What it's like at the only drive-thru polling place open on Election Day in the Houston area
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Demonstrators stand across the street from the federal courthouse in Houston, Texas, on Monday, before a hearing in federal court involving drive-thru ballots cast in Harris County. David J. Phillip/AP
Nine out of 10 drive-thru polling locations will be closed in the Houston-area county on Election Day.
Some background: On Monday, a federal judge had rejected a GOP request to invalidate 127,000 ballots cast in drive-thru early voting. However, he said he would have ruled against allowing such voting on Election Day, adding that voting needed to take place in a "structure."
In announcing the decision to close most of the drive-thru locations, Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins said on Twitter that he "cannot in good faith encourage voters to cast their votes in tents if that puts their votes at risk." The location that will remain open is the Toyota Center, which has "walls and a roof" and would fit the judge's description as a building, a county clerk spokesperson told CNN.
CNN’s Brian Todd is at the only drive-thru polling place that's still open. He walked through the parking garage of this Toyota Center in Houston to explain what voters can expect.
Watch the moment:
6:46 a.m. ET, November 3, 2020
Why the presidential race could come down to Arizona and Pennsylvania
Analysis from CNN's Harry Enten
President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport in Avoca, Pennsylvania, on Monday, November 2. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
President Trump is trying to stop former Vice President Joe Biden's pathway to 270 electoral votes. The polls released over the weekend suggest that this will be difficult, but not an impossible task.
Trump's best path to stop Biden is for there to be a larger than average polling error in Arizona and especially Pennsylvania.
The electoral math is pretty simple. Biden needs to find 38 electoral votes on top of the 232 in the contests that Hillary Clinton won in 2016. He's likely to win the one from Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. Remember, the state of Nebraska allocates an electoral vote to the winner of each of its congressional districts.
On top of that, Biden holds clear and significant leads in two states Trump won by less than a point in 2016: Michigan and Wisconsin. A CNN/SSRS poll on Saturday put Biden up 12 points in Michigan among likely voters, while Biden led in Wisconsin by 8 points in a CNN/SSRS poll and 11 points in a New York Times/Siena College poll released Sunday.
Those two states are worth a combined 26 electoral votes. Add in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, you get Biden to 259 electoral votes.
This means Biden needs to get 11 more electoral votes. Other polls released on Saturday and Sunday from individual states worth at least 11 electoral votes suggest he will have options to choose from.
The hardest lift is probably in Florida. A New York Times/Siena College poll has Biden and Trump separated by 3 points, while an ABC News/Washington Post poll has the race within 2 points. Although the nominal leader in both was different, the polls combined indicate what has become clear for weeks. Florida and its 29 electoral votes are too close to call with perhaps a slight edge to Biden.
Biden could also get to 270 electoral votes with North Carolina and its 15 electoral votes. A CNN/SSRS poll had Biden up by 6 points there yesterday, while the polling average puts the race closer to a 3 point edge. This is a race that Biden is favored to win, though one where an average sized polling error (about 3 points in competitive presidential races dating back to 1972) would be enough for Trump to emerge victorious.
If Trump is able to take both Florida and North Carolina (along with Georgia which has similar polling to Florida), then you can begin to see how Trump could pull it off.
He would need to win in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Is that possible? Yes. Will it be easy? No.
Watch John King break down latest Electoral College numbers:
6:34 a.m. ET, November 3, 2020
How the huge rise in pre-Election Day voting could affect when we get solid results
From CNN's Marshall Cohen
A poll worker collects vote-by-mail ballots at a drive-thru system set up in the parking lot of the Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office in Tallahassee, Florida, on Monday, November 2. Tori Lynn Schneider/Tallahassee Democrat/Imagn Content Services
Early results that pop up shortly after the polls close might look very different from the final outcome, because of unprecedented levels of mail-in ballots and early voting due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, supporters of Democratic nominee Joe Biden have shown a strong preference for mail-in voting. Most of President Trump's supporters say they want to vote on Election Day. States count these different types of votes in very different ways.
As a result, in some of the most competitive states— including Florida and Texas — early results may look too rosy for former Vice President Joe Biden, before falling back down to earth and becoming more representative of the true outcome. In other states — particularly Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — Trump could see early leads that slowly narrow as more ballots are counted.
This won't be a sign of fraud or irregularities. Rather, it's just a reflection of how states count votes. Some states process early ballots first, and will report those early in the night, while others save them for last.
Read more about what to watch for in the pivotal states here
7:41 a.m. ET, November 3, 2020
Ohio secretary of state: "Every legally cast ballot will be counted"
From CNN's Devon M. Sayers
The Republican secretary of state of Ohio said that all legally cast ballots will be counted in "an election unlike we have ever seen before."
In an election-eve message to Ohio voters, Secretary of State Frank LaRose quoted President Lincoln saying that "elections belong to the people."
Ohio has seen a record level of early and absentee ballots, some 3.4 million out of the 8 million registered voters.
The Secretary reaffirmed that all votes will be counted, "the foundation of our government and our way of life relies on the confidence of votes," Sec LaRose said.
"Every legally cast ballot will be counted and remember the results you see tomorrow night aren't final. The final official results come weeks later," LaRose added in the video posted to Twitter.
Watch the full video:
6:12 a.m. ET, November 3, 2020
Get ready for tonight, and personalize your election night experience with CNN's My Election
Today Americans will choose a president, members of Congress, governors and a host of local officials. To help you follow the races that are most important to you and your community, we developed a tool called My Election.
My Election allows you to select races to follow prior to election night. When results begin to come in on Nov. 3, the races you've selected will be conveniently available in the My Election drawer, which can be opened anywhere in CNN's Election Center.
Create or sign in to your CNN account so you can save races you follow. Learn more about data privacy.
Search for a race by typing a candidate's name, a state, or a type of race such as "President," "Senate," or "House." Then, click "Follow" to save that race.
On election night you'll be able to discover and follow races from all over CNN's website and Election Center.
Once results begin to come in, your saved races will automatically update.
Not sure which races to follow? CNN Collections offer suggestions from CNN's top political anchors, analysts and contributors. Select "Follow" to instantly add that collection's races to your list of favorites with one click. We'll automatically ignore any races that you've already followed.
It's Election Day. Here are key things to know for tonight.
From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf
First, have you voted? If not, make your plan and go vote now. Many states allow same-day registration. For rules in your state, check CNN's voter guide here.
Here are key things to know for tonight:
How long will election night last?: Who knows! CNN won't project a winner of a state until polls in that state close (and maybe much later if things are tight).
When do polls close?: Polls close at various times starting at 7 p.m. ET on the East Coast. The last polls will close at 1 a.m. ET in Alaska.
When do the polls close in key battleground states?
7 p.m. ET — Georgia, which is interesting at the presidential and Senate levels. Kentucky and South Carolina have key Senate races.
7:30 p.m.ET — North Carolina and Ohio. There's a tight Senate race in North Carolina.
8 p.m. ET — Florida and Pennsylvania. Maine has a key Senate race.
9 p.m. ET — Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin. There are also key Senate races in Arizona, Michigan, Colorado and Texas.
10 p.m. ET — Iowa and Nevada
When will we know the winner? This is an impossible question to answer, because we don't know how all the early voting will affect different states' ability to report results quickly.
Many, many more millions of Americans have voted early in person or by mail this year than usual because of the pandemic, so it could take more time to count those ballots, particularly in a few key battleground states (ahem, Pennsylvania).
What do we know about how the vote will come in on election night?
We have some educated guesses.
We might know some states early. A very large proportion of Americans are voting early and in most states, election officials can tee up those ballots to generate results quickly after polls close. So in contested states like Florida and Texas, we may have a very good idea early in the night how things will go.
It might take some states many days. In Pennsylvania, for instance, election officials can't do anything with early ballots until Election Day. Some counties won't even pick them up until the day after Election Day.
How to stay safe while voting in person during the pandemic
From CNN's Sandee LaMotte
An early voter waits in line to cast a ballot at the Franklin County Board of Elections in Columbus, Ohio. Fred Squillante/Columbus Dispatch/Imagn Content Services
Voting in person is a cherished right for many Americans — and for people concerned that their ballot might be lost in the mail, delivering their mail-in or absentee ballot may be their preferred option this year.
Standing in long lines at the polling center with people who may or may not be wearing masks, often inside buildings without good ventilation, certainly raises your risk of catching Covid-19.
But there are things you can do to reduce risk if you vote in person:
Check your polling station: What's the level of protection that will be in place at your assigned polling station? You should know in advance, for example: If you'll be spending the majority of your wait standing outside or If masks are required of both voters and poll workers. You also want to vote at a location that has a separate point of entry and exit to minimize crowds forming in the space. Any time spent indoors should be minimized. The safest locations will be school gymnasiums, community recreation centers, convention centers and large parking lots, according to the Brennan Center and the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines.
Vote at less busy times of the day: Even though people are still working from home, most people are likely to vote before or after work or at lunch time. If you can aim for mid-morning or early to mid-afternoon, you may encounter fewer lines. You may also encounter fewer people if you vote early in the window of opportunity your state provides for early voting. Stay in touch with local friends on Facebook or a neighborhood site like Nextdoor. People will often post updates about crowds at different times of the day, which can be used to plan your trip.
Vote alone: Unless you have a disability that requires assistance, vote alone, experts say. This is not the year to bring your children or other non-voting family members to the voting location.
Come prepared: Along with that highly protective mask, you should definitely bring tissues and hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol or disinfecting wipes, the CDC says.
