Elections

Broward County's Supervisor of Elections, Joe Scott, is urging voters to hand-deliver mail-in ballots after complaints of slow postal delivery, with some ballots taking nearly two weeks to arrive or failing to arrive at all; the U.S. Postal Service says it is investigating. Neighboring Miami-Dade County reported no similar delays. In Philadelphia, officials highlighted security at the city's Election Warehouse and urged roughly 40,000 voters still holding mail ballots to return them in person, noting postmarks do not count. In Ohio, heavy early voting turnout in Franklin County has strained absentee mail delivery, with some overseas ballots stalled in transit as the Election Day deadline nears.

Elsewhere, Knox County, Tennessee reported more than 102,000 early votes cast ahead of its November 3 election, with officials reminding absentee voters that completed ballots must reach the county election commission by the close of polls on Election Day, not simply be postmarked by then.

Ahead of Nov. 3 elections, early voting has topped recent midterm totals in multiple states. In Ohio, nearly 1.5 million ballots were cast by Oct. 30 — about 907,000 in person and 580,000 by mail — exceeding 2018 and 2022 totals, with voters favoring in-person voting over mail ballots. In Missouri's St. Louis County, more than 130,000 people voted early, already surpassing the county's entire 2022 midterm early-voting turnout, aided by an expansion from seven to 200 polling sites.

Ohio's races include every statewide executive office plus U.S. Senate and House seats that could shift Washington's balance of power; unaffiliated voters lead turnout there, narrowly ahead of Democrats and Republicans. Missouri officials caution strong early turnout doesn't guarantee a higher overall total, noting 2024's election-day surge. Ohio's early in-person voting ends Nov. 1, with ballots due by 7:30 p.m. on Election Night.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy says he could stop or alter certification of the state's U.S. Senate result if an investigation he ordered finds illegal conduct tied to Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign. The probe follows a New York Times report, sourced partly to Peltola's fired former campaign manager, alleging Peltola advisers and DSCC aides helped recruit a second "Dan Sullivan" to run against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Peltola has denied knowledge of the scheme, and the DSCC denies involvement. The Justice Department has sued to block certification of any winner but Sullivan pending review. Days after the Times report, the second Sullivan, a retired Petersburg teacher, was seen leaving his hometown; residents there said they had seen no campaign activity on his behalf.

Federal prosecutors are separately investigating how Sullivan entered the race, with the inquiry expected to continue past Election Day. The allegations remain a partisan flashpoint, with debate over whether the recruitment scheme amounts to voter deception or whether efforts to block certification constitute their own interference.

Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman are locked in a close race for Los Angeles mayor, with a recent Berkeley IGS/L.A. Times poll showing both candidates tied. Both campaigned in Raman's own Encino-area district days before the vote, where residents are split over her record on homelessness and public safety. Bass credited her citywide Inside Safe program for improvements in Raman's district and criticized Raman's affordable housing record, while Raman countered that local gains reflect her own office's work, not the mayor's. The dispute over housing policy and encampment reductions has become central to the final days of campaigning.

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.