Like many things this year, the presidential and vice-presidential debates have looked a little different. And thanks to the coronavirus and a host of political developments, the remaining debates on the schedule are now in flux.
So far, the two debates that have taken place have featured only one moderator per debate, and the number of people allowed to watch in person has been much more limited than usual. Both debates have started at 9 p.m. Eastern time and have run uninterrupted for an hour and a half.
But with two debates still remaining on the calendar, the Commission
on Presidential Debates now faces a dilemma. Mr. Trump announced
shortly before 1 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, that he and the first lady,
Melania Trump, had tested positive for the virus. And now it is no
longer clear whether the final two presidential debates will take
place or in what form.
Here’s a rundown of what we know for each debate so far:
Location: President Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee, met at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. The University of Notre Dame withdrew as host because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The moderator: Chris Wallace, the anchor of “Fox News Sunday,” moderated the debate. It was the second time he had moderated a presidential debate; the first was between Mr. Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Topics announced: The moderator has full discretion in picking the debate topics. For the first round, Mr. Wallace chose Mr. Trump’s and Mr. Biden’s records, the Supreme Court, the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, race and violence in cities, and the integrity of the election. There were 15 minutes to discuss each topic.
Location: Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
The moderator: The vice-presidential debate was moderated by Susan Page, USA Today’s Washington bureau chief.
On Oct. 9, the second presidential debate was canceled. It had been scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami.
The Commission on Presidential Debates had previously said it would be held virtually — with the candidates in separate locations — or not at all, citing safety concerns about the coronavirus.
But Mr. Trump demanded that the debate be restored to its original, in-person format. And then because Mr. Trump had declined to take part in a virtual debate, Mr. Biden developed his own plan to participate in an ABC News town hall that evening in Philadelphia.
No law requires presidential candidates to take part in debates. So, eventually, the debate was simply called off.
As of Oct. 9, the Trump campaign said it was onboard, and Mr. Biden’s campaign also agreed to participate in the debate as long as it was either a one-on-one matchup with Mr. Trump or a town-hall-style event in which both candidates took questions from voters.
The original plan for the third presidential debate is as follows:
Location: Belmont University in Nashville.
How to watch: The Times will have an uninterrupted stream along with a live chat and a live briefing with analysis from our reporters. The debate will also be carried on the news networks.
The moderator: Kristen Welker, NBC News White House correspondent and co-anchor of “Weekend Today.” She is only the second Black woman to serve as the sole moderator of a presidential debate. The first was Carole Simpson.
Topics announced: The moderator and the Commission on Presidential Debates will announce topics a week before the debate, but as in the first debate, there will be six topics. Each will get 15 minutes.
Oct. 10, 2020
By Isabella Grullón Paz.
Matt Stevens and Michael M. Grynbaum contributed reporting.
Link to the article of NYT
California is one of nine states automatically mailing ballots to registered voters this year, but unusual mail delays have prompted officials to encourage that ballots be mailed back well before the deadline.
Here’s what you need to know about voting by mail — and in person — in the Golden State.
This voter’s guide is also available in Spanish here.
County elections officials began sending ballots to the state’s 21 million registered voters no later than Oct. 5. If you are an active registered voter, you do not need to request a mail-in ballot for this election.
However, if you have moved or sat out the last few elections, it’s important to check your voter status to ensure you will automatically receive a ballot in the mail.
If you are an inactive voter, you can register to vote here. You have until Oct. 27 to then request a mail-in ballot.
This year, as the Postal Service grapples with unusual postal delays, worries over ballot deliveries abound.
Voters will be able to track the status of their mail-in ballots using the “Where’s My Ballot?” tool. Notifications are sent when a ballot has been mailed to a voter’s address, when a cast ballot has arrived at the county official’s office and when it has been counted.
No, you have until Oct. 19 to register online, which is recommended if you want to avoid going to an elections office or polling place on Election Day.
You can also register to vote by mailing in an application, which must be postmarked by Oct. 19.
If you miss the Oct. 19 deadline, however, California allows residents to register and vote through Same Day Voter Registration available from Oct. 20 through Election Day. You will need to visit a polling place or county elections office to complete registration this way.
You can peruse the online Voter Guide before a printed one comes in the mail sometime ahead of the general election.
This year, California voters have a number of propositions to vote on, with a few likely to have big effects on the economy, affirmative action and housing. For a detailed briefing on this year’s ballot propositions and races, you can consult this 2020 Election Guide by CalMatters.
If you choose to return your ballot by mail, it must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and election officials must receive it by Nov. 20.
On the chance that there are postal delays, sending in your ballot as early as possible is advised. This also leaves time for officials to review your ballot signature and send it back to correct any discrepancies.
If you are not sure if your ballot will be received by then, you can also drop off your mail-in ballot at a polling place, county elections office or a county drop box anytime before 8 p.m. on Election Day. Officials have said that polling places will have separate lines for people dropping off ballots.
You can also authorize someone to return the ballot on your behalf, as long as they do not get paid on a per ballot basis.
Oct. 13, 2020
By The New York Times
Link to the article of NYT
Love it or hate it, the Electoral College is the turnstile to the White House, and that means that a handful of states will swallow up most of the attention on Election Day and, if necessary, in the days that follow as ballots are counted.
Here are some key cities and counties in four states that will play a crucial role in determining the winner. These states and municipalities will also be closely watched for how they handle what is expected to be historic turnout, including unprecedented numbers of mail ballots.
Of course, not all will swiftly meet the surge of mail ballots. Florida and Arizona, for example, will begin counting those ballots well before Election Day, and are expected to report results more quickly. Pennsylvania and Michigan cannot begin counting until Election Day.
Of the three Northern industrial states that Donald J. Trump flipped in 2016 after they had long voted for Democrats, Pennsylvania is the closest entering the final stretch. With three million mail votes expected statewide, in the first year in which all Pennsylvania voters have that option, full results may not be available for days after Nov. 3.
This is another of the “blue wall” states that Mr. Trump won in 2016, along with Michigan. In polls, Wisconsin is looking slightly better for Mr. Biden than Pennsylvania, but the president still has a path here.
Although Mr. Trump won the state by 3.5 percentage points in 2016, he trails Mr. Biden in polls, largely because the state has a smaller share of white voters without college degrees than the Midwest battlegrounds, as well as a larger Latino population.
Elections in Florida are won by running up the score in favorable terrain while losing more closely in hostile precincts. It’s a battle for margins more than for swing voters.
The state has more experience processing and counting absentee ballots than some others: Nearly one in three ballots were mailed in 2016, and so far 4.5 million voters have requested absentee ballots. But the state’s history of razor-thin elections could mean that common errors on those ballots — missing signatures, mismatched signatures or missed deadlines — could be the subject of legal challenges.
Oct. 12, 2020
By Trip Gabriel and Nick Corasaniti
Link to the article of NYT
