With the midterm elections just days away, the run up to voting has been shaped as much by courtrooms as by campaign events.
A federal judge issued a sweeping order late Friday blocking the Trump administration from threatening or intimidating election officials in the weeks before Tuesday's vote. The order followed a dispute over efforts by the administration to require states, including California and Washington, to separate out ballots that officials say could have been cast by noncitizens. An appeals court this week rejected the administration's request to force California to segregate those ballots, while a similar case in Washington state remains pending. The broader goal cited by the administration has been ensuring confidence in the integrity of the vote; election officials in the affected states have said the pressure campaign itself created confusion and strain on their offices in the final stretch before election day.
The dispute is one of several legal fights playing out simultaneously as Election Day approaches. Reporting this week described the administration escalating legal challenges against a number of states over how they are administering the vote, continuing a pattern of litigation that has run alongside the campaign season itself. These fights are a reminder that, beyond the candidates and the ballot measures, the machinery of how elections are run, who counts the votes, how long officials have to do it, and how disputes get resolved, has itself become a significant storyline this cycle.
Tuesday's midterms will determine control of the House of Representatives and a portion of the Senate, along with numerous governorships and state offices, for the remainder of the current presidential term. Turnout and the final makeup of Congress will shape how much of the administration's agenda can move through Congress over the next two years.
Polls open Tuesday, November 3. Watch for how quickly results come in in closely contested states, and whether any of the pending court cases over ballot procedures are resolved before polls close.
What is at stake in Tuesday's midterms?
Control of the House of Representatives and part of the Senate, along with many governorships and state offices, are on the ballot, shaping how much of the current administration's agenda can pass over the next two years.
What was the dispute over ballots in California and Washington about?
The administration sought to require those states to separate out ballots it said could have been cast by noncitizens, a request courts have so far either rejected or left pending.