October 30, 2024, presidential campaign news

This election cycle has featured an unprecedented amount of pre-election litigation. Some of it, of course, is in the most important battleground state of the election — Pennsylvania.

The GOP’s aggressive approach in court goes hand in hand with Donald Trump’s strategy of using the courts to preemptively cast doubt on the 2024 results. Some of the lawsuits have also been brought by Democrats and voting groups.

Even issues that appear to have been resolved by state or federal courts could be revived after Election Day as so-called zombie lawsuits, if either party believes those court fights could deliver the votes needed to win what is now considered a dead heat. In anticipation, both campaigns have assembled teams of lawyers in battleground states and beyond.

Here are some of the legal fights happening in Pennsylvania.

Recent court rulings:

New lawsuits:

Investigations:

Democrats allege in a new lawsuit that election officials in Erie County, Pennsylvania — a closely-watched county in the battleground state — are not adequately addressing a vendor issue that has disrupted the delivery of mail-in ballots to as many as 20,000 voters.

The Democrats are asking the Court of Commons Pleas to order the election officials to take steps to ensure that the affected individuals are able to vote.

The lawsuit says that, despite claims by local officials that they sent letters to those who apparently received the incorrect ballots, the election board has refused to share that correspondence with Democrats, who say they have not seen other evidence proving such notices were sent.

Furthermore, postal delays have led to at least 1,800 mail-in voters not receiving their ballots, the Democrats said, pointing to US Postal Service records showing the ballots were never received from the vendor. Democrats, however, believe the total number of affected voters is much higher, as more than 19,000 voters who applied to vote by mail have not returned those ballots.

The county clerk advised voters that they could email election officials to cancel their mail ballots so that they could to be sent a replacement, but the guidance only gave voters one day to do so, according to the lawsuit. Democrats note that at this point, it’s not guaranteed that a replacement ballot would be delivered in time, according to US Postal Service guidance.

County officials did not respond to CNN’s inquiry about the lawsuit.

Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump sits inside garbage truck, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on October 30.

Donald Trump, donning a highlighter orange and yellow vest, posed in front of and hopped into a Trump-branded garbage truck as he criticized President Joe Biden over his “garbage” comments made Tuesday night.

Trump told reporters gathered on a tarmac in Wisconsin that his supporters “are not garbage. I can tell you who the real garbage is, but we won’t say that.”

The former president, sitting in the passenger seat of his campaign branded garbage truck, addressed controversial comments from Biden that many interpreted as the president referring to Trump supporters as “garbage.”

Trump during his third presidential run has leaned into using props to make his political points, putting on an apron earlier this month to work as a fry attendant at McDonald’s as he repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that Harris lied about working at the fast food restaurant.

“I hope you enjoyed this garbage truck,” Trump told reporters, before riding off with a honk.

Watch his remarks in the video below:

An "I Voted" sticker is displayed on a ballot lock box beneath a Dominion Voting Machines tabulator at in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 3.

Dominion Voting Systems blasted Michigan’s secretary of state on Wednesday, accusing her of making “false and misleading” comment about supposed problems with its specialized machines for voters with disabilities.

The dispute bubbled up earlier this week when Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, claimed at a press conference that there was a “nationwide issue” with the Dominion machines that would make more cumbersome for Michigan voters with disabilities to split their ticket and vote for candidates from different parties.

Since then, some prominent Trump supporters, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, have promoted Benson’s comments and used them to question the integrity of Dominion’s machines and the overall election process. After Trump lost the 2020 election, he and his allies falsely accused Dominion of flipping millions of votes, costing him the race.

The voting technology company said it does not have any machines in any other states that offer straight party-line voting “like the State of Michigan does,” arguing that this was not, in fact, a nationwide issue as Benson had claimed.

Importantly, both Benson and Dominion have emphasized that the situation, while somewhat inconvenient, absolutely does not prevent anyone from voting for any candidate of their choosing.

A spokesperson for Benson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Green Bay Packers great Brett Favre at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for Donald Trump again endorsed the former president and leaned on his legendary history as a quarterback in the key battleground state.

Favre, who was embroiled in lawsuit and investigation in Mississippi as part of what the state calls a statewide welfare fraud scheme, endorsed Trump in 2020. Favre revealed earlier this year he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease while speaking in front of the House Ways and Means Committee in a hearing on reforming Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), where he was called to testify before Congress about welfare misspending.

Favre, who won the Super Bowl in the 1996-97 season and won back-to-back-to-back MVPs from 1995-1997 while with the Packers, told the crowd, “I knew I would come back to Green Bay at various times, but I never thought I would come back in this setting. But I think there’s never been a more important time in our lives than right now in this election.”

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall on October 26 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia district attorney’s case against Elon Musk’s $1 million giveaway to voters is heading to court on Thursday, one day earlier than scheduled.

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Angelo Foglietta also wrote in a scheduling order that “all parties must be present at the time of the hearing.”

This requires Musk, the richest man in the world, to show up at the in-person hearing in downtown Philadelphia. Musk and his political group, America PAC, were both named as defendants in the civil lawsuit.

Earlier on Wednesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office asked the judge to clarify whether Musk was required to personally attend the hearing, and Musk’s lawyers could still try to get him out of it.

A spokesman for Musk’s pro-Trump super PAC declined to comment.

The high-stakes hearing was originally slated for Friday. Krasner, a progressive Democrat, had asked to speed up the proceedings, because Musk hasn’t stopped his daily $1 million giveaway to voters.

Remember: The case is based on Pennsylvania’s lottery and consumer protection laws. Krasner said his lawsuit was not about state and federal laws that prohibit vote-buying.

The X owner and Tesla CEO, who has thrown his support behind former President Donald Trump and is spending millions of dollars supporting his candidacy, has publicized the $1 million prize by his political action committee aiming to increase voter registrations in hotly contested states.

The US Justice Department has also warned Musk’s super PAC that his giveaway might violate federal laws that criminalize offering cash for voter registration.

Michigan prosecutors charged a Chinese citizen with voter fraud and perjury after he allegedly cast a ballot in the 2024 election, authorities announced Wednesday.

Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the 19-year-old Chinese man who allegedly voted is a student who lives in Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan. Authorities said the man isn’t a US citizen, and therefore can’t vote in federal elections.

The announcement from Michigan’s secretary of state and attorney general, and local prosecutors in Ann Arbor, comes as former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies spread concerns about mass voting by non-citizens. Experts say illegal voting by non-citizens is extremely rare, and when it does happen, it is usually caught quickly.

They also said that “any noncitizen who attempts to vote fraudulently in Michigan will be exposing themselves to great risk and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Investigators in Michigan are still looking at whether this was an isolated incident, an accident or possibly part of an attempt by China to interfere in the 2024 election, and federal investigators are also looking into the matter, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Read more details here about the Michigan investigation

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a presidential campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.

Vice President Kamala Harris said in Pennsylvania on Wednesday that there is “nothing that will stand in my way of working for you” if she’s elected president next week.

Her rally in Harrisburg was the second of three she was scheduled to hold in swing states on Wednesday.

During her speech, Harris’ remarks were interrupted by protesters shouting something unintelligible. The crowd chanted “Kamala!” over the protesters.

Moments later, she was interrupted by a protester blowing a whistle. She worked to regain control of the crowd, who once again began chanting her name.

“And let me say: Look, I’ll repeat it. We are fighting for our democracy. We love our democracy. It can be complicated at times but it is the best system in the world.”

As the interruptions continued she said: “It’s OK. It’s OK. It’s OK. All right. So look, I will continue with my point: I pledge to you that as president of the United States, I will not be looking to score political points. I will be looking to make progress, and I pledge to listen to experts, to those who will be impacted by the decision I make, and to the people who disagree with me.”

Much of the rest of her remarks were a re-hash of a speech she gave earlier Wednesday in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The US Supreme Court building is seen on June 11 in Washington, DC.

Voting rights groups and state Democrats urged the US Supreme Court on Wednesday to let Pennsylvanians cast provisional votes if their mail ballots are rejected, pushing back on an emergency appeal from Republicans who want to stop that process in the key swing state.

Some context: A state court ruling allowed provisional ballots to be counted in cases where voters failed to enclose them in “secrecy” sleeves before mailing them in. The Republican National Committee asked the conservative high court to block that ruling.

The Supreme Court is expected to decide the dispute over the rejected ballots by the end of the week – the latest instance in which the justices are being pulled into this year’s contentious election.

How many ballots are at stake: It is difficult to discern because counties handle defective mail-in ballots differently.

What started this: The initial lawsuit was filed by two voters in Butler County who submitted mail-in ballots but failed to enclose those ballots in the secrecy sleeve before placing them in an outer mailing envelope. A machine scanner identified the problem and the voters received an automated message alerting them that their vote would not be counted. When they showed up at their precincts during the state’s primary election and attempted to cast provisional ballots, they learned those votes would also not be counted. County election officials said state law barred them from voting because they had already submitted a mail-in ballot, even though that ballot was defective and not counted.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27 in New York City.

After a ridiculous spike over the past five weeks that had absolutely nothing to do with the company’s actual business, former President Donald Trump’s social media stock is suffering a sudden setback.

Truth Social owner Trump Media & Technology Group’s share price plunged 22.3% on Wednesday. That marks Trump Media’s worst one-day loss since going public in March, narrowly exceeding a loss of 21.5% on April 1.

At Tuesday’s close above $51, Trump’s dominant stake in the company was valued at about $5.9 billion. By the end of trading on Wednesday, the value of Trump’s shares tumbled to $4.6 billion. That means Trump lost $1.3 billion in net worth in a single day.

It’s not clear exactly what caused the sharp reversal for Trump Media, whose share price has become a proxy for how traders think this election will turn out. Trump Media did not release any major news that would explain the nosedive.

Some traders blamed the steep selling on technical factors and a loss of momentum for what has become a meme stock.

Trump Media’s stock has been extraordinarily volatile all year. The stock does not need official corporate announcements to move dramatically higher or lower.

Until Wednesday, it had been moving in one direction: Straight up.

Between September 23 and Tuesday’s closing bell, Trump Media had quadrupled in value. That breathtaking rally has been driven by bets on Wall Street that Trump will win the White House.

Read more about the stock price performance

For much of the presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump worked to distance himself from Project 2025, the detailed game plan written by conservative activists for a second Trump term.

Whether or not his allies will try to implement portions of the controversial plan if he wins the 2024 election is still the topic of some debate.

So without getting bogged down in whether Trump does or does not support Project 2025, here’s a look at what the former president and the people he says he would empower have said they would do if he wins the White House.

Read more about RFK Jr. and Elon Musk’s possible roles

Roy Cooper during a campaign event in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 12.

Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper downplayed the impact President Biden’s comments about Donald Trump’s supporters would have on the Harris-Walz campaign.

“We need to pay attention to what she’s saying. She is running for president of the United States,” he added.

Prior to Harris taking the stage in Raleigh, Harris was introduced by Jennifer Bell, a former Trump voter who called on conservatives to put “country over party” and “principles over partisanship.”

Cooper is feeling especially confident about Harris’ path to victory in the state.

“I’ve said many times that I have a 2008 feeling about this election,” said Cooper citing the state’s rapid growth, the campaign’s field operation and the strength of running on reproductive rights.

Investigators in Oregon searching for the person responsible for three fires at ballot drop boxes in the past few weeks believe “it is very possible the suspect intends to continue the attacks,” a police spokesperson said Wednesday.

Fires were set at three ballot boxes in the area in the past three weeks. About 475 damaged ballots were retrieved from a burned ballot box in Vancouver, Washington, and officials are still determining how many were destroyed, according to election officials.

An “incendiary device” found attached to the side of a ballot drop box in Portland, Oregon, early Monday damaged ballots, but most were unaffected because of fire suppressant installed in the ballot box.

Investigators have also linked the two incidents to a third ballot box fire on October 8, also in Vancouver.

Republicans learned a valuable lesson from the 2020 election cycle, to chase votes and not just voters.

Republicans are now embracing a new strategy, which includes promoting mail-in ballots.

Watch more on how Republicans are trying to turnout the vote:

Pennsylvania’s secretary of state said there is no evidence of voter fraud in certain counties, after former President Donald Trump claimed that there were issues related to voter registration applications on Wednesday.

Notably, Schmidt emphasized that voter registration applications and ballots are different and that there are “all sorts of safeguards built into the system.” He said his office looks forward to hearing from Lancaster County, where an investigation into a possible issue with voter registration applications is ongoing, on its findings and if there was actually fraud in that case.

But, the former president did not wait for the results of the York and Lancaster county investigations before stoking fears on social media about allegedly fraudulent voter registration applications Wednesday, even as Schmidt previously asked the public for patience.

Last week, law enforcement and election officials in Lancaster County announced they had identified “incidents of suspected voter registration fraud.” Separately, York County President Commissioner Julie Wheeler said the county had received a “large delivery containing thousands of election-related materials from a third-party organization,” and that “those material appear to include completed voter registration forms, as well as mail-in ballot applications.”

Schmidt also reiterated that he thinks it is important for election officials to always be vigilant, take allegations seriously and investigate them.

CNN’s Danny Freeman, Zachary Cohen and Majlie de Puy Kamp contributed reporting to this post.

Governor Tim Walz speaks at a rally campaign in Columbus, Georgia on October 29.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in an interview on Wednesday that the consequence he’s worried most about if Donald Trump wins in November is the potential for the former president to make people “lose faith” in voting and participating in democracy.

“Donald Trump wants us to be cynical,” Walz told host Rickey Smiley on a radio show. “We’ve always been a great country. And what I worry most about is that people lose faith in it, and they say, ‘What difference does it make if I vote or not?’ It makes all the difference.”

The aspect of a potential Trump victory that “keeps you up at night” is that Trump’s rhetoric and agenda will “divide us and isolate us,” he said.

Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz on Wednesday said next week’s election presents a “clear choice about whether we trust women.”

Making her first talk-show appearance on CBS’ “The Talk,” the wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz recalled how she felt after the Alabama Supreme Court decision on frozen embryos came down in February. Walz and his wife have detailed their own struggles starting a family.

Vice President Kamala Harris repeated on Wednesday that she “strongly” disagrees with “any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” a day after President Joe Biden drew condemnation for his “garbage” remarks about Trump supporters.

“I take very seriously my obligation and my oath to concern myself first with the needs of the American people and put them before whatever might be my selfish issues,” Harris added.

The interview took place in Raleigh, North Carolina, the first of Harris’ three swing-state stops on Wednesday.

In this May 2020 photo, a worker processes mail-in ballots at the Bucks County Board of Elections office prior to the primary election in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

A Pennsylvania judge granted a request from the Donald Trump campaign and ordered Bucks County election officials to offer on-demand mail voting through Friday, extending the deadline by three days.

The Trump campaign and other Republicans had filed a lawsuit against the Bucks County Board of Elections for allegedly turning away voters who showed up to cast ballots that way on Wednesday, the last day the service is offered.

The lawsuit was filed after Trump and the Republican National Committee seized on the removal of a Trump supporter from an elections office in a separate Pennsylvania county — Delaware County — amid a dispute over whether voters there were wrongly being told to leave the line for applying and casting mail ballots.

Linda Kerns, an attorney who represents the RNC and Trump’s campaign, told CNN on Tuesday that her team had received “dozens” of reports from voters, including from Bucks County, about issues related to requesting a mail-in ballot in person. The new lawsuit provided the declarations of three individuals who say they were turned away at Bucks County election sites Tuesday, despite arriving well before the 5 p.m. ET deadline.

A spokesperson for Bucks County declined to comment on the lawsuit. The Trump-Vance campaign, in a statement, described the decision as a “huge victory for the voting rights of Pennsylvanians.”

Voting in Pennsylvania: The state does not offer early in-person voting, but does allow voters to apply for and receive mail ballots in person at county election offices. The deadline to do so was Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET. But the lawsuit alleges that Bucks County election officials turned away voters who were in line before 5 p.m. ET, against guidance from state election officials that said that anyone who was in line by the deadline should be allowed to obtain a mail ballot that way.

The option to cast an “on-demand” mail ballot allows voters to apply for and receive mail ballots in one transaction at an election site, but it was not meant as a stand-in for in-person early voting, which Pennsylvania does not offer. Nevertheless, political campaigns have encouraged voters to use the process.

CNN’s Zachary Cohen contributed to this report. This post has been updated with additional reporting on the Pennsylvania judge’s ruling and a reaction from the Trump campaign.

US President Joe Biden is seen during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 30.

The White House reiterated on Wednesday that President Joe Biden does not view Donald Trump’s supporters as “garbage,” further defending a comment Biden made at a get-out-the-vote virtual call last night.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden was the one who wanted to clarify the remarks. Biden put out a social media post later Tuesday evening which said he was referring to the controversial remarks made by a comedian at Trump’s rally over the weekend.

“He does not view Trump supporters, or anybody who supports Trump as garbage. That is not what he views,” Jean-Pierre later added.

The press secretary stressed that it was the president’s intention to speak out against the hateful rhetoric from Trump’s rally.

“He wanted to make sure that, you know, we speak out against hateful rhetoric. It’s important to do that. Was he’s talking about Trump supporters? Absolutely not. As a whole? Absolutely not,” she said.

When asked by CNN if there would be any changes to the president’s schedule or format of events following Tuesday’s gaffe, Jean-Pierre said she had no changes “to speak to.”

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he thought the decision by The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and USA Today to not endorse a presidential candidate this election means they think that Vice President Kamala Harris is “no good.”

The publisher of the Washington Post announced on Friday that for the first time in decades, the newspaper would not endorse a candidate in this year’s presidential election. The Post reported the decision was made by the newspaper’s billionaire owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The LA Times is also not endorsing a candidate for president on the direction of Patrick Soon-Shiong, its the billionaire doctor owner. Gannett, owner of the nation’s largest newspaper chain, also announced that its more than 200 publications, including USA Today, will not publish presidential endorsements in the run-up to the election.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks to volunteers and staff at a campaign office in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz rallied volunteers and staff at a campaign offices in Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday. He has several campaign events in the state today as Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign seeks to flip it for Democrats for the first time since 2008.

Walz touted Harris’ remarks in Washington, DC Tuesday night, and said her speech demonstrated “how presidents talk” about the issues important to voters.

“What you saw last night, last night wasn’t a closing argument that the vice president made in front of 100,000 people in this nation. It was a vision for a new way forward,” he said at the Charlotte office.

Walz also labeled former President Donald Trump a “con man” while warning of the threats to the “grand experiment” posed by the rhetoric used by him and his supporters at his New York rally on Sunday.

In Greensboro, Walz said Harris’ speech showed “what a president should sound like” in speaking about her aims to work across party lines and unite the country, and projected confidence about Harris’ chances of enacting her vision.

“I heard people kind of making what happened was — it was her closing statement. That wasn’t a closing statement. That was the opening of her presidency,” Walz said.

This post has been updated with Walz’s remarks from Greensboro.

Nicky Jam attends Los 40 Primavera Pop Festival at Wizink Center on April 01, 2022 in Madrid, Spain.

Latin superstar Nicky Jam has withdrawn his endorsement of former President Donald Trump, one month after appearing onstage with Trump donning a MAGA hat.

The reggaeton artist posted to his 43.5 million followers on Instagram that he was withdrawing his Trump endorsement because of the recent comments made by a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally about Puerto Rico.

CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Some background: In September, the star appeared onstage at a Las Vegas rally with Trump. At that appearance, Trump awkwardly introduced the singer, perhaps not knowing who he was, calling him to the stage by saying “she’s hot.” Kamal Harris’ campaign seized on that moment, posting, “Nicky Jam is a man.”

Nicky Jam is the latest Puerto Rican star to denounce the Trump campaign after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” on Sunday.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a rally at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, in Raleigh, North Carolina, on October 10.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are honing in on battleground states as Election Day is less than a week away.

Harris and Trump both campaigned in North Carolina Wednesday afternoon and are heading to Wisconsin, where they will hold events later on.

Here’s what’s happened on the campaign trail so far today:

Harris: The vice president held a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, and told the crowd that she aims to “seek common ground” with those who disagree with her. She presented a vision of unity over division, saying Trump “has been trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other.”

Trump: During a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the Republican presidential candidate addressed controversial comments from Joe Biden that many interpreted as the president referring to Trump supporters as “garbage.” Trump said Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden “can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans.”

Biden “garbage” gaffe: Harris said that she “strongly disagrees” with criticizing anyone based on how they vote in the aftermath of Biden’s comments, which the administration said were made in response to Trump’s Sunday rally in New York City. The Harris campaign has come out and said that Biden was referring to rhetoric used by speakers during the rally. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is fundraising off of Biden’s remarks.

Campaign surrogates: House Speaker Mike Johnson told a group of supporters that Republicans will seek “massive reform” to the Affordable Care Act if Trump is elected — previewing a major piece of the GOP’s legislative plans for next year. Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton said many of Trump’s supporters have gotten caught up in identity politics and see those with differing views as a “moral threat” to them.

Voting: A divided Supreme Court allowed Virginia to implement a program that state officials say is aimed at removing suspected noncitizens from its voter registration rolls, siding with Republicans in one of the first significant decisions tied to next week’s election. A Pennsylvania appeals court said Wednesday that the requirement that mail-in voters handwrite the correct date on their ballot violates the state Constitution — but it is not yet clear how the ruling will apply going forward. The Trump campaign and other Republicans are also seeking one additional day of so-called “on-demand” mail voting in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in a lawsuit filed against the Bucks County Board of Elections.

A cold front sweeping across the Central US early next week is likely to bring the chance for showers and thunderstorms on Election Day, including in some key swing states.

Showers from the front are expected on Tuesday from the Great Lakes to eastern Texas. Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and isolated tornadoes are possible in the mid-Mississippi and southern Ohio Valleys.

“The potential for isolated severe thunderstorms would be greatest from Kentucky southwestward into western Tennessee and northern Mississippi,” the Storm Prediction Center said in its extended forecast.

Key swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan could see up to an inch of rain and possible afternoon thunderstorms. Heavier, potentially flooding rainfall is also forecast across Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois and Indiana, with totals reaching up to 3 inches on Election Day.

Though the rainfall could potentially impact voter turnout, it will be beneficial to areas currently experiencing growing drought conditions, including portions of the southern Plains, the Ozarks and the Midwest. Many of these locations have seen their driest Octobers on record.

Some morning showers are possible in New England, though the totals should be light.

Scattered rain showers are also possible Tuesday in the Pacific Northwest, along with light snow for the higher terrain in the Northern Rockies.

Ahead of the cold front, states in the East will be experiencing record warmth for early November, with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal, exceeding 80 degrees for much of the Southeast.

One pollster and communications strategist said voter blocs are still shifting less than a week out from Election Day — making the presidential election very close.

Frank Luntz said the election should be viewed through the lens of different voter groups. For example, in Pennsylvania, the most important battleground for both candidates, union members are “particularly eager to vote this time.”

According to new CNN polls conducted by SSRS, the race is tied in Pennsylvania with both candidates polling at 48% support.

Nationwide, he said for Vice President Kamala Harris specifically, “nothing matters more than 18 to 29 year-old women. If she can make them a higher percentage of the total vote then they normally make up, that’s her road to victory.” Former President Donald Trump, on the other hand, needs to turn out his base “in record numbers,” Luntz said.

As Trump and Harris have been on the campaign trial trying to motivate their supporters to go to the polls, they have also been trying to persuade a small amount of undecided voters in their closing arguments.

The problem, Luntz said, is most voters who still have not made up their mind feel like they are stuck in the middle.

Two local election officials in Michigan have been ordered to refrain from administering elections after they were planning to violate the state’s law, according to a letter that the Michigan’s Secretary of State Director of Elections sent to the two officials.

What the law is: In Michigan, ballots must go through the voting machines for the vote tally, and hand-counting is not allowed.

What the officials were doing: Jonathan Brater, the Director of Elections for Michigan’s Bureau of Elections, wrote to both of the Rock River township clerks, explaining that their plans show that they “intend to violate the Michigan Election Law.”

When the two officials – Tom Schierkolk, the clerk of Rock River Township, and his deputy, David LaMere – refused to follow those procedures Brater moved to ban them from administering elections, he said in the letter.

Officials’ response: CNN has reached out to Schierkolk and Brater for comment. The New York Times was first to report on the letter.

The big picture: The incident underscores the decentralized nature of Michigan’s vote-counting process which involves the many individual township and jurisdictional clerks inside of each of the 83 counties. As a result, state election officials have concerns about nefarious activity from within.

What to know about township: Rock River Township is in Oceana County, which former President Donald Trump won with 63% of the vote in 2020. There were 13,836 votes cast in the county.

Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost defended Joe Biden in the aftermath of the president’s “garbage” comment.

“I think he misspoke because he was angry thinking about the bigotry we heard at Madison Square Garden, and honestly, I think that’s it,” Frost told CNN on Wednesday.

Asked if he thought Biden was only referring to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe — who said at former President Donald Trump’s Sunday rally in New York City that Puerto Rico was “a floating island of garbage”— Frost said he thinks Biden was referring to Hinchcliffe and other supporters who said bigoted things on the stage at Madison Square Garden.

“We got to be clear, it wasn’t just the comedian that was spewing hatred and bigotry. We heard a ton of antisemitism on that stage and anti-Blackness, Islamophobia, anti-immigrant hatred — there was just so much hatred on the stage, and I think the president was talking about that guy specifically but also just everything set from that stage at that rally,” Frost said.

Frost said he did not believe that Biden was detrimental to the Harris-Walz campaign, despite his recent gaffes. “I do not think Joe Biden is a liability,” he said, praising the president’s “selfless” decision to step aside in the presidential race and hand the baton over to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a campaign event at the Rocky Mount Event Center on October 30, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

Donald Trump on Wednesday addressed controversial comments that President Joe Biden made that many interpreted as him referring to supporters of the former president as “garbage,” and said Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden “can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans.”

“Speaking on a call for her campaign last night, Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters. He called them garbage. And they mean it,” Trump said at a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

Trump’s remarks follow comments from Biden on Tuesday that seemingly referred to the former president’s supporters as “garbage” during a Voto Latino get out-the-vote call.

Biden was responding to comments made at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden and said, “And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico ‘a floating island of garbage.’ Well, let me tell you something … I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know… or Puerto Rico where I’m – in my home state of Delaware – they’re good, decent, honorable people.”

Harris has attempted to distance herself from Biden’s comments, telling reporters on Wednesday that she “strongly” disagrees with criticizing people based on who they vote for.

The Trump campaign has seized on the comments. A fundraising text specifically criticizes Harris’ “silence” on the issue. The full fundraising appeal claims the Biden-Harris administration “look down on us,” adding that on November 5, “they’re going to learn just how powerful all of us really are.”

A Pennsylvania appeals court said Wednesday that the requirement that mail-in voters handwrite the correct date on their ballot violates the state Constitution — but it is not yet clear how the ruling will apply going forward.

The ruling comes in a dispute over ballots that were rejected in a previous election in Philadelphia. Voting rights advocates have filed several lawsuits trying to strike down the dating requirement, including with a case pending at the US Supreme Court that will not be resolved before Election Day. It may take additional proceedings to determine whether the new appeals court ruling will apply statewide in this election.

Voters are instructed to write the date on which they filled out the ballot. However, the requirement has led to the rejection of thousands of ballots in past elections, as voters sometimes put their birthdate or other incorrect dates, or forget to date the ballot envelope altogether.

Republican sources did not immediately respond to CNN’s inquiry as to whether they will seek to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court, as they have done in other cases where mail ballot rules have been loosened.

Read more about the ruling in Pennsylvania here.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday held the first of three get-out-the-vote rallies she has scheduled for the day — telling a crowd in battleground North Carolina that she hopes to “seek common ground” even with those who disagree with her.

“We have just six days left in one of the most consequential elections in our lifetime. And we have work to do,” Harris said in Raleigh while also telling the crowd that “we will win.”

She presented a vision of unity over division, saying former President Donald Trump “has been trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other.”

A version of those remarks is typical in Harris’ stump speech, but carries special resonance on Wednesday in light of the controversy surrounding President Joe Biden’s “garbage” comments on Trump supporters the previous day.

She added: “I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress, and I pledge to you, I will listen to the experts. I will listen to those impacted by the decisions I make.”

As she was being interrupted by an apparent protester, Harris added: “and to people who disagree with me.”

She implored the crowd: “Let us please be intentional about building community. Let us please be intentional about building coalitions, because through all of that, we strengthen our nation because we know and will always remember the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us.”

Her rallies continue Wednesday with appearances in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump is also in North Carolina and Wisconsin today.

Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are campaigning in North Carolina Wednesday afternoon.

Harris is delivering remarks at a campaign event in Raleigh while Trump is at a rally in Rocky Mount. They will both campaign in Wisconsin later today.

Why this state is so important: North Carolina will play a pivotal role again in November as a battleground state that stands squarely in the middle of the path to the White House for both Harris and Trump. Recent polling has shown the race within the margin of error, showing no real clear leader

While Harris might not need to win the Tar Heel State to win the White House, losing it would complicate Trump’s path to victory

Anti-abortion advocates at a leading national group have knocked on more than 4 million doors to reach voters in the 2024 election cycle so far.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and its partner Women Speak Out PAC said Wednesday that nearly 1 million of those visits were made by student canvassers. It is part of the groups’ plan to reach 10 million voters, especially in key battleground states, they said in a statement.

SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser criticized the abortion policies of Vice President Kamala Harris who has made the issue a big part of her campaign. Harris has promised to sign a bill into law “restoring reproductive freedom nationwide” if elected, according to her campaign website.

Democratic vice presidential candidate “Tim Walz and Democrats down the ballot stand in lock step with her platform, in contrast to GOP candidates who support the people’s right to set limits and truly empower women with the resources they need,” Dannenfelser said in the statement.

Former President Donald Trump said he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected, reversing a promise he made as a candidate in 2016 and one that he had stood by during his first term in the White House.

Abortion on the ballot: Voters in at least 10 states will take to the polls to determine the future of abortion access in their state.

The issue of abortion became a galvanizing issue after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Most of the proposed ballot measures follow a series of restrictive trigger laws that went into effect following the Dobbs decision, along with abortion policies that were handed down by politicians or decided by state supreme courts since the decision.

Seven states have already seen a vote on abortion access since Roe v. Wade was overturned, and reproductive health advocates have been heartened by the overwhelming support for abortion access among voters.

A Republican-tied super PAC is making robocalls in battleground Wisconsin telling voters to back Green Party candidate Jill Stein over Kamala Harris because of the Democratic presidential nominee’s stances on Israel and the environment.

Another call from the group reminds voters that former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is supporting Donald Trump.

Calls reviewed by CNN from the anti-robocall company Nomorobo from the group Badger Values attack Harris for her “unwavering” support of Israel and note that Harris has changed her position on fracking, in an attempt to dissuade progressive voters from supporting her.

“Hi, this is Jennifer with Badger Values,” the call says. “There is only one candidate for president who will fight for our planet, support a real green New Deal and ban fracking. And it’s not Kamala Harris, it’s Jill Stein.” calls from the group attacks Harris on the issue of Israel.

Other calls from the group attack Harris on the issue of Israel.

“Harris will never stop the genocide in Gaza, even though Netanyahu said Israel will destroy Gaza and turn them into rubble. Kamala Harris said she is unwavering in her support of Israel and will never change, even campaigning with the Cheneys. Do not vote for Kamala Harris…if you care about Palestinian lives, vote Jill Stein for President on or before November 5th.”

More context: Federal Election Commission expenditures list the group making calls both in support of Trump and Stein. Filings show that on October 29, 2024, Badger Values PAC reported paying CampaignHQ, which identifies as a Republican group, a total of $8,326.68 for phone outreach, including $2,914.34 in support of Jill Stein, $2,081.67 in support of Donald Trump, and $3,330.67 in opposition to Kamala Harris.

Vice President Kamala Harris maintains a narrow advantage in two of the three “blue wall” states that collectively represent her clearest path to an Electoral College victory over former President Donald Trump, according to new CNN polls conducted by SSRS.

In Michigan, Harris holds a lead over Trump by 48% to 43% among likely voters. Harris also leads Trump in Wisconsin, where 51% support her to 45% for Trump. But the race is tied in Pennsylvania (both with 48% support), the largest electoral prize of the three states and a central piece of either candidate’s hopes of winning the White House. All three states broke in Trump’s favor in 2016, but President Joe Biden won them in 2020.

Of the seven states rated as toss-ups by CNN, Michigan and Wisconsin are the only two where voters’ ballots still include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — the former independent candidate who suspended his bid for the presidency and threw his support behind Trump. In Michigan, Kennedy holds 3% support, and he stands at 1% in Wisconsin. Support for third-party and independent candidates overall runs highest in Michigan, with 6% of likely voters there saying they back a candidate other than Harris or Trump.

The overall results are nearly identical to the last round of CNN polling in these three states, conducted in late summer, when Harris led Trump by 50% to 44% in Wisconsin and 48% to 43% in Michigan, with Harris and Trump tied at 47% in Pennsylvania.

Read more about the newest polling.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Election Day is less than a week away, and the candidates and their running mates are making their final pitches to voters in battleground states that could define who wins the election.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will both be campaigning in North Carolina and Wisconsin today.

Here’s what we know about the Wednesday plans of both campaigns:

Presidential candidates:

Harris: At 12:30 p.m. ET, the vice president will deliver remarks at a campaign event in Raleigh, North Carolina. At 4:35 p.m ET, Harris will deliver remarks at a campaign event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

At 9:30pET, Harris will deliver remarks at a campaign event at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. Musical artists Gracie Abrams, Mumford & Sons and Remi Wolf will perform. The rally is part of the Harris campaign’s efforts to reach college students as early voting is underway in battleground states.

Trump: At 1 p.m ET, Trump will deliver remarks at a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. At 7 p.m. ET, the former president will deliver remarks at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre will be featured as a guest speaker.

At 9 p.m. ET, part two of Trump’s pre-taped interview with Sean Hannity will air on Fox News’ “Hannity.”

Vice presidential candidates:

Tim Walz: This morning, Walz joined “Good Morning America” and “CBS Mornings” for interviews. At 1 p.m. ET, Walz will participate in a political event in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the afternoon, Walz will participate in a series of political stops in Greensboro, North Carolina, to encourage people in the state to vote early for Harris and Democrats down the ballot. In the evening, Walz will deliver remarks at a Harris-Walz campaign event in Asheville, NC.

Vance: At 5:30 p.m. ET, Vance will deliver remarks at a town hall with former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard in Bedford, Pennsylvania. Vance is also expected to travel to Austin, Texas, to tape an interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast, which is expected to be released later in the week.

CNN’s Christian Sierra, Christina Asencio, and Joseph Bonheim contributed reporting to this post.

The Trump campaign is seizing again on President Joe Biden’s comments where he seemingly referred to Trump supporters as “garbage.”

The fundraising text specifically criticizes Vice President Kamala Harris’ “silence” on the issue.

Harris addressed Biden’s comment earlier Wednesday and told reporters that she “strongly disagrees” with criticizing people based on who they vote for.

The full fundraising appeal claims the Biden-Harris administration “look down on us,” adding that on November 5, “they’re going to learn just how powerful all of us really are.”

Rep. Elissa Slotkin listens to questions from reporters during a Planned Parenthood rally at the Rochester Community House on October 27 in Rochester, Michigan.

Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats’ nominee for Senate, told a Detroit radio station that President Joe Biden’s “garbage” comments were “inappropriate.”

“In terms of what President Biden said yesterday, he shouldn’t have said it. It’s inappropriate. And, for me, I just think that kind of talk is the last thing we need in our politics,” Slotkin told WWJ Newsradio on Wednesday.

Vice President Kamala Harris also addressed Biden’s gaffe earlier and said that she “strongly disagrees” with criticizing people based on who they vote for.

While the terms “swing state” and “battleground state” are used interchangeably, they’re actually different things, says David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University in Minnesota.

A swing state is one that has flipped and recently supported presidents from different parties. Think of the “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan: They’ve swung from Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012 to Republican President Donald Trump in 2016 and then back to Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020.

Now they’re battleground states, or places where candidates show up and campaign, according to Schultz.

They also fall into a third category of competitive states, where results are within 5 percentage points.

More technically, Schultz told CNN, these states usually share some characteristics, including that they are relatively evenly split between Republicans and Democrats and that their “average or median voter is to the right of where the Democrats are nationally and to the left of where the Republican Party is nationally.”

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 17, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.

Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Wednesday he will be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.

The former Republican California governor criticized former President Donald Trump and said another term would make people “angrier and angrier, more divided, and more hateful.” Last week, Trump said the US is “like a garbage can for the world” as he railed against illegal immigration at a campaign rally in Arizona.

In his Wednesday post, Schwarzenegger added: “I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz.”

Schwarzenegger has been openly critical of Trump in recent years. Following the January 6 insurrection in 2021, Schwarzenegger said Trump will be remembered as the worst President in US history and urged unity among Americans.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the press after speaking at the Church of Christian Compassion on October 27, 2024 in Philadelphia.

Vice President Kamala Harris said that she does not agree with criticizing people based on who they vote for after she was asked about President Joe Biden’s “garbage” gaffe.

“Listen, I think, first of all he clarified his comments, but let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris said.

Biden on Tuesday tried to clean up his comments, which sparked immediate backlash from many who interpreted them as referring to supporters of former President Donald Trump as “garbage.”

Harris pointed to her message of unity from her remarks at the Ellipse in Washington, DC, Tuesday night.

Asked if she has spoken to the president about his comments, Harris said that Biden called her Tuesday evening but that the president’s comments “didn’t come up.”

On the heels of President Joe Biden’s comments Tuesday night that seemingly referred to former President Donald Trump’s supporters as “garbage,” setting off a political firestorm, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign was quick to try to publicly defend or explain those remarks.

But in private, both inside and around the campaign, plenty of Democrats were quietly buzzing with frustration and concern about the president’s remarks.

Senior campaign officials were fielding messages of exasperation from supporters — some of whom suggested that perhaps the president should find a way to stay out of public view altogether in the final six days leading up to Election Day, sources said.

That sentiment was privately shared by some inside the Harris campaign, even as it publicly sought to downplay or clarify Biden’s comments.

Biden’s remarks, made in a virtual call with the Voto Latino group, had undeniably become an unwelcome distraction. Trump and his allies quickly seized on them to accuse Harris and her campaign, by extension, of looking down on Americans who back the former president.

Democrats are forcefully making the point that Biden is not the presidential nominee, and Harris has been abundantly clear that she has respect for all voters — whether they support her or not. They also have lashed out at what they see as a clear double standard, given Trump’s long history of racist, misogynistic and offensive remarks.

As CNN has reported, there had been growing wariness among Harris campaign aides about Biden’s propensity for gaffes, at a moment when the campaign does not want to take any unnecessary political risks. Tuesday night’s “garbage” comments from Biden only ended up confirming those existing concerns for many Democrats.

A divided Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Virginia to implement a program that state officials say is aimed at removing suspected noncitizens from its voter registration rolls, siding with Republicans in one of the first significant decisions tied to next week’s election.

The decision, which came without explanation and over the dissent of the court’s three liberal justices, will allow the state to continue remove certain voters it suspects of being noncitizens.

Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, framed the effort in Virginia as a common-sense way of ensuring noncitizens don’t vote. But the Biden administration, voting rights groups and lower courts said the program also ensnared – and potentially disenfranchised – an unknown number of citizens.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said that Vice President Kamala Harris is the best choice for Muslim and Arab American voters who are concerned about the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war.

Walz said that Harris will work toward “stabilization in the Middle East” while combating Islamophobia domestically, in an interview with CBS News on Wednesday.

Walz made the case for Harris directly to voters concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, arguing that she is working with President Joe Biden to end the war and facilitate a release of hostages taken by Hamas by “building the coalition in the Middle East” and pushing back on threats from Iran — which he said former President Donald Trump has not done.

Walz’s response comes after both his and Harris’ rallies have been repeatedly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, including during a joint rally the two attended in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Monday.

In the interview, Walz said he met with Muslim and Arab American community leaders “recently” in Michigan. A campaign official later said Walz was referring to a meeting with the community leaders in Wisconsin on Monday.

This post has been updated with information about Walz’s meeting.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a campaign event in Burns Park on Monday, October 28, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sought to clarify President Joe Biden’s comment appearing to refer to supporters of former President Donald Trump as “garbage,” arguing that Biden was speaking about the rhetoric used by speakers at Trump’s New York rally on Sunday and denying that his comment undermines Vice President Kamala Harris’ pledge to govern on behalf of all Americans if she’s elected president.

In an interview with ABC News, Walz said that Harris’ remarks in Washington, DC, on Tuesday should be the message voters focus on, noting that Harris is the candidate at the top of the Democratic ticket, not Biden.

Walz said in an interview with CBS News on Wednesday that Biden’s response to a Trump rally speaker referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” was a reaction to the “frustration with Donald Trump’s rhetoric of division,” and rejected the argument that Biden’s response undercuts a central message of the Harris campaign to unify the country.

When asked by CBS News about reports from CNN and others that Biden has been given a diminished role on the campaign trail amid a spate of recent gaffes, Walz stressed that Biden’s role as president is distinct from Harris, the Democratic nominee, and that Biden is “doing what he needs to do” in leading the country.

Just under a week out from the election, the US economy seems to have pulled off a remarkable and historic achievement.

Gross domestic product, which measures all the goods and services produced in the economy, expanded at an annualized rate of 2.8% in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That’s a slightly weaker pace than the second quarter’s 3% rate and above the 2.6% rate economists projected in a FactSet poll. GDP is adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation.

As the US economy continued to expand from July through September, inflation drifted lower toward the Federal Reserve’s 2% target during that same period, the report showed. Several economists tell CNN that the economy has finally pulled off an exceptionally rare achievement known as a soft landing, a scenario in which inflation is tamed without a recession.

American shoppers continued to fuel economic growth in the third quarter with their spending, according to the report. Consumer spending accounts for about 70% of economic output.

A senior adviser for Kamala Harris’ campaign defended President Joe Biden after his “garbage” comment, saying “voters know President Biden; they know how he feels about the American people.”

Cutter continued: “At the same time, the vice president is running her own campaign, she’s building a coalition of all Americans regardless of your party affiliation, regardless of who you vote for she’s going to fight for you and made that clear.”

Cutter also said that she would “let the vice president speak for herself,” suggesting that Harris herself will respond to the president’s comments.

Some background: Biden’s gaffe sparked immediate backlash from many who interpreted them as referring to Trump supporters as “garbage.” In reaction to comments about Puerto Rico made at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, Biden said: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”

Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, following outrage after a speaker at former President Donald Trump’s New York rally made offensive comments aimed at Puerto Rico on Sunday.

The newspaper’s editorial heavily criticized the former president.

“Trump suffers from psychopathic elements that he evidences by lying repeatedly. He has no moral compass and believes that the rules do not apply to him. These are traits typical of those people who qualify as malignant narcissists. Trump is one of the worst,” Rangel wrote.

The endorsement comes as well-known Puerto Rican figures, including Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, have spoken out against remarks made by Tony Hinchcliffe, a comedian and podcast host, calling Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” at Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden.

Trump’s campaign has since tried to distance itself from Hinchcliffe. Both the Trump and Harris campaigns have been vying for the Puerto Rican vote, especially in battleground Pennsylvania, where about 500,000 Puerto Ricans live.

The decision from El Nuevo Día to make an endorsement contrasts with other US newspapers, including The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, whose editorial teams were blocked from publishing endorsements in the presidential race from their respective owners. Both outlets have received backlash and faced canceled subscriptions following their announcements.

A police officer surveils a ballot box in Vancouver, Washington on October 29.

The ballot drop box is exactly what it sounds like – a box for voters to drop completed absentee or mail ballots.

They serve as a “secure and convenient” way for voters to cast their ballots, according to the US Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan agency established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002. In particular, voters can deliver their completed ballots to a drop box without needing to rely on the mail service.

For election officials, drop boxes also improve voting access and lower the number of people who need to access voting locations, giving more space to those who want to vote in person, the commission states.

Drop boxes have long been used in the western states of Oregon, Washington and Colorado.

Best practices for securing drop boxes

Drop boxes can be either staffed or unstaffed and can be temporary or permanent structures. They are generally placed in designated public places, such as near an election office, inside a library or at a polling place, according to the US Election Assistance Commission.

The commission offers a series of recommendations for ensuring the boxes are secure.

The unstaffed, 24-hour ballot drop boxes should be made of durable material such as steel and permanently cemented into the ground, generally at a cost of about $6,000 each, the commission says. In addition, the commission recommends drop boxes have a video surveillance camera, media storage device, decal for branding and information, extra keys for access and security seals.

Only an election official or designated drop box team should have access, ideally bipartisan teams of poll workers or temporary workers to pick up the ballots on a regular basis, according to the commission.

Each state has specific rules on how to secure these drop boxes, including with locks, video feeds, chain of custody requirements, police presence and even fire suppression.

Workers install security fencing around the White House grounds in Washington, DC, on October 28.

Representatives from Vice President Kamala Harris’ and former President Donald Trump’s transition teams met with federal agency transition planners on Tuesday to discuss “post-election readiness,” a White House spokesperson says.

“The meeting focused on post-election readiness to ensure agencies and the transition teams are ready to execute responsibly and efficiently,” a White House spokesperson said.

The meeting comes as each team gears up its transition preparations with less than a week to go before the election. While Harris’ operation has signed memorandums of understanding about transition activities, Trump’s side has blown past deadlines and not signed any agreements with the federal government, causing concern among nonpartisan experts and some Democrats.

One memorandum with the GSA would provide access to office space, communications, equipment and IT support. Another agreement with the White House details the terms of access to agencies, including personnel, facilities and documents. The transitions teams are also expected to submit an ethics plan and identify the initial people who would need security clearances to have access to classified information during the transition period.

Harris and Trump representatives previously attended a meeting with the White House Transition Coordinating Committee, which was led by White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, in September. The Federal Transition Coordinator has also stayed in contact with each candidate’s transition teams, the spokesperson said.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a speech on the National Mall in Washington, DC on October 29.

Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social at 2:37 a.m. ET to respond to Vice President Kamala Harris’ closing argument speech she gave Tuesday night at the Ellipse.

“Kamala’s speech was terrible, full of lies and nothing new. Where are the jobs? There are none!” he posted.

The vice president’s Ellipse speech was billed by her campaign as a “closing argument.”

Speaking for about a half-hour from the Ellipse, Harris measured her policy plans against Trump’s, casting herself as the former president’s foil – a president who would expand Medicare to cover home health care, where Trump would try to cut the program; a president who would back women’s reproductive rights, where Trump would further restrict them; a president who would prize compromise, where Trump feasts on conflict.

“Our democracy doesn’t require us to agree on everything. That’s not the American way,” Harris said Tuesday. “We like a good debate. And the fact that someone disagrees with us, does not make them ‘the enemy from within.’ They are family, neighbors, classmates, coworkers.”

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Vice President Kamala Harris wants to renovate the American economy. Former President Donald Trump’s economic vision amounts to knocking it down and rebuilding it from the ground up.

The Harris economic agenda calls for modest improvements designed to make life more affordable. Bigger tax credits for parents. Boosting the minimum wage. Building more homes. And more small business loans.

There’s nothing subtle about the Trump agenda. He’s calling for dramatic changes that could upend daily life. Mass deportations. Unthinkably high tariffs. And enough tax giveaways to give Oprah a run for her money.

The campaigns are fiercely divided over which approach is best for this moment. But what’s clear is that voters are not being forced to choose between two similar visions. They have a real contrast: Measured changes to the economy or drastic ones.

“Trump is proposing radical change – with an emphasis on radical,” Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, told CNN in a phone interview. “When you’re talking about forced deportations and 1930s-style tariffs, you’re talking about significant disruptions.”

Yet it’s far from clear that the US economy requires the complete overhaul Trump wants.

After all, the Federal Reserve appears to be on the verge of pulling off the once-unlikely soft landing: Taming inflation without crashing the jobs market. Unemployment remains historically low. The rate of inflation is nearly back to normal.

“The economy is doing just fine on its own. It doesn’t need radical change,” said Brusuelas.

Read more about the two presidential candidates different approaches to the economy, and what that could mean here.

Polling suggests the gender divide between who is voting for which presidential candidate is becoming increasingly clear with the election less than one week away.

CNN’s Harry Enten breaks it down for us.

The Kremlin compound is seen through a barbed wire in Moscow on October 22, 2024.

“Political technologists” in Russia have been working to spread disinformation and influence elections around the world — including the US election — said Martin Innes, director of Cardiff University’s Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute.

Innes described these individuals as commercial entities who “win contracts to run information operations on behalf of the Kremlin.”

Regarding the US election, at a Russian conference last November the political technologists identified “issues such as immigration, popular sovereignty, culture wars, as being areas where they wanted to put their narratives in,” said Innes.

Some context: Last week, Russian operatives created and amplified false online content attempting to smear Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, US intelligence agencies said.

That same week, US intelligence assessed that Russian operatives were behind a fake video purporting to show someone destroying mail-in ballots in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, that circulated on social media.

US intelligence has previously assessed that in the 2020 US election, Russia conducted a range of influence operations to denigrate Joe Biden’s candidacy and support Donald Trump’s candidacy. The intelligence official said that Russia’s preference for US presidential candidates has not changed from previous election cycles.

In the closing weeks of the presidential race, Democrats have mounted an unprecedented digital advertising campaign, hoping to tip the balance in one of the closest elections in US history.

The party has spent hundreds of millions of dollars, with the effort steered by Future Forward political action committee (PAC), or FF PAC, the largest single-candidate super PAC in the 2024 election.

The group is breaking from traditional political advertising by focusing half of its $450 million budget on digital platforms, including what it says is the largest political ad buy in YouTube history, crafting highly targeted content to capture the attention of voters.

FF PAC’s approach, particularly in the campaign’s final weeks, has emphasized digital advertising aimed at non-political audiences, including younger voters, especially younger women, Black voters, Latino voters and other key demographics that Vice President Kamala Harris will need to form a winning coalition.

Some context: Super PACs are prohibited from directly coordinating with the campaigns they support. But leveraging its scale, FF PAC has produced and tested more than 1,000 unique ads, locking in on the economy and abortion as top messaging priorities. And in the closing stretch, the group is advising Democrats not to overemphasize attacks on Donald Trump’s character and fitness for office, such as recent messaging by the Harris campaign calling the former president a fascist, and remain focused on voters’ pocketbooks and reproductive rights.

Read more about Democrat advertising efforts.

Guests attend a rally for Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, alongside former President Barack Obama, on October 22, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin.

As both US presidential candidates lean into their final push to court voters before Election Day, a major factor could come into play, said CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein: gender.

That’s why “so much of Trump’s campaign is aimed at activating younger men who are not regular voters,” he said.

Many women in those areas may still favor Republican policies on issues like immigration and the economy. However, Brownstein said, they may also be deeply concerned about the rollback of abortion rights and the future of reproductive rights in America — potentially pushing this demographic toward Harris.

Some context: The Trump campaign has made a point of courting male voters, with the former president appearing at sporting events and on several podcasts and radio shows popular with men.

The Harris campaign has also sought to use issues that have helped it make greater inroads with women voters to appeal to men in recent weeks, arguing that access to reproductive health care should be a top priority for male voters because of the impact it could have on the women in their lives.

The US presidential election is expected to have razor-thin margins, with polls showing Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump neck-in-neck nationwide and in battleground states.

For a presidential candidate to win the election, they need to receive at least 270 electoral college votes.

Seven battleground states are expected to be pivotal to Harris and Trump’s path to 270.

They are thought to be states that could conceivably be won by either candidate. As a result, the campaigns have focused their energy in these areas.

Here are the 2024 battleground states and the number of electoral college votes at stake in each:

The US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 18.

Every two years, every seat in the House, all 435 of them, is up for grabs. Most of those seats are relatively safe for either Republicans or Democrats, but there is always the possibility that the majority changes hands.

Democrats are favored in 208 races and Republicans are favored in 212, according to preelection House race ratings from the nonpartisan analysis site Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.

With just 15 races listed as toss-ups, it’s likely that neither party will have a very large majority next year.

Changes in the balance of power have actually happened more in recent elections. This year, Republicans are heading into the election with a small majority, and it’s entirely possible that Democrats win their own small majority for the next House even if they lose the White House and control of the Senate.

It’s important for either party to control the House. Presidents need control to enact their priorities. The out-of-power party wants control to block the president’s priorities. In an ideal world, the two sides would work together to find consensus on issues like immigration and the tax code.

Read more about how the US election works.

US Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol vehicles sit parked along border wall fencing between the United States and Mexico on August 1 in Jacumba Hot Springs, California.

Donald Trump has made immigration and the US-Mexico border a central campaign issue, successfully pressuring Republicans to reject a major bipartisan border deal earlier this year.

Kamala Harris, meanwhile, has tried to counter Trump’s attacks on her immigration record during her campaign.

Trump’s attacks stem from President Joe Biden having tasked Harris with overseeing diplomatic efforts in Central America in 2021. While she focused on long-term fixes, the Department of Homeland Security remained responsible for overseeing border security.

Here’s a look at what both candidates have pledged on the issue:

Trump

In an op-ed in January, Trump vowed to use the “Alien Enemies Act to remove known or suspected gang members, drug dealers, or cartel members from the United States.”

In a video posted on Truth Social in February before a visit to the border, Trump also promised to “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”

Trump in June proposed “automatically” giving green cards to foreign nationals who graduate from US colleges — comments that break from his efforts to curb both legal and illegal immigration while in office.

After the Israel-Hamas war began last October, Trump promised to terminate the visas of “Hamas’ sympathizers.”

Harris

Her campaign released a video in July citing support for increasing the number of Border Patrol agents, and she has often called out Trump’s successful push to scuttle a bipartisan immigration deal that included some of the toughest border security measures in recent memory.

In June, the White House announced a crackdown on asylum claims meant to continue reducing crossings at the border — a policy that Harris’ campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, indicated in July to CBS News would continue under a Harris administration.

Harris has only occasionally talked about her efforts as the border became a political vulnerability for Biden. But she put her own stamp on the administration’s efforts, engaging the private sector. Harris pulled together the Partnership for Central America, which has acted as a liaison between companies and the US government.

Experts credit Harris’ ability to secure private-sector investments as her most visible action in the region to date but have cautioned about the long-term durability of those investments.

Read more about Harris’ and Trump’s stances on key issues.

President Joe Biden speaks about his Investing in America agenda in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 29.

Joe Biden had largely been an afterthought one week before the election in which he’d once hoped to win a second term.

Not anymore.

The president inadvertently injected himself into the homestretch of the campaign and may have handed a big assist to his erstwhile rival, ex-President Donald Trump, who is struggling to quell a furor over his bigotry-filled rally at Madison Square Garden earlier this week.

Biden mentioned Puerto Rico, slandered as a “floating island of garbage” by a comedian at Trump’s event on Sunday night. But his clumsy defense of the self-governing US territory — and the vital swing voters in its diaspora on the US mainland — sparked a political firestorm and distracted from Vice Kamala President Harris’ big closing argument speech against a White House backdrop on Tuesday night.

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden said, pausing for a moment before continuing. “His, his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American.”

The White House quickly tried to clean up the president’s remarks, with a spokesman saying he’d been referring to the “hateful rhetoric” at the rally, not Trump’s backers.

But the damage may already have been done.

Read the full analysis.

More than 150 million people are likely to cast ballots for a presidential candidate on or before Election Day. But it’s 538 electors who will choose the president in a process that snakes through December and January.

When voters cast ballots, they are actually selecting a slate of electors tied to the candidate who wins the popular vote in each state.

The electors will then cast votes for president and vice president in each state’s capitol on December 17. That meeting is also known as the Electoral College, and it’s required in the Constitution.

Those electoral votes will be counted in the chamber of the House of Representatives on January 6, 2025, with the new Congress looking on.

The new president takes office on January 20, 2025.

Read more about how the US election works.

Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein isn’t too worried about Election Day.

It’s the hours after polls close in Pennsylvania that have him on edge.

Bluestein, the sole Republican on the city’s bipartisan Board of Elections, said threats against election workers in 2020 (including himself) forced the city to move its vote counting operations from downtown Philadelphia a new permanent warehouse in a more remote part of the city.

Fencing surrounding the building has been pushed back to put more space between election workers and protestors.

“They won’t even get close,” Bluestein said.

When it comes to online misinformation or conspiracy theories, Bluestein said his team will be working to correct the record in real time.

“If there are conspiracies about the election after the fact on those same issues, we can point back to our response in real time as part of the evidence for why the election was being run correctly and fairly,” Bluestein said.

Pennsylvania is one of seven battleground states that are seen as key to Kamala Harris’ and Donald Trump’s path to win the presidency.

Listen to the full interview.

Vice President Kamala Harris arrives on stage for a campaign rally on the Ellipse in Washington, DC, on October 29, 2024.

With Election Day nearing, Vice President Kamala Harris made her closing pitch at the Ellipse in Washington, DC, on Tuesday evening, laying out her stance on issues like reproductive rights and immigration, as well as contrasting her vision with that of former President Donald Trump.

The crowd filled the Ellipse to capacity, according to a campaign official. Additional attendees were directed to an overflow area on the National Mall.

Here is the main campaign news of the day:

An emphasis on differences vs Trump

Location importance

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at The PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on October 29, 2024.

Trump in Pennsylvania

Other election news you should know