Early Voting Gives Clinton Edge, Election Day Misinformation and More You Missed in Politics Today

It’s difficult to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in this country and to break through the clutter, so we’re here to make it easier. Here’s what we at Countable are reading today:

1. "Early voting: Record levels in 2016 may give Clinton edge"

A "record number" of early voters, particularly among Latinos, could give Hillary Clinton an advantage on Election Day, particularly in key swing states. Although African-Americans in North Carolina are voting are lower numbers for Clinton than for President Obama, “higher turnout by Latinos, who often lean Democratic, may be buoying Clinton in Florida. Both are must-win states for Donald Trump.” Latino voters are also casting early ballots at record pace in Colorado and Nevada, likely good news for Clinton. “Trump could be holding an edge in Ohio and Iowa, but that won’t be enough if Latinos drive Clinton to victories in other battleground states.”

"At least 43.2 million people have cast ballots by early voting — by mail or at polling stations, according to Associated Press data," so far this year. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have reported “record” early-voting levels. An estimated 40 percent of all ballots cast in the 2016 election will be early votes.

Read more at the Associated Press.

Speaking of voting: Don’t forget to get yourself and your friends and family out to the polls tomorrow. Here’s everything you need to get ready from how to find your polling location, to what’s on your ballot, to who to contact about voting issues to how the Electoral College works.

2. "Inside 4chan’s Election Day Mayhem And Misinformation Playbook"

Members of the alt-right movement have gotten some attention in recent days for disseminating false ads telling Clinton voters that they can text their votes, rather than show up on Election Day. Those ads are still going out across social media, but it’s not all these online trolls have planned. "Posts on 4chan’s politically incorrect message board — a nerve center of the alt-right from which many of these posts appear to have originated — detail a multi-pronged campaign of election day social media deception and mayhem, intending to confuse, slow, and disenfranchise Clinton voters."

Read more at Buzzfeed.

3. "LePage: Maine will investigate college students who vote"

"Top Democratic officials are accusing Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage of intimidating college students by saying students who vote in the state Tuesday will be investigated to make sure they followed state law." LePage said that the state would do “everything” they legally can after the election to ensure that all ballots cast by college students were legal and accused Democrats of trying to get out-of-state students to vote in their home states as well as Maine. The local ACLU has called on the Dept. of Justice to investigate, saying that “LePage's words appear ‘designed to make college students afraid to vote.’”

Read more at WRAL.

4. "Janet Reno, First Female U.S. Attorney General, Dies At 78"

Janet Reno, who became the first female attorney general in U.S. history under Bill Clinton, "died early Monday from complications of Parkinson's disease. … Reno served longer in the job than anyone had in 150 years. And her tenure was marked by tragedy and controversy," including involvement in the siege at Waco, TX, the Elián González case and Bill Clinton’s impeachment. “But she left office widely respected for her independence and accomplishments.”

Read more at NPR.

— Sarah Mimms
Image via Dwight Burdette/Wikimedia Commons