In The Community
Polls Closed in Most States and Projections Continue Rolling In
Photo by Edmond Dantès
According to CNN, the last polls closed as of 1:16 a.m. ET. Including Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Alaska. Each candidate needs 270 electoral votes, and the latest projections reflect that Trump is leading with 246 votes while Harris has achieved 187 electoral votes.
CNN's projections are calling Vermont, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, Illinois, New York, Colorado, California, Oregon, Hawaii, Virginia, and New Mexico for Harris, and calling Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana, South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Louisiana, Utah, Montana, Mississippi, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, and Idaho for Trump.
Latinos Win Governor Seats and More, Including a Historic Win
Analise Ortiz won for Arizona State Senate, LD-24, Delia Ramirez won for U.S. House of Representatives, IL-03, Darren Soto won re-election for U.S. House of Representatives, FL-09, Greg Casar won re-election for U.S. House of Representatives, TX-35, Mary Ann Santos won for Georgia State House, HD-117, Saira Draper won for Georgia House of Representatives, HD-90, Gabby Salinas has made history as the first Latina LGBTQ woman to be elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, HD-96, Jackie Espinosa won Kissimmee Mayor (FL), Gabriella Romero won for State Assembly, AD-109, Kristen Gonzalez won re-election to the New York State Senate, SD-59, Jessica González-Rojas won re-election to the New York State Assembly, AD-34, and Celia Israel won Travis County Tax-Assessor and Collector (TX).
Abortion on the Ballot - Latest Projections
NBC News projects that Question 1 has passed in Maryland, which proposes adding a new article to the state’s Constitution, ensuring a right to reproductive freedom, including decisions related to preventing, continuing, or ending a pregnancy. In New York, they project that Proposition 1 has passed, which is a broad equal rights amendment that would ban discrimination and establish a right to abortion and other reproductive health care. Both of these measures aim to reinforce reproductive rights and equal treatment under state law. As of 1:00 a.m. ET, NBC News projected that Arizona's Proposition 139 has passed, which is set to protect abortion rights up to the point of fetal viability, as well as Nevada's Question 6, set to establish a constitutional right to abortion up to 24 weeks.
Latino Support for Harris Slips Compared to 2020, CNN Exit Poll Shows
CNN’s national exit poll shows that Latino voters are favoring Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump in the election but by a smaller margin than past Democratic candidates. Harris currently holds just over half of Latino voter support, while in 2020, Biden captured around 65%. The shift is especially noticeable among Latino men, with about 54% now backing Trump, compared to their support for Biden in the previous election. For Latina women, around 60% say they voted for Harris, a slight decrease from the 70% who voted for Biden in 2020.
Milwaukee Orders Recount of 30,000 Ballots After Machine Security Issue
Photo by Brands&People on UnsplashAccording to NBC News, more than 30,000 absentee and early ballots are being recounted in Milwaukee after officials found that 13 vote-counting machines weren’t properly locked. Milwaukee Mayor’s Office Communications Director Jeff Fleming explained at a press conference that the recount was ordered as a safety measure, with no evidence of tampering expected. This recount may push the final count into early Wednesday morning.
Bomb Threats Bring Voting to a Pause at Five DeKalb County Locations
Voting was paused at five locations in DeKalb County, Georgia, after bomb threats were reported, along with two other sites that aren’t polling places. Police are checking all seven locations for safety. CNN reported that DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond stated they’re committed to ensuring that everyone who wants to vote will have the chance to do so, and every vote will count. The county's Office of Voter Registration and Elections announced the temporary suspension of voting at these locations until police confirm they’re safe to reopen. Executive Director Keisha Smith added that the county is seeking a court order to extend voting hours at the affected sites.
High Turnout Among Puerto Ricans and Students Boosts Harris Campaign in Pennsylvania
As reported by CNN, the Harris campaign communicated there’s a strong turnout among Puerto Ricans and students in Pennsylvania, adding to the high overall turnout in Philadelphia. At Lehigh University near Allentown, voting lines stretched to seven hours, prompting the campaign to send supporters to keep students in line and push for extended voting hours. This high turnout of Puerto Ricans specifically could be linked to Trump’s inflammatory rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, where racist comments were made about Puerto Ricans, Latinos in general, immigrants, and other groups.
Ballot Scanner Software Glitches Lead to Extended Voting Hours in Pennsylvania
Photo by luis gomes
As reported by several media outlets, a software glitch affecting ballot scanners in rural Cambria County, Pennsylvania, led to a surge of conspiracy theories about election fraud, despite county officials’ assurances that all votes would be counted. The issue prevented on-site scanning, but voters could still use paper ballots, which would be securely stored and counted later. The county extended voting hours to 10 p.m. to accommodate voters affected by delays. Despite official statements clarifying that the issue was a technical error, election deniers circulated false claims online, comparing the incident to a similar malfunction in Arizona in 2022.
Poder Latinx Helps Ensure Latino Voter Participation in Arizona
In the early hours of Election Day, canvassers from Poder Latinx, a nonprofit focused on building Latino political power, were out in Maricopa County, Arizona, urging residents in predominantly Latino neighborhoods to head to the polls. They planned to continue their efforts until 5 p.m., just before polls closed at 7 p.m., aiming to ensure maximum voter participation. Yadira Sanchez, executive director of Poder Latinx, expressed optimism to a New York Time reporter, noting that Arizona was “on pace to break record turnout.”
This article is ongoing and it will continuously be updated throughout Election Night.
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Myth: Dead People Are Voting
Image by kp yamu Jayanath from Pixabay
This one gets a lot of attention because the idea that dead people are voting in elections is way out there. But is it actually happening? Well, no. Despite whatever zombie movie you just watched, dead people aren’t casting ballots from beyond the grave, and as it turns out, people aren’t voting with a deceased person’s identity either.
Here’s what’s actually going on: voter rolls can sometimes take a little time to update after someone passes away. If a deceased person is still listed, it doesn’t mean they’re voting—it just means the voter rolls haven’t been updated yet. Election officials regularly clean up these lists, and when cases are flagged, they investigate and fix any issues.
Additionally, when a vote is cast, there’s always an additional check depending on the state. That check could be a signature verification, a form of identification, an address cross-check, and a number of other safeguards states have adopted in order to maintain the highest level of voter integrity. A comprehensive investigation by the Washington Post found almost no verified cases of dead voters casting ballots. It’s an administrative hiccup, not a grand conspiracy.
Myth: Millions of Undocumented Immigrants Are Voting
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Another popular myth is that millions of undocumented immigrants are voting in U.S. elections, tipping the scales in favor of one candidate or another. However, there’s absolutely no evidence to support this claim.
Numerous studies, including one by the Brennan Center for Justice, have found that non-citizen voting in U.S. elections is exceedingly rare—so rare that it’s practically nonexistent. Voting systems have safeguards in place to prevent non-citizens from registering to vote, and those who are caught face serious legal consequences. So, the idea that millions of people are willing to risk not only jail time but also their very existence in a country they probably worked really hard to get to by secretly voting illegally is not only illogical but also not backed by any evidence.
Myth: Voting Machines Are Rigged
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After elections, there’s often talk of voting machines being rigged or hacked to change votes. While this is the stuff of thriller movies, the reality is a lot less dramatic.
Voting machines are heavily regulated and tested for accuracy before, during, and after elections. There’s also something called a paper trail—many voting systems now include paper ballots or records to verify the results. After the 2020 election, several states conducted hand recounts to ensure the accuracy of the machine tally, and the results matched up.
While hacking concerns are valid in our tech-driven world, the actual likelihood of machines being hacked at scale is incredibly slim, thanks to rigorous testing and monitoring. And in a literal worst-case scenario where a hack was successful, the paper ballot record would serve as a mechanism to overcome any kind of digital manipulation.
Myth: Absentee/Mail Ballots Are More Prone to Fraud
Photo by Matt Gush - Shutterstock
With more people voting by mail than ever before, there’s been a lot of speculation that absentee ballots or mail-in ballots are more susceptible to fraud. The truth is that voting by mail is safe and secure, and it has been used in U.S. elections for decades.
No evidence has been found to support the idea that mail-in voting leads to widespread fraud. States have secure systems in place, such as signature matching, barcodes, and strict deadlines, to prevent any funny business. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has documented only 1,561 proven cases of election fraud over several decades, a tiny fraction of the billions of votes cast in that time. That’s a minuscule rate of fraud when you consider the scale.
What is concerning here are recent cases of vandals who are attempting to destroy mail ballots in areas with heavy Democrat registration. It’s been reported that 2 ballot drop-off boxes were lit on fire, one in Portland and one near Vancouver, Washington, destroying an estimated 475 ballots in the Vancouver location alone. Tampering with ballots in federal elections is a federal crime punishable by a fine, up to 5 years in prison, or both. Officials are warning that if anyone suspects their ballot is missing, to check with your local election office. Many states now have real-time ballot tracking.
Myth: Ballot Harvesting Means Fraud
Photo by Greg Thames
"Ballot harvesting" sounds sketchy, right? The term refers to third parties collecting and submitting ballots on behalf of voters. Critics often allege that this practice could lead to mass fraud.
While ballot harvesting is illegal in some states, it’s perfectly legal in others, and it’s not inherently fraudulent. For example, in states like California, it's legal for a third party to collect and submit ballots for those who need assistance, such as the elderly or people with disabilities. The key point? States that allow this practice have regulations in place to ensure it’s done legally and ethically. If there’s abuse, authorities investigate, but the notion that ballot harvesting equals fraud doesn’t hold water across the board.
Myth: Double Voting Is Rampant
Photo by Jennifer Burk on UnsplashThis myth claims that people are voting twice, either by submitting multiple ballots or voting in more than one state. But the truth is that double voting is very rare, and when it happens, it’s usually a mistake rather than malicious intent.
State voting systems are connected through national databases that track where people are registered to vote, preventing anyone from casting ballots in multiple locations. In cases where double voting has occurred, it's typically flagged and investigated quickly, often leading to criminal prosecution. The system is designed to catch these errors, and it works.
Myth: Voter ID Laws Are the Only Way to Prevent Fraud
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on UnsplashSome people argue that strict voter ID laws are the only way to prevent election fraud. Proponents of these laws claim that without them, it’s easy for people to vote illegally.
Voter ID laws are meant to prevent impersonation at the polls, but in reality, voter impersonation is one of the rarest types of election fraud. Studies have shown that requiring IDs can disenfranchise certain groups of voters, particularly low-income individuals, minorities, and the elderly, who may not have easy access to government-issued IDs.
Many states have adopted less restrictive measures, like signature verification, non-photo ID requirements, and social security number verification, which are just as effective without potentially blocking eligible voters from casting their ballots.
Myth: Election Fraud Is Widespread
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Perhaps the biggest myth of all is that election fraud is widespread and happening all the time, affecting election outcomes in a major way.
According to both conservative and liberal-leaning think tanks, proven cases of election fraud in the U.S. are extremely rare. The conservative Heritage Foundation’s data, which found only 1,561 cases of proven voter fraud over 42 years, shows that while fraud has happened, it’s not even close to being as frequent as some people claim. In fact, when fraud does occur, it’s typically isolated to small, local elections, not big national races. By the Heritage Foundation’s own data, 1,562 cases over 42 years amount to 37 fraudulently cast votes per year. That number isn’t even capable of affecting all 50 states, let alone swinging the outcome of any election, local, state, or federal.
Election fraud is a serious issue, and any instance of fraud should be investigated. But when it comes to the big claims you often hear—dead people voting, millions of undocumented immigrants casting ballots, or voting machines being hacked—the data tells a different story. Election fraud is rare, and the systems in place to prevent it are sturdy and constantly improving. It’s important to be informed and stay aware because, when it comes to elections, the truth matters.
