By JULIE CARR SMYTH and HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press
Bomb threats to New Jersey polling stations, a voter roll mishap in Pennsylvania potentially affecting thousands of voters and warnings by President Donald Trump against California's mail balloting system is marking the final day of voting in an off-year election with several nationally prominent races. Voting otherwise appeared to be going smoothly Tuesday across the U.S., as voters cast ballots in the first significant election since Trump won the White House for a second time. Trump often warns of election rigging, and that was the case Tuesday when he posted to social media about voting in California's congressional redistricting measure. He said without providing evidence of any widespread problems that the process was "under very serious legal and criminal review."
By JILL COLVIN and MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press
The Department of Justice is preparing to send federal election observers to California and New Jersey next month, targeting two Democratic states holding off-year elections following requests from their state Republican parties. The DOJ announced Friday it will monitor polling sites in six jurisdictions: Passaic County, New Jersey, and Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno counties in California "to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law." Both states feature races of national prominence in an otherwise low-key election year — a governor's race in New Jersey and a congressional redistricting special election in California. Some leading Democrats in the states blasted the DOJ decision and vowed to ensure that voters would not be intimidated.
By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX Associated Press
A new poll shows President Donald Trump's favorability has fallen among Hispanic adults since the beginning of the year, a potential warning sign from a key constituency that helped secure his victory in the 2024 election. The October AP-NORC survey finds 25% of Hispanic adults have a "somewhat" or "very" favorable view of Trump, down from 44% in January. The shift could spell trouble for Republicans looking to cement support with this group in future elections. Hispanic voters were motivated by economic concerns last November. The new poll shows that despite Trump's promises of economic revitalization, Hispanic adults continue to feel higher financial stress than Americans overall.
