A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
So It’s Come To This
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone of Arizona and several county elections officials felt compelled to hold a press conference on the eve of today’s elections specifically to dispel “false election narratives.”
- Penzone also announced that his deputies would be monitoring potential voter intimidation at poll sites in plain clothes. “But if there is a need for us to deploy some uniformed deputies, then we will,” the sheriff added.
- Dozens of deputies will also be deployed to the vote tabulation center in Phoenix, according to Penzone.
- The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) put out a joint statement on Monday imploring voters to remember that election night results are “always unofficial” and to have the patience to “allow election officials to do their work.”
Here’s more on election officials’ anxieties as people head to the polls today:
- CNN: “2020 election lies have officials on edge for problems at polling places and lawsuits Tuesday”
- The Washington Post: “Election officials fear counting delays will help fuel claims of fraud”
Trump Pretty Much Announces 2024 Bid Without Explicitly Announcing It
Panicked Republicans who desperately tried to dissuade Trump from announcing his reelection campaign last night apparently managed to get through to the ex-president, who had reportedly planned on doing so during his rally in Ohio yesterday with GOP Senate candidate J.D. Vance.
- Instead, Trump told his supporters at the rally that he’d be making a “very big announcement” at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 15.
- Trump said he didn’t want to “detract from the importance of” today’s elections, which was reportedly a major reason why Republicans didn’t want him to announce a 2024 bid yet.
Must Read: Climate Change Edition
“A climate change report card for the world” – The Washington Post
“The World Is Falling Short of Its Climate Goals. Four Big Emitters Show Why.” – The New York Times
Fox Biz Host Being Sued For 2020 Election Lies To Provide Live Coverage Of Midterms
Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo will be among the Fox personalities who’ll be giving their takes on the elections in real time tonight. She’s a defendant in both of the sweeping defamation lawsuits by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, the two voting tech companies the Fox host falsely accused of rigging the 2020 election.
SCOTUS Rejects GOP Challenge To Michigan’s New District Maps
On the eve of the elections, the Supreme Court threw out an appeal from a group of Michigan Republicans who were suing to keep the state’s independently-drawn district maps from being used in the 2022 midterms.
- It’s a much-needed win for voting rights advocates. The maps were created by an independent redistricting commission in Michigan that was ordered to draw fair and neutral lines.
- The new districts look poised to “significantly reduce the GOP advantage baked into the current districts,” according to the Detroit Free Press.
Reminder: Abortion’s Literally On The Ballot In Five States
In addition to the regular elections, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, and Vermont will be voting on various abortion rights measures today:
- California: A vote on amending the state’s constitution to codify the right to an abortion.
- Kentucky: A vote on amending the state’s constitution to say explicitly that Kentuckians don’t have a constitutional right to abortion care.
- Michigan: Like California, it’s a vote on whether to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution.
- Montana: A legislative referendum on the “Born-Alive Infant Protection Act,” an anti-abortion law that defines a fetus that was born alive after an attempted abortion as a legally protected person (abortion is still legal in Montana for now).
- Vermont: Like California and Michigan, it’s a vote on whether to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution.
Elon Musk Endorses GOP For Midterms
Ever since Elon Musk finalized his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, it’s become increasingly clear that of the many grandiose principles about Twitter that the Tesla CEO holds dear, there’s really only the one (unspoken) principle that he’s capable of sticking to: Principles are for nerds who can’t buy Twitter for $44 billion like he can.
On Monday, Musk urged “independent-minded” voters to vote GOP across the board in today’s midterms. The billionaire has admitted to being a Ron DeSantis fanboy, so it’s not surprising that he’s using his new bullhorn to give Republicans a boost. It’s just fascinating how Musk seems functionally incapable of standing by his purported expectations of what he wants Twitter to be:
Nikki Haley Calls For Warnock’s Deportation To … Somewhere?
While stumping for Georgia GOP Senate nominee Herschel Walker on Sunday, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and ex-South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) declared that “we need to make sure we deport” incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) because “legal immigrants are more patriotic than the leftists these days.”
WTF Read Of The Day
“A Philadelphia man ate 40 rotisserie chickens in 40 days. Why?” – The Washington Post
Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know!
