died five years ago, restoring voting and jury-service rights to the deceased pet. The letter, bearing the state seal and signatures of Spanberger and Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon-King, followed a similar incident involving a Chesapeake woman whose rights were restored without officials confirming her surname. Del. Tom Garrett, who received the letter from Biscuit's owner, is calling for an investigation into how the review process allowed the error. The episode surfaces days before Virginia voters decide a ballot measure on automatic rights restoration for felons after release.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona has opened an investigation, now referred to the FBI, into three nonprofits — Stand Indivisible Arizona, Worker Power, and When We Count — over allegations they registered noncitizens to vote ahead of next week's midterm elections. Officials cited written and video reports suggesting personnel from the groups disregarded or ignored Arizona's ban on registering noncitizens. Letters were also sent to the Maricopa County recorder and the Arizona secretary of state urging a review of the organizations' registration practices. Officials stressed that only registered citizens may vote and that knowingly registering noncitizens would violate federal law.

Election officials in several Florida counties, including Seminole, Broward, and Monroe, are investigating delays in vote-by-mail ballots moving through the U.S. Postal Service. Seminole County has issued more than 500 replacement ballots, with one local delivery taking seven days; a Broward official's son waited 12 days for a ballot sent from Orlando. USPS says it has found no delivery issues in Broward or Monroe. Central Florida counties outside Seminole report no similar problems. With Florida's 7 p.m. Nov. 3 return deadline approaching, officials are urging voters who haven't mailed ballots to instead vote early in person or drop ballots at secure intake stations.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton toured the Youngstown Business Incubator and rallied in Liberty, stressing ties to Mahoning and Trumbull counties ahead of Election Day against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Acton has repeatedly addressed a Ramaswamy-backed ad featuring her estranged mother, calling her a liar and alleging mental health issues; Gov. Mike DeWine called it exploitative. Both candidates are closing with pitches on Ohio's affordability crisis, with Ramaswamy touting his business background and property-tax executive orders, and Acton emphasizing public-service experience, a working families tax cut, and school funding.

Ramaswamy has self-funded and outspent Acton nearly $80 million to $34 million overall, though Acton has outraised him recently; both have shattered Ohio's gubernatorial fundraising record, and neither has held elected office before. Democrats are banking on a late push, including a Cleveland rally with Barack Obama and expanded early voting, as prediction markets show Acton favored heading into Election Day.

Harris County, Texas, has settled a lawsuit filed by the state attorney general's office over "Get Out the Vote" ads that used Meta ad-targeting tags tied to groups such as African-American literature, Latin music and Hispanic kitchen content. The office, led by Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, spent roughly $43,000 on the ads over 30 days and has agreed to remove the demographic targeting and not reinstate it for the rest of the election. Hudspeth said the tags were dropped to avoid distraction while defending the outreach as lawful; the county attorney's office called the suit a political distraction. The dispute comes as Harris County has already topped 1 million early votes ahead of the November 3 election.