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6 things to watch for on election night
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In Short: Tonight's midterm elections feature critical votes in California and key gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey.
Tonight's midterm elections feature several critical votes, including a rare mid-decade redistricting in California and gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey.
In California, Democrats are attempting to counter Republicans' efforts to gain an advantage in next year's midterm elections through redistricting.
The outcomes of gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey could serve as bellwethers for next year's congressional midterm elections.
Election night returns may show initial discrepancies, known as 'red mirages,' where Republican votes appear to lead early but disappear as more ballots are counted.
Alexander emphasized that these shifts are not a result of 'rigged' elections, but rather the natural process of vote counting.
President Donald Trump, in a campaign rally Monday night in Kansas, announced that USDA would provide $8 billion in relief to farmers squeezed by soaring diesel prices.
These announcements come as Trump and his allies are laying the groundwork for questioning election results, potentially setting up a showdown over the fundamentals of American democracy.
Election officials urge voters to remain patient and not be misled by early returns, as it can take weeks to tally all votes in close races.
The phenomenon of 'blue shifts' and 'red mirages' has been observed since at least 2013, gaining traction during contentious elections.
Election night will be crucial for gauging voter sentiment and predicting outcomes for next year's midterm elections.
What this adds
The shifts in early tallies are merely a result of the timing of when different types of votes are counted, not evidence of election rigging.
Election officials are working to maintain voter confidence and prevent misinformation from spreading.
What's confirmed
- Tonight's midterm elections feature several critical votes, including a rare mid-decade redistricting in California and gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey.
- In California, Democrats are attempting to counter Republicans' efforts to gain an advantage in next year's midterm elections through redistricting.
- The outcomes of gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey could serve as bellwethers for next year's congressional midterm elections.
- Election night returns may show initial discrepancies, known as 'red mirages,' where Republican votes appear to lead early but disappear as more ballots are counted.
- Alexander emphasized that these shifts are not a result of 'rigged' elections, but rather the natural process of vote counting.
- President Donald Trump, in a campaign rally Monday night in Kansas, announced that USDA would provide $8 billion in relief to farmers squeezed by soaring diesel prices.
- These announcements come as Trump and his allies are laying the groundwork for questioning election results, potentially setting up a showdown over the fundamentals of American democracy.
- Election officials urge voters to remain patient and not be misled by early returns, as it can take weeks to tally all votes in close races.
- The phenomenon of 'blue shifts' and 'red mirages' has been observed since at least 2013, gaining traction during contentious elections.
- Election night will be crucial for gauging voter sentiment and predicting outcomes for next year's midterm elections.
What's still developing
- Six years ago, election night returns showed Trump leading Joe Biden in several key states, but as counties nationwide counted ballots over the coming days, Biden ended up winning in the states that put him over the top in the Electoral College.
- In 2018, for instance, four Republican candidates for the U.S.
- “It is undermining voter confidence. It’s opening the door to election mis- and disinformation,” Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, said in a briefing last week.
- That meant more Republican votes were reported in the first wave of election returns, a red mirage that disappeared as Democratic votes were fully tabulated.
- Experts urge you not to be fooled by their claims of “rigged” elections based on early returns.
- Alexander said many counties go beyond that, but it’s up to each election office.
- Democratic margin with voters 18-29, election result 2024 +11, Trump wins presidency 2022 +28, Republicans win House, Democrats gain Senate seat 2020 +25, Biden wins presidency 2018 +35, Democrats win House 2016 +19, Trump wins presidency 2014 +11, Republicans expand House majority, win Senate 2012 +23, Obama wins re-election 2010 +17, Republicans win House 2008 +34, Obama wins presidency 2006 +22, Democrats win House Given past polling errors in Texas that underestimated the Republican vote, there's a healthy skepticism that Democrat James Talarico's margin of error lead in polling averages is enough to win.
- Here are five things to watch for as the results begin rolling in tonight: Don’t be fooled by early returns.
- President Donald Trump said Monday night that he will no longer use taxpayer funds to pay for a multimillion-dollar pro-Trump ad blitz ahead of the midterm elections, saying his super PAC will now pay for them.
- Tensions had flared after Stevens gave a precondition for her appearance: El-Sayed must denounce an ad attributing rising costs to US support of Israel Sign up for the Breaking News US email Tensions had flared after Stevens gave a precondition for her appearance: El-Sayed must denounce an ad attributing rising costs to US support of Israel Sign up for the Breaking News US email Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign has requested that Haley Stevens, El-Sayed’s former opponent in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, not attend a campaign event alongside him on Sunday, Politico reported Friday night, citing two people familiar with the decision.
- Polls will close at different times across the country, with election results expected to begin coming in on Tuesday evening.
- President Isaac Herzog said the election was a "badge of honour" for Israeli society.