RandySF
RandySF's JournalBallot initiatives in Colorado, Louisiana could restrict abortion access
Abortion rights supporters and opponents have said the issue is on the ballot this November with the battle between President Trump, who considers himself "pro-life," and Joe Biden, who says he is "pro-choice."
But abortion is literally on the ballot in two states where voters will decide whether to support initiatives that could restrict access to the procedure.
Colorado will decide whether abortion should be banned after 22 weeks of pregnancy, while Louisiana will vote on an amendment that states there is no right to the procedure in the state’s constitution.
Both initiatives come as anti-abortion groups try to expand their reach in the states in the hopes that one day the Supreme Court will overturn or weaken Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established a right to an abortion before fetal viability — when a fetus can survive outside the womb.
The ruling did not determine viability, leaving states to set their own standards.
Colorado is one of only eight states, including Washington, D.C., that does not have gestational limits on abortion, making it a target for anti-abortion groups.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/522536-ballot-initiatives-in-colorado-louisiana-could-restrict-abortion-access
Texas' massive early voting numbers have persisted, leading to predictions of overall turnout unseen
The unusually large voter turnout in Texas has persisted through the first 10 days of the early voting period, leading experts to predict that the state could reach overall turnout levels unseen so far this century.
According to the latest data from the Texas secretary of state, 6.4 million Texans — 37.6% of registered voters — had already cast their ballots through Thursday. Nearly 90% of those have been cast in person. With a full week left, that’s surpassing the total percentage turnout for early voting in 2012, though still a couple of percentage points short of 2016’s early voting turnout. Early voting in 2012 and 2016 had about one less week.
As of Friday morning, more than half of Texas’ counties have already seen a third or more of their registered voters participate. Out of Texas’ largest counties, suburban counties like Collin, Denton, and Williamson are reporting some of the highest turnout rates, surpassing 45%.
At Gov. Greg Abbott’s order, Texas voters have an extra six days of early voting in hopes that the polls will be less crowded during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The added time, coupled with a push from leaders in both parties for Texans to cast their ballots early, could be a reason for a boost in turnout so far, experts say.
https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/23/texas-early-voting-records/
GA-SEN: Staffers for Kelly Loeffler test positive for COVID-19
WASHINGTON — Two people who work for U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler recently tested positive for the coronavirus.
Loeffler took her own test on Friday, which she said was negative. She plans to participate in Monday’s scheduled vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Senator Loeffler is more energized than ever to vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as the next Supreme Court Justice on Monday before returning home and traveling the state to meet with hardworking Georgians," a Saturday statement from her office said.
Loeffler was present for votes on the Senate floor on Friday. Her office did not say whether she had received her negative test results by then.
Loeffler’s team would not provide the names of the staffers, the date of their positive tests or if they are displaying symptoms of illness. Her office also did not say if these staffers had any direct interaction with the senator or if Loeffler planned to take any additional precautions.
https://www.ajc.com/politics/staffers-for-kelly-loeffler-test-positive-for-covid-19/NKUSAY6YUNAHDEI62D7I7TE37Y/
Waiting to vote in Philly's long lines wasn't so bad thanks to musicians, motorcyclists, MTV, and fr
Carlton Jackson was prepared to be bored when he showed up to vote Saturday in South Philadelphia. The long line of people waiting to fill out and hand in ballots snaked along two sides of the High School for Creative & Performing Arts (CAPA).
But Jackson got some surprise entertainment from Movemakers Philly, a youth hip-hop dance team. The dancing kids and music from the DJ had voters clapping to the beat and shooting video on their phones outside the school on South Broad Street. Jackson posted a recording on social media, thinking the video could motivate others to vote early.
“With this making it more fun, it gets people to come out,” said the 47-year-old South Philly resident who, at that point, had been in line an hour and a half. “It doesn’t seem that long.”
On what was the inaugural “Vote Early Day,” a national effort to highlight voting options with Election Day just 10 days away, musicians, motorcyclists, and community members made voting a little more exciting throughout the city with events meant to entertain, educate, and encourage. Those who did turn out to vote found free food and music outside some satellite voting locations, which allow voters to request and cast a mail-in ballot in one location.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/early-voting-philadelphia-city-hall-movemakers-philly-black-bikers-ride-20201024.html
Kamala Harris stops at Cuyahoga County Board of Elections to thank early voters
CLEVELAND, Ohio – On the first day of early voting with the line stretching blocks outside the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, Democratic vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris stopped by to thank early voters.
Harris, who made several campaign stops around Northeast Ohio on Saturday before a scheduled voter mobilization speech later in the afternoon, made an unexpected trip to the downtown office, the only early voting site in that serves the 1.2 million people in the county.
“Thank you for voting and voting early,” Harris said to the crowd, most of whom cheered. “Your vote is your voice, your voice is your vote. There is so much at stake. Don’t let anyone ever take your power. The power of your voice is so important. You are going to make the difference.”
“You are going to make the decision about your future, about your family’s future,” Harris continued. “It is through the voice of your vote. And you have the power — the power is with the people. And you know that. That’s why you’re standing in this line today, and I just came to say thank you. Thank you, Cleveland.”
https://www.cleveland.com/open/2020/10/kamala-harris-stops-at-cuyahoga-county-board-of-elections-to-thank-early-voters.html
Trump bristled at questions about Whitmer in '60 Minutes' interview before walking out
LANSING — President Donald Trump bristled at questions related to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer during an interview Tuesday with CBS's "60 Minutes," shortly before abruptly halting the interview, a recording Trump released on Facebook shows.
After leaving the interview, Trump criticized Lesley Stahl, the veteran CBS reporter who was questioning him, on Twitter.
The interview is scheduled to air Sunday. But late Thursday morning, Trump posted a nearly 38-minute video on Facebook that he said shows his entire interview with Stahl. Trump had earlier tweeted about his plans to release the video, apparently concerned about how CBS would edit the interview.
Stahl asks Trump several questions about Whitmer, who was the planned target of an alleged kidnapping plot recently foiled by federal and state officials.
The president repeats several inaccurate statements about the governor and state. For example, he says the state remains under a lockdown and the governor shut down places of worship, which Whitmer exempted from enforcement of her executive orders. Michigan's stay-at-home order was lifted June 1.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/10/22/whitmer-trump-interview-60-minutes/3728176001/
MI-03: Meijer family accused of ties to 'straw donor' scheme; paperwork issue blamed
A nonpartisan watchdog is asking federal officials to investigate a Grand Rapids entity it claims was created to funnel money to a Republican political group working to help elect GOP candidate Peter Meijer to Congress.
The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint Friday with the Federal Election Commission saying the newly created company called Montcalm LLC appears to be a shell corporation used as part of a "straw donor" arrangement to hide the true donor and evade contribution limits.
A spokesman for Meijer's campaign said Friday that "this has nothing to do with Peter Meijer."
Separately, a spokesman for the Meijer family attributed the problem to a paperwork issue that's since been corrected.
A "straw" donor is one who uses another's name to make political contributions in an effort to evade reporting requirements — which is illegal under federal campaign finance law.
Government records show Montcalm was formed in late September and gave $150,000 to the GOP-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund two weeks later.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/10/24/meijer-family-accused-ties-straw-donor-scheme-paperwork-blamed/3733858001/
MN-01: Democrats see progressive potential in southern Minnesota
The left-to-right shift of politics in northern Minnesota gets a lot of attention in election years. But there are signs that the state’s southern reaches are moving in the other direction.
While President Donald Trump’s campaign efforts in Minnesota have most recently focused on northern towns like Duluth and Bemidji, Democrats seem to see potential in places like Rochester and Mankato.
In the latest example, Gov. Tim Walz — who represented southern Minnesota in Congress for a dozen years — spent Saturday campaigning for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in Preston, Rochester and Mankato. Jill Biden also campaigned for her husband earlier this month in Rochester.
The House race for Walz’s old seat, between Republican Rep. Jim Hagedorn of Blue Earth and Democratic challenger Dan Feehan of North Mankato, was recently moved from “leans Republican” to “tossup” by the Cook Political Report.
And polls have shown Democratic Sen. Tina Smith doing better against GOP challenger Jason Lewis in southern Minnesota compared with other parts of greater Minnesota.
Of course, Republicans have far from given up on southern Minnesota, which went big for Trump in 2016. The president held a rally in Mankato in August, the first time a presidential candidate showed up there since 2004.
https://www.startribune.com/progressive-potential-in-southern-minnesota/572856521/
Trump privately tells donors it would be 'very tough' for GOP to hold Senate
President Trump privately told donors this past week that it will be “very tough” for Republicans to keep control of the Senate in the upcoming election because some of the party’s senators are candidates he cannot support.
“I think the Senate is tough actually. The Senate is very tough,” Trump said at a fundraiser Thursday at the Nashville Marriott, according to an attendee. “There are a couple senators I can’t really get involved in. I just can’t do it. You lose your soul if you do. I can’t help some of them. I don’t want to help some of them.”
The attendee shared the president’s words on the condition of anonymity as the event was a closed-door gathering. It was held before the last presidential debate between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
The president — in a sentiment not shared by many of his party’s top officials and strategists — said he instead thinks the Republicans “are going to take back the House.” And many strategists involved in Senate races say the party’s chances at keeping the chamber are undermined by the president’s unscripted, divisive rhetoric and his low poll numbers in key states.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-senate-republicans-election/2020/10/24/f93f5ed0-15f4-11eb-ba42-ec6a580836ed_story.html
Dallas County just broke its all-time early voting record
More than 563,000 Dallas County residents have voted since Oct. 13, breaking the county’s early voting record set four years ago.
Voting is up statewide, with more than 1 million voters casting their ballots in Harris County, which includes much of Houston, and droves of new voters in Collin and Denton counties in North Texas turning out.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo celebrated the shattering of the record set there in 2016 just after midday Friday, tweeting, “We’ve officially broken total early vote turnout records today. Keep making history, y’all.”
Dallas County broke its early voting record of 549,643 votes in part due to a big increase in mail ballots. In 2016, 37,470 people voted by mail before the end of early voting, according to state data. As of Friday, more than 60,000 residents had returned their mail ballot. As of 7 a.m. Saturday, the county had recorded a total of 563,148 with the Secretary of State.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/elections/2020/10/24/dallas-county-just-broke-its-all-time-early-voting-record/
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