Six days until Election Day, much of the political debate is about "garbage."
First, the backlash over a comedian's racist comments about Puerto Rico that former President Donald Trump has not apologized for -- and now President Joe Biden appearing to call Trump's supporters "garbage" and stepping on Vice President Kamala Harris' message of unity aimed at attracting disaffected Republicans.
As of 5:45 a.m. on Thursday, more than 59 million Americans have voted early, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida.
Of the total number of early votes, 31,018,125 were cast in person and 27,952,363 were returned by mail.
Oct 30, 2024, 2:20 PM EDT
Harris stresses unity in Raleigh speech
Vice President Kamala Harris held her first of three Wednesday rallies in Raleigh, hammering a message of unity.
Harris encouraged North Carolinians to take advantage of early voting, which ends Saturday in the state.
“We have just six days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and we have work to do," she said.
"It is time for a new chapter where we stop ... pointing fingers at each other and instead let us lock arms with one another, knowing we have so much more in common than what separates us,” she said.
When a protestor began shouting, Harris spoke about bringing people with opposing views into her tent.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table, and I pledge to be a president for all Americans and to always put Americans before myself,” she said.
Harris also gave a shoutout to Gen-Z supporters.
"I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are voting for the first time," she said.
-ABC News' Will McDuffie, Cheyenne Haslett, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow
Oct 30, 2024, 12:18 PM EDT
Trump campaign sues Pennsylvania county
The Trump campaign sued Pennsylvania's Bucks County Board of Elections and others Tuesday night over claims the county "turned away voters," according to a filing in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.
In a 21-page filing, the Trump campaign claimed voters in Bucks County were "turned away, and forced by security to leave" long lines while attempting to apply in person for a mail-in ballot in the key swing state -- accusing the county of violating the election code.
The campaign is seeking a one-day extension to the mail-in ballot request deadline -- which ended Tuesday at 5 pm. -- to be extended until the end of day Wednesday for voters to apply in person.
The lawsuit includes signed declarations from three individuals who claim they were turned away Monday afternoon. It was joined by a host of Republican figures and groups, including the Republican National Committee, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, and Senate candidate David McCormick.
Lawyers for the county entered an appearance on Wednesday, according to the docket.
The county was previously accused of "suppressive and intimidating" tactics, including claiming voters were turned away and lines were closed early.
However, the county pushed back on any suggestion that what occurred in Bucks County amounts to intentional voter suppression.
"Contrary to what is being depicted on social media, if you are in line by 5 p.m. for an on-demand mail-in ballot application, you will have the opportunity to submit your application for a mail-in ballot," the county said in a statement.
The county did acknowledge that there was indeed some "miscommunication" from officials on site.
Those in line applying for on-demand ballots were "briefly told they could not be accommodated," the county said, but added that those individuals were ultimately allowed to submit their applications, according to officials.
In a post on X, the secretary of state's office echoed that sentiment, asking for voters to "be patient."
"Earlier today, we spoke with Bucks County election officials who assured us that every registered voter who goes to their county election office by 5 p.m. today will be provided an opportunity to apply for their mail ballot," the post said. "Please be patient with all county election office staff as they work hard to ensure every registered voter is able to vote in this election," he said.
-ABC News' Olivia Rubin
Oct 30, 2024, 12:12 PM EDT
Supreme Court allows Virginia to purge 1,600 voters
The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing Virginia to move forward with its purge of 1,600 alleged noncitizens from the voter rolls ahead of Election Day.
The conservative majority's decision -- which was not explained -- reverses rulings by a federal district court judge and a unanimous appeals court panel.
Both had said that Virginia's purge, initiated by an executive order from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, violated federal law prohibiting the "systematic" removal of voters from registration lists within 90-days of an election.
The Supreme Court's decision suggests that the justices acted either under the Purcell principle -- to keep federal courts from intervening in state election administration too close to voting -- or under the belief that Virginia had compellingly argued that the federal law's "quiet period" didn't apply here.
The state advanced the idea that noncitizens -- who were never "eligible" to vote in the first place -- can be removed at any time. It also emphasized in court briefs that anyone erroneously removed as an alleged noncitizen is given two opportunities to correct his or her registration status.
The three liberal justices -- Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson -- indicated they would have kept the purge on hold.
Noncitizen voters are already prohibited from registering to vote for federal and state elections.
The Virginia voters who are eligible to vote but were purged, however, can still have a chance to vote if they use the state's same-day registration option at the polls.
In a phone interview on Fox News on Wednesday morning, Youngkin called the Supreme Court’s decision “a victory for common sense” and the Constitution, and emphasized that voters who attest they are U.S. citizens should cast provisional ballots if they were removed from the voter rolls. Damon Hewitt, the president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law which led the efforts in Virginia, blasted the decision.
"None of this activity is random. It's all highly orchestrated, but it's also orchestrated with a purpose," he said in a statement,
-ABC News' Devin Dwyer, Beatrice Peterson and Oren Oppenheim
Oct 30, 2024, 11:04 AM EDT
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former GOP governor, endorses Harris
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday that he was going to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
"The Terminator" actor and longtime Republican said in lengthy X post that he didn't like either party now given the divisions and lack of progress from leaders in Washington, D.C.
However, Schwarzenegger said he was "furious" over Trump's refusal to accept the 2020 election, anti-immigrant rhetoric, economic policies and actions on Jan. 6.
"We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won't do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger," he said.
"That's enough reason for me to share my vote with all of you. I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz," he said.