2024 election updates: Mark Cuban clashes with Trump's team

Finding poll workers can be tough for election officials, particularly in the heightened threat environment targeting election workers. But one Nebraska county has found a novel way of ensuring polling places are properly staffed on Election Day: a draft.

Douglas County Election Commissioner Brian Kruse told ABC News about 45% of the county's 3,000 election workers were drafted into service.

Douglas County is the most populous county in the state and one of two counties that uses an election draft. All voters registered in the county are eligible and may receive a letter in the mail letting them know they are required to participate -- a system akin to jury duty. The system has been in place for about 25 years, but Kruse says some people aren't familiar with it and are surprised when they get the notice. "Their first reaction is, 'Is this real?.' We field lots of those questions after we send letters out, but most people are good sports about it."

Some of the benefits of using a draft, according to Kruse, are lowering the average age of poll workers, creating balance among parties, and helping people gain a better understanding of how the election process works.

"A lot of people who would have never volunteered or been part of the process now come in and find out what all it takes to do it and how safe and secure it is and so they become great ambassadors for our office and many of them continue to be volunteers after their four turns are up," Kruse said.

Volunteers who are drafted are required to complete an online training course and serve during four elections. The election office will work with anyone to postpone their duty who has a trip planned, a medical issue or a spouse or family member who is a candidate, but the only way to be completely exempt from the draft is to be over 70 years old.

Douglas County also has new security measures in place for ballot drop boxes. Over the summer they county added a dry fire suppression system to all 13 of them. Kruse said there were no specific threats or concerns that led to the addition.

"The election commissioner in Hall County said she was looking into it, and she had done it and once she got a little more information then we decided it was reasonable," Kruse said.

There are also cameras monitoring the drop boxes that have been in place for at least two years.

-ABC News' Tonya Simpson

Harris and her allies in battleground Michigan are launching a new turnout campaign to assertively shore up support among Arab Americans, sending out mailers using Trump's own words about reimplementing a Muslim ban.

"Just last month, Donald Trump said he would ban Muslims from traveling here, and also ban refugees from Gaza," one of the mailers obtained by ABC News reads. Further down, the mailer says the former president "is no friend to Arab Americans," with one of their examples being his comment that he would let Israel "finish the job" in Gaza.

Another is a full-page black-and-white photo of Trump with "FINISH THE JOB" written above him. "That's what Trump said he would let Israel do in Gaza." The mailers, which come on the heels of a six-figure digital ad push, also points to the Arab American group Emgage Action's endorsement of Harris. (A number of other Arab leaders have backed Harris.)

Michigan, a state that was narrowly won in 2016 and 2020, is a target of both Harris and Trump's campaigns and has the largest Arab-American population among the states that will help decide the election. And Trump is making a play for them, too. Over the weekend, in Novi, Michigan, Trump invited Muslim leaders to the stage who are backing him, including Hamtramck, Michigan, Mayor Amer Ghalib.

Pro-Palestinian protestors who take issue with the U.S. response have demonstrated at Harris' rallies, including on Tuesday night as she delivered her "closing argument" speech outside the White House and Wednesday at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Look, I'll repeat: We are fighting for our democracy. We love our democracy. It can be complicated at times, but it is the best system in the world," Harris said after several interruptions from demonstrators.

-ABC News' Fritz Farrow

Harris, at a news conference on Thursday, swiped at House Speaker Mike Johnson's comments about making "massive reform" to gut the Affordable Care Act.

"I've been saying throughout this campaign, be very clear that among the stakes in this election are whether we continue with the Affordable Care Act or not," she said. "It has been a part of Donald Trump's agenda for a very long time. He has made dozens of attempts to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, and now we have further validation of that agenda from his supporter, the speaker of the House."

"What that would mean for the American people is that pharma -- that insurance companies could go back to a time when they would deny you coverage for health insurance based on pre-existing conditions, pre-existing conditions such as being a survivor of breast cancer, asthma, diabetes," she added.

The Trump campaign is trying to distance itself from Johnson's comments, telling The New York Times they are "not President Trump's policy position."

Trump is also seeking to separate himself from the remarks, despite saying numerous times this campaign that he would replace the ACA without offering a clear alternative.

Trump called Harris a "liar" and said her comments were a "desperate" attempt.

Harris, while speaking to reports before departing Wisconsin, said she found Trump's comments about women "offensive to everybody" and that, in contrast, her campaign is about unifying people.

"You've been following me and you will see that in the tens of thousands of people who attend our rallies ... there are men, women, young people, people of every race, every background," she said.

Harris said her campaign is "about bringing people together, people of very different and diverse backgrounds, around a common theme that is about love of country, defending the Constitution of the United States, investing in our future and rejecting the notion that we are divided."