John Ehlke | West Bend Daily News via AP Police in West Bend, Wis., said a knife-wielding intruder entered a public library serving as a polling station and asked staff to “stop voting.” “Voting was suspended for just over 30 minutes while the scene was secured and an initial investigation was conducted,” police wrote in a media alert on their public Facebook page. A 38-year-old man was taken into police custody “without incident” and there were no injuries, according to West Bend authorities. “All library staff, election officials and citizens are safe and the polling place has reopened,” the statement said. Across the country, election authorities are bracing for the possibility of violence in a highly polarized environment. Wisconsin has a competitive Senate race this cycle, with incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson defending his seat against the state’s Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. “The incident remains under investigation and charges will be pending. There is no further threat to the community,” police wrote. —Christina Wilkie
Most midterm voters feel negatively about Supreme Court’s abortion decision, NBC exit poll finds
Political candidate and referendum posters are placed along a main street on November 2, 2022 in Shelburne, Vermont. A sign in favor of Article 27 would enshrine a woman’s reproductive rights in the Vermont state constitution after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down 50 years of abortion rights as unconstitutional. The US midterm elections will be held on November 8, 2022. Robert Nickelsberg | Getty Images Most midterm voters feel negatively about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to an NBC exit poll. The poll shows that 21% of voters nationally are “dissatisfied” and 39% are “angry” about the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, while only 16% are “enthusiastic” and 21% are “satisfied” with recent opinion on abortion. In these midterms, 27% of voters say abortion is the most important issue to them, making it second only to inflation, which 32% of voters cited as their top issue in Tuesday’s midterms. Of those polled, 60% of voters nationally believe abortion should be legal and 36% believe it should be illegal, with 52% trusting the Democratic Party more than the Republican Party to get it right issue of access to abortion. — Jack Stebbins
Michigan secretary of state denies Trump claims of ‘bad’ absentee ballots
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson hit back at former President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims about the state’s absentee voting process. “The absentee ballot situation in Detroit is REALLY BAD,” Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social. “People turn up to Vote only to be told ‘sorry, you’ve already voted.’ Benson accused Trump of “inciting lies” and “encouraging political violence” in Michigan. The Michigan Office of Elections has assisted the Detroit clerk’s office in resolving reported problems with electronic poll books, which are used to confirm that voters are registered and have not already voted absentee, said Aneta Kiersnowski Crisp, spokeswoman for the department. of Michigan. Condition. Poll workers gave each voter a numbered ballot after confirming each was registered and no absentee or absentee ballots had been issued, Crisp explained. “Occasionally this morning some electronic ballots showed an error message saying that the number on the ballot at the polling station was the same as the number on an absentee ballot that had already been cast,” he added. “When that happened, the voters were properly checked against a backup paper list and ballots cast by the voters were issued. Those ballots will be counted.” — Chelsea Cox
Inflation, abortion top concerns among midterm voters, NBC News exit poll finds
A voter casts a ballot in the midterm elections at a polling place in Marietta, Georgia, November 8, 2022. Bob Strong | Reuters Inflation and abortion were at the forefront of voters’ minds as they cast the midterm elections, according to an NBC News exit poll. Asked to choose between five policy issues, 32% of US respondents said inflation played the most important role in deciding their vote, the survey found. The second largest group of voters, 27%, chose abortion. Meanwhile, 12% of voters chose crime, 12% chose gun policy and 10% chose immigration. Rising inflation during the first half of President Joe Biden’s term has contributed to a difficult environment for Democrats as the party tries to defend its slim majorities in the House and Senate. Republicans have tried to capitalize on rising prices in their bid to flip both chambers. Meanwhile, Democrats have sought to mobilize voters worried about the Supreme Court’s June decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. — Jacob Pramuk
Judge extends voting hours in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania amid reports of paper shortages
Voters were turned away from dozens of polling places in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, after those locations ran out of ballot printing paper. The reported shortage prompted a judge to extend election hours in Lucerne by two hours, until 10 p.m. ET. Lucerne has a population of over 326,000 people. “Voters in Luzerne County, through no fault of their own, have been disenfranchised and denied the fundamental right to vote,” Judge Lesa Gelb of the county’s Court of Common Pleas wrote in a one-page order extending voting hours. Pennsylvania Department of State spokeswoman Amy Gulley told CNBC in an email, “A judge extending voting hours because of problems at the polls is by no means unheard of.” About 44 county polling places were affected by the shortage, Gulley said — nearly a quarter of the county’s polling places. — Kevin Breuninger and Jack Stebbins
Maricopa County, Arizona voting machine malfunctions resolved
Bill Gates, Chairman of the Maricopa Board of Supervisors, speaks about voting machine malfunctions at the Maricopa County Elections and Registration Center on November 8, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. John Moore | Getty Images Officials in Maricopa County, Arizona, said they have identified a solution to problems seen in a number of machines that record paper ballots at some polling places. The announcement came hours after officials said some machines were spitting out every fourth or fifth vote on the affected machines. “Maricopa County has identified the resolution to the ranking issues at approximately 60 Vote Centers,” the Maricopa County Elections Administration Center said in a statement. “County technicians changed the printer settings, which appears to have resolved this issue,” the statement said. “It appears that some of the printers did not produce dark enough timing marks on the ballots. This solution worked in 17 locations and technicians deployed across the county are working to resolve this issue in the remaining locations,” he added. Maricopa, the fourth largest county in the US, has 223 polling places. Before the fix was announced, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates said that despite the problems, “Everybody’s still voting.” “We don’t believe that anyone has been disenfranchised because no one has distanced themselves,” Gates said. He also said Maricopa has a “strong level of confidence” that rejected ballots, which were placed in separate bins at polling places, will be successfully captured by the machine at the central sorting site in Phoenix. If that process doesn’t work, a team consisting of one person from the Democratic Party and one person from the Republican Party will deliver a copy of a particular ballot, which will then be tabulated. —Dan Manganese
Cyberattack Hits Champaign County, Illinois Servers, Blocking Some Election Services
Denver Judge of Elections Danielle Puscatelli directs the ballot sorting system at the Denver Elections Department on November 8, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. Michael Ciaglo | Getty Images Champaign County, Illinois, said it was the target of a cyberattack on Election Day, and an official with the federal cybersecurity agency CISA said it was aware of the matter. The Champaign County Clerk’s Office stated “connectivity issues and computer server performance [were] are affected’ and ‘believes these are due to cyber attacks on the network and servers’. “Last month the Champaign County Clerk’s website was targeted by repeated D-DOS attacks,” the clerk said on his verified Facebook page. None of the attacks were successful, however, and “no data or information has been compromised and the election is secure.” Champaign County is home to approximately 200,000 people. “These cyber attacks are a strategic and coordinated effort to undermine and destabilize our democratic process. They are intended to discourage you from voting. Please do not fall victim to this,” the official’s office said. It was unclear who was behind the attacks. But an official with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the federal government’s main agency tasked with detecting and preventing cyberattacks, said the agency was aware of the apparent attack and would follow up with officials in Champaign County. US intelligence and cybersecurity agencies are on alert during these midterm elections for any signs of foreign efforts to target voting infrastructure or undermine confidence in election results. —Christina Wilkie
Trump is spreading misinformation to sow ‘fear and mistrust’ in Arizona midterms, state elections official says
Former US President Donald Trump speaks during a midterm election rally in Miami, Florida, US, November 6, 2022. Marco Bello | Reuters An Arizona election official accused former…
title: “Live Updates On Midterm Election Day 2022 " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-15” author: “Suzanna Morris”
Samuel Corum | Getty Images The margin between Democrats and Republicans who will win House seats will continue to narrow as local districts continue to count votes from Tuesday’s midterm elections, NBC News predicts. Republicans are expected to pick up nine new seats, giving them 222 seats and Democrats 213, according to NBC News. However, these totals are yet to be confirmed as states continue to count votes. — Chelsea Cox
Kentucky rejects anti-abortion constitutional amendment in surprise victory for reproductive rights
Counter-protesters hold signs in front of a rally encouraging voters to vote yes on Amendment 2, which would add a permanent ban on abortion to the Kentucky state constitution, on the steps of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky, on October 1 2022.
Stephanie Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
Voters in Kentucky have rejected a constitutional amendment that would have effectively shielded the state’s abortion ban from legal challenge, NBC News projects.
About 52 percent of those who voted rejected an amendment that said there is no right to an abortion under the state constitution.
Kentucky banned abortions immediately after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June through a so-called enabling law passed by the legislature. The amendment that went before voters on Tuesday was an attempt by anti-abortion activists to protect the ban from legal challenges in state court.
The ballot’s failure shows there are limits to anti-abortion policy even in conservative states. Kentucky has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1996.
— Spencer Kimball
Stocks fall with control of Congress still undecided
Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, United States, on November 2, 2022. Michael Nagle | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Stocks were broadly lower on Wednesday as investors eyed key political races that remain undecided. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 320 points, or nearly 1%. The S&P 500 fell about 0.9%. Wall Street expected Republican gains in the midterms to lead to a divided government. Many investors see a split in Washington, D.C., as beneficial for stocks because that situation limits potential regulatory or tax changes. The major market averages have risen for three straight days, so Wednesday’s declines could be due in part to uncertainty about Congress leading traders to hedge their bets. To be sure, there are also non-political factors weighing on stocks. Disney’s 12% drop after an earnings miss is particularly damaging for the Dow. — Jesse Pound
Biden will speak from the White House at 4pm about the midterm elections
US President Joe Biden reacts during a rally with Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore, US Senator Chris Van Hollen and other Maryland Democrats at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland, US, 7 November 2022. Leah Millis | Reuters President Joe Biden plans to discuss the midterm results at the White House at 4 p.m. ET today in what will likely be a narrow win for Democrats, who held far more House and Senate seats than expected. “Democracy does not happen by accident. We must defend it, strengthen it and renew it,” Biden tweeted after the program change. “I’ll have more to say this afternoon, but thanks to the workers and officials who worked late into the night to protect our sacred right to vote. And the millions who made their voices heard.” Biden will speak from the state dining room and take questions after his remarks. — Emma Kinery
The central Georgia Senate race between Warnock and Walker has gone to a runoff
The Rev. Raphael Warnock, Democratic senator for Georgia (L), and Georgia Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker. Reuters Georgia’s hotly contested Senate race will go to a runoff between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican former NFL player Herschel Walker, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said. Since neither candidate will garner the 50 percent of the vote needed to win the seat outright under state rules, he said the two Senate candidates will head to a Dec. 6 runoff. “Right now we have less than 20,000 total votes left to count. That’s not enough to change the race. So it’s a runoff,” Raffensperger said on “The Brian Kilmeade Show.” The Georgia race, one of the most competitive in the nation, could help determine control of the Senate, along with the remaining races in Arizona and Nevada. Republicans need to win two of those contests, against Democratic incumbents, to win a majority in the Senate. The presence of Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver, a 37-year-old businessman from Atlanta, helped deprive Warnock and Walker of the majority they needed to win outright. With 96 percent of the vote counted Wednesday morning, Warnock had won 49.2 percent of the vote to Walker’s 48.7 percent, according to NBC News. Oliver got about 2.1% of the vote. —Christina Wilkie
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson was projected to win Wisconsin over Mandela Barnes
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) thanks supporters before leaving the grounds of his campaign party as he awaits the results of the US midterm elections in Neenah, Wisconsin, on November 9, 2022. Daniel Steinle | Reuters Incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is projected by NBC News to defeat Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes. Johnson had 50.5% of the vote, while Barnes, the state’s lieutenant governor, had 49.3%, with 94% of the vote counted. Three other states have yet to determine the winners of the US Senate elections: Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. In all three of these races, Democrats are present. Republicans need to win two of the open seats to gain majority control of the Senate in 2023. The open Pennsylvania Senate seat, currently held by a Republican, was won by a Democrat. GOP candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz conceded defeat to Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman earlier Wednesday morning. Before Johnson’s victory was broadcast, he said in a statement that he had won the race. “Truth has prevailed over lies and the politics of personal destruction,” Johnson said. “I want to thank my family and everyone who supported me and worked so hard to save this US Senate seat,” he said. “I will do everything I can to help make things better for Wisconsinites and to heal and unite our country.” —Dan Manganese
This is where the results of Senate elections in key states could be decided
Americans vote at the Tenney Park polling place on November 8, 2022 in Madison, Wisconsin. Jim Vodruska | Getty Images Control of the U.S. Senate in 2023 could take days, perhaps weeks, to resolve as votes are still being counted in three states. Because Democrat John Fetterman flipped the GOP-held Pennsylvania Senate seat, Republicans must win two of the Democratic-held races in Arizona, Georgia or Nevada to win control of the Senate. Democrats must win two of those three races to retain their majority. Georgia could be headed for a runoff election on December 6 if no Senate candidate gets 50% of the vote in the coming days. With 96% of the vote counted in Georgia as of this morning, incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock had 49.2% of the vote, with Republican challenger Herschel Walker holding 48.7%. Liberal candidate Chase Oliver had 2.1% of the vote. In Arizona, a much smaller percentage of the vote was cast, meaning it could take several more days to decide the race between Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, and his Republican challenger, Blake Masters. Kelly had 51.9% of the vote and Masters 45.9%. But just 67 percent of ballots had been cast in Arizona, where many voters cast ballots early before Election Day. Ballots submitted to polling stations on Tuesday will take days to be verified and their signatures counted. In Nevada, Republican challenger Adam Laxalt had 49.9% of the vote, compared to 47.2% of the vote held by Sen. Kathryn Cortez Masto, the incumbent Democrat. But just 80% of the vote in the state was in. And because most of the ballots will be mail-in ballots, which have four days to arrive if sealed by Election Day, it could take several days, if not more, to get a final result. —Dan Manganese
Dr. Oz Concedes Pennsylvania Senate Race To John Fetterman
Pennsylvania Republican US Senate candidate Mehmet Oz with his wife and family attend the 2022 US Midterm Election Night Party in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, November 8, 2022. Hannah Beier | Reuters Dr. Mehmet Oz called John Fetterman to admit he had lost the US Senate election in Pennsylvania and later issued a statement urging “everyone to put down their partisan swords and focus on getting the job done.” The call from the Oz Republican came hours after NBC projected Fetterman, the Democratic lieutenant governor, as the winner in the Keystone State. With 94% of the vote in, Fetterman had 50.3% of the vote, while Oz had 47.2%. Fetterman’s victory was significant for Democrats — who are fighting to hold on to their slim Senate majority — because the seat is currently held by Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican. In his statement, Oz said: “I called John Fetterman this morning and congratulated him. I wish him and his family the best, both personally and as our next United States Senator. The campaign across the great Our Commonwealth was the honor of a lifetime. And I will cherish the memories and the people I met.” “We’re facing big problems as a country and we need everyone to put down their partisan swords and focus on getting the job done,” Oz said. “With bold leadership that brings people together, we can create real change. As a doctor, I always do what I can to help others heal. That’s why I ran for…
