The latest on the 2020 election

By Melissa Macaya, Mike Hayes and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 0234 GMT (1034 HKT) October 20, 2020
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6:47 p.m. ET, October 19, 2020

Trump distances himself from Senate candidates

From CNN's Allie Malloy 

President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before departing from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona on October 19.
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before departing from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona on October 19. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

In his second underwing gaggle Monday, President Trump told reporters he doesn’t think his reelection is tied to Senate Republicans or vice versa, telling reporters he’s doing “very well as an individual.”

Trump also called the race in the Senate “close” adding, “I think they’re very untied — it’s not — a lot of people think, oh are they tied with Trump? Meaning tied together. I think that’s highly overrated. Highly overrated. But I think we have some really good races that are happening.”

Asked whether his behavior on the trail recently shows him running scared or running angry, Trump told reporters, “ No I’m not running scared. I’m running angry — I think I’m running angry. I’m running happy and I’m running very content because I’ve done a great job and I think that’s the reason you have such crowds like this.”

Trump also told reporters while walking away that he may hold five rallies on the last two or three days before the election.

6:06 p.m. ET, October 19, 2020

Harris gives stump speech to Jacksonville voters in the pouring rain

From CNN's Jasmine Wright

Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Jacksonville.
Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Jacksonville. Source: Pool

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris spoke to Democrats in the pouring rain in Jacksonville, Florida, today, where the first day of in-person early voting was underway.

At one point, she pleaded with attendees at the outdoor drive-in rally to get back in their cars to avoid the downpour, and that she would just speak louder.

Harris made a point to talk about covering those with pre-existing conditions and reiterate that Joe Biden will not raise taxes on those who make less than $400,000. She explained that she wasn’t wearing her mask when addressing the crowd because they were far away from each other. According to pool reports, about 94 cars attended the rally.

During her speech, Harris slammed President Trump for his response to the coronavirus pandemic and sowing discord into the electoral process.

5:47 p.m. ET, October 19, 2020

L.A. officials call ballot drop box fire "attempt to disenfranchise voters"

From CNN’s Topher Gauk-Roger

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis and Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan responded to the suspected arson fire at a Southern California ballot box, calling the incident “an attempt to disenfranchise voters and call into question the security of our elections.”

The L.A. County Registrar’s office has requested an investigation through local law enforcement and reported the incident to the FBI and the attorney general for investigation and to obtain all available footage to determine the cause of the fire, the registrar’s office said in a statement.

The registrar’s office is reviewing all material collected from the Baldwin Park ballot box to determine the appropriate notifications to voters whose ballots may have been impacted. Officials said county staff last picked up ballots at the affected drop box location on Saturday at 10:10 a.m. The fire was reported the following day at 8 p.m.

“The arson of an official ballot drop box by the Baldwin Park Library in the First District has all the signs of an attempt to disenfranchise voters and call into question the security of our elections,” said Solis. “Tampering, or attempts to tamper, with our democracy will not be tolerated.”

Voters who submitted their ballot at the Baldwin Park Library Dropbox can call the county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to verify their ballot was received and take any remedial measures, the officials said.

“The Los Angeles County Registrar will continue to do everything possible to ensure the integrity of local elections,” Logan said. “Tampering with vote by mail drop boxes and ballots is serious criminal offense and we will vigorously seek the prosecution of individuals who engage in such behavior.”

The incident is being investigated as arson. The damaged drop box location has been closed.

4:48 p.m. ET, October 19, 2020

Biden slams Trump's repeated attacks on Fauci 

From CNN's Sarah Mucha, Kaitlan Collins and Kevin Liptak

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in campaign rally at Riverside High School on October 18, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. 
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in campaign rally at Riverside High School on October 18, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina.  Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden released a statement on President Trump’s repeated attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"Coronavirus infections are spiking across the country, but President Trump decided to attack Dr. Fauci again today as a ‘disaster’ and call public health experts ‘idiots’ instead of laying out a plan to beat this virus or heeding their advice about how we can save lives and get our economy moving again," Biden said in the statement. “President Trump even criticized me yesterday for listening to the scientists — that’s not an attack, that’s a badge of honor."

The former vice president also used the statement to slam Trump's Covid-19 response.

“Mr. President, you’re right about one thing: the American people are tired,” Biden said. “They’re tired of your lies about this virus. They’re tired of watching more Americans die and more people lose their jobs because you refuse to take this pandemic seriously. Now, more than ever, we need a leader to bring us together, put a plan in place, and beat this virus — but you have proven yourself yet again to be incapable of doing that.”

Earlier today: Trump claimed on a campaign call that people are tired of hearing about the deadly pandemic which has killed more than 215,000 Americans and trashed Fauci as a "disaster" who has been around for "500 years."

Referring to Fauci and other health officials as "idiots," Trump declared the country ready to move on from the health disaster, even as cases are again spiking and medical experts warn the worst may be yet to come.

Baselessly claiming that if Fauci was in charge more than half a million people would be dead in the United States, Trump portrayed the recommendations offered by his own administration to mitigate spread of the disease as a burdensome annoyance.

2:29 p.m. ET, October 19, 2020

What Florida's early voting data shows so far 

From CNN's Liz Stark, Adam Levy and Ethan Cohen

People wait in line to vote in Coral Gables, Florida, on Monday, October 19.
People wait in line to vote in Coral Gables, Florida, on Monday, October 19. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Early returns in Florida show the critical battleground state's pre-Election Day electorate is currently trending younger than four years ago.

In ballots returned before in-person voting opened on Monday, Florida voters under 65 years old accounted for about half the ballots cast, marking a 12-point uptick in their share of the early vote compared to this time in 2016. The share of seniors aged 65 or older has dropped from about 64% of the pre-election vote then to just 52% now.

This boost in early turnout among younger voters may reflect nationwide organizing efforts to mobilize young people to vote early, while seniors in the state may already be accustomed to voting early in previous cycles.

This shift comes as both President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden have been courting the highly coveted senior vote in the Sunshine State. In 2016, Trump won about 57% of their vote, according to exit polls, which helped boost his one-percentage point victory in the state.

This detailed voting information comes from Catalist, a company that provides data, analytics and other services to Democrats, academics and nonprofit issue-advocacy organizations and is giving new insights into who is voting before November.

Here is some more data on the state from Catalist, which analyzed over 24 million ballots cast in 36 states so far:

  • The number of ballots already cast in the Sunshine State has doubled compared to this point in 2016.
  • Democrats are significantly outpacing Republicans in their share of ballots cast so far, marking a turnaround from 2016. Currently, Democrats account for nearly half the votes, with Republicans making up about 30%. Around the same time four years ago, the 43% of ballots cast by Republicans just topped Democrats' 40% of ballots cast. This is not predictive of the ultimate outcome, however, as polling nationwide indicates Republicans strongly prefer to vote in person on Election Day.
  • The racial composition of Florida's early voting electorate has shifted somewhat since 2016, with White voters making up a slightly smaller share of those who've already cast ballots and Black voters making up a slightly larger share. At this point four years ago, White voters comprised 77% early voters, but they now represent 71%. Black voters have increased their share of the early vote from 8% in 2016 to 11% currently. Hispanic voters comprise about 13% of those who've already voted in Florida, about the same as this point four years ago.

Some background: More than 28 million general election ballots have been cast, according to a survey of election officials in 46 states and the District of Columbia by CNN, Edison Research, and Catalist.

These pre-Election Day votes represent almost 20% of the more than 136 million presidential ballots cast overall in 2016, although this cycle's turnout is expected to be much higher.

With roughly two weeks until Nov. 3, the already-skyrocketing ballot return numbers reflect a major shift towards early voting amid the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with high interest in the general election.

1:56 p.m. ET, October 19, 2020

North Carolina issued new guidance on fixing absentee ballot problems. Here are the key changes. 

From CNN's Dianne Gallagher and Pamela Kirkland

An election worker stuffs absentee ballot applications at the Mecklenburg County Boards of Elections office in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 4.
An election worker stuffs absentee ballot applications at the Mecklenburg County Boards of Elections office in Charlotte, North Carolina, on September 4. Logan Cyrus/AFP/Getty Images

The North Carolina State Board of Elections on Monday issued new guidance to county boards on how voters can fix problems with their absentee by mail ballots.  

The latest memo aims to not only set a standard, but with two weeks until Election Day, clear up a near-constant cloud of confusion that has been hanging over parts of the state’s absentee ballot process for the past month. However, there are still other pending lawsuits and opportunities to appeal the court orders cited in the memo. 

In a previous memo, dated Oct. 4, the NCSBE directed county election boards to take no action on absentee by mail ballots with deficiencies on the return envelope, to avoid confusion while several lawsuits around which ballot envelope issues can be cured played out in various courts.  

An attorney representing the NCSBE in court Friday dubbed the situation as “paralysis,” estimating that at least 10,000 absentee ballots with various deficiencies are on hold due to deficiencies and the county boards have been unable to even notify voters about their ballots status due to lawsuits. 

The new guidance, revised on Oct. 17 and issued to county boards today, lists various deficiencies that fallen under two main categories: those that can be cured with a certification and those that cannot be cured. Those that cannot be cured must be spoiled, with a new ballot issued before Election Day. There are also some deficiencies, like a missing zip code, that do not require any action to be accepted. 

There are three listed deficiencies in the new memo that require a new ballot be issued because they cannot be cured by certificate: 

  • A missing witness or assistant signature
  • The envelope is unsealed
  • The envelope indicates the voter is requesting a replacement ballot

The missing witness signature had been the center issue in courtroom drama involving several legal challenges. A federal judge ruled last week that allowing voters to cure a missing witness signature would amount to circumventing the witness requirement, which is state law. 

Deficiencies that are deemed curable by certification in the memo include a voter signature that is missing or in the wrong location, a witness or assistant signature on the wrong line, a witness or assistant that did not also print their name or print their address. 

The memo instructs that county boards must notify voters in writing within one business day of identifying the deficiency and include a cure certification or a new ballot, depending on the issue being resolved. The written notice must also include information on how to vote in-person during early voting and on Election Day, as a voter can choose this option instead of fixing or filling out a new ballot. 

Some background: Voting rights advocates and election officials have grown anxious as the clock ticks down to Election Day, concerned the legal battles could leave affected voters without enough time to fix their issues through the mail. A voter with a pending absentee by mail ballot can cancel it by voting in person — something groups are now encouraging them to do as lawsuits play out —but there is likely a small number of voters who won’t or can’t utilize that option due to the pandemic.

The memo does note that if the voter has an email address on file, the board “shall also send the cure certification to the voter by email.” If no email address is available, the board is instructed to call the voter and let them know a cure certification has been mailed. 

Cure certifications may be submitted by fax, email, in person or by mail. It must be received by a county board of elections by the ballot deadline, a date that is currently tied up in court. 

For ballots with issues that cannot be cured, county boards must also notify those voters by phone or email, if available, that their ballot has an issue that cannot be cured and a new ballot has been issued.  That voter must fill out and mail in a new ballot by Nov. 3 or they can choose to vote in person instead. 

1:55 p.m. ET, October 19, 2020

In pitch to Maine voters, Pence slams Biden-Harris campaign on taxes and economy

From CNN’s Daniella Diaz

Vice President Mike Pence slammed the Biden-Harris campaign on taxes, the economy, coronavirus, and other topics in a campaign stump speech today in Hermon, Maine.

“Here in northern Maine you people believed we could be strong again. You believed we could be prosperous, again. Northern Maine said yes to President Donald Trump in 2016, and I know northern Maine is going to say yes to 4 more years of President Donald Trump in 2020,” he said.

Pence criticized Joe Biden, claiming he would raise them on Americans during a pandemic. 

"But now — even now in the midst of a global pandemic, Joe Biden wants to raise taxes by $4 trillion. Think about that. Joe Biden has said he wants to repeal all the Trump tax cuts, on day one. That would mean your average family of four would see a $2,000 increase in their taxes every single year,” Pence said.

Again on packing the courts, Pence said the Biden-Harris campaign need to answer whether they plan to pack the courts if they win the election. 

“Kamala Harris said, during the Democratic the Democratic primaries, that she was, quote, ‘absolutely open to adding seats to the Supreme Court.’ And a couple of surrogates for their campaign, just yesterday morning on the Sunday shows, were saying it outright. Now, Joe Biden is saying he's gonna tell the American people what we'll do after Judge Barrett is confirmed in a week or so, even though millions of Americans are voting right now,” Pence said. 

“Well, to borrow a phrase, ‘Come on, man!’ Joe, the American people deserve a straight answer. When you’re running for the highest office in the land, you gotta say whether you're gonna respect the highest court in the land,” Pence said.

As Pence concluded his speech, the audience began chanting: “Thank you Mike!” 

According to a pooler, after he wrapped his speech, Pence walked the rope line after his remarks without a face mask. 

1:38 p.m. ET, October 19, 2020

Debate commission meeting this afternoon to discuss possible changes ahead of Trump-Biden final contest

From CNN's Dan Merica

The Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville is decorated ahead of Thurday's debate.
The Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville is decorated ahead of Thurday's debate. Mark Humphrey/AP

The Commission on Presidential Debates will meet this afternoon to discuss possible rule changes to the final contest between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden set to take place Thursday in Nashville, two members of the commission tell CNN.

“We are going to consider what changes we are going to make with regards to the debate on Thursday night,” one commission member said. The member added that there is a chance no changes are made, saying the conversation will be on “what, if any, changes will be made.”

After a chaotic first debate where Trump frequently flouted the rules and interrupted Biden, the commission acknowledged the chaos and said it would look into rule changes in order to "ensure a more orderly discussion."

The meeting comes just three days before the final debate. The commission had said after the first debate that they would announce the changes “shortly.” The commission’s second debate was canceled after Trump declined to participate in a virtual contest, a change that was made because of his positive coronavirus diagnosis.

"The Commission on Presidential Debates sponsors televised debates for the benefit of the American electorate. Last night's debate made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues," a Sept. 30 statement from CPD reads.

The commission, at the time, did not specify what changes they would be making, but their statement at the time said they intended "to ensure that additional tools to maintain order are in place for the remaining debates.”

The commission members did not tell CNN on Monday what changes were being considered in the meeting.

The commission will also certify that both Trump and Biden have met the 15% polling threshold needed to qualify for the debate at the Monday meeting.

What the candidates have said: Biden has made clear that he wants the debate commission to change the rules ahead of the third contest, and said the way Trump conducted himself at the first debate was a "national embarrassment."

"I just hope there's a way in which the debate commission can control the ability of us to answer the questions without interruptions," Biden said the day after the first debate.

The Trump campaign has come out against any changes to the rules. Campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh told CNN in a statement after the first debate that the commission "shouldn't be moving the goalposts and changing the rules in the middle of the game."

Visit CNN's Election Center for full coverage of the 2020 race.

1:22 p.m. ET, October 19, 2020

Harris rallies Florida voters: "Everything is on the ballot in 2020"

From CNN’s Jasmine Wright

John Raoux/AP
John Raoux/AP

Sen. Kamala Harris rallied voters at a drive-in event in Orlando, Florida, to mark the battleground state’s first day of in-person early voting—it’s Harris’ first campaign travel stop after the Biden-Harris campaign halted her travel over the weekend following two positive Covid-19 cases in her orbit.

Harris, with a notable amount of energy and animation, gave her typical stump speech bringing back a campaign refrain from her primary run for democratic nominee, that justice is on the ballot and adding so is Vice President Joe Biden.

“There is so much on the ballot in 2020. Justice is on the ballot in 2020, economic justice is on the ballot in 2020, climate justice is on the ballot in 2020, health care justice is on the ballot in 2020, reproductive justice is on the ballot in 2020, criminal justice reform is on the ballot in 2020," she said. “Everything is on the ballot in 2020, Joe Biden is on the ballot in 2020.”

Harris spent a majority of her relatively brief remarks slamming Trump once again for his administration’s response to the pandemic. She called his “weird obsession” with trying to erase former President Barack Obama’s legacy “loco."

“Donald Trump, and Joe Biden, who in their administration created the most extensive public health coverage we've ever seen with the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. And do you know Donald Trump is in court right now trying to get rid of it? With his boy bill Barr, trying to get rid of the Affordable Care Act that brought coverage to over 20 million people,” she said.

Florida Democratic Rep. Val Demings spoke before Harris. The pool said about 90 cars attended the event in the Florida heat.