Election 2020: SCOTUS rejects attempt to block extended ballot deadline

This was the Pa. GOP's second attempt to block the extension for mail-in ballots

With six days until Election Day, and President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden racing toward Nov. 3, more than 71 million Americans have voted early so far -- a record.

The president continues an aggressive, defensive campaign as polls show him trailing nationally and in several battleground states key to his reelection hopes. He has back-to-back rallies in Arizona Wednesday.

Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, is also in Arizona making stops in Tucson and Phoenix. Biden will deliver remarks on his plan to beat COVID-19 from Wilmington, Delaware.

Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, has campaign rallies in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan.


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Wisconsin Election Day preparations

Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator, joined ABC News Live to discuss Election Day preparations and urged voters, at this point, to drop off their ballot in person or in a dropbox rather than rely on the Postal Service.

"We're at this critical juncture before the election, returning your absentee ballot either in person to your local election official or in a Dropbox in your community is really the best option," Wolfe told ABC News Live Prime Anchor Linsey Davis.

Since so many Wisconsin residents have voted early or will over the next few days, Wolfe said she does not anticipate Election Day crowds being an issue.

"We expect that there'll be about 40% of our expected turnout that come to the polls on Election Day," she said.

-ABC News' Jon Schlosberg


Trump campaign releases 'American Dream Plan'

While Trump was speaking at his second rally in Arizona and stumping to Latino voters, he mentioned the "American Dream Plan," a new plan targeted towards Latino and Hispanic communities nationwide.

According to the campaign, the plan is promises to add 500,000 Hispanic-owned businesses, increase capital for minority entrepreneurs through Opportunity Zones, create 2 million new jobs for Hispanic Americans, increase access to home ownership, bolster school choice programs, and deliver a resolution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program with a permanent solution that benefits both Americans and recent arrivals.

'Latinos for Trump' advisory board member Alfredo Ortiz said that Trump's "American Dream Plan" gives Hispanic Americans another reason to vote for Trump.

Earlier Wednesday the Trump campaign also launched three new Spanish-speaking ads targeted towards Latino voters in South Florida, Central Florida, Arizona and Nevada.

-ABC News' Terrance Smith


Trump wraps up Goodyear, Arizona, rally

After relentlessly downplaying the virus at recent rallies this week, disparaging testing, and complaining about the media's continued coverage of the worst pandemic in a century that continues to surge -- Trump at his Goodyear, Arizona, rally appeared to pull back those comments a bit.

The president did not mention the word "COVID," as he has been, often repeating it multiple times seemingly exasperated by having to discuss the virus.

Trump also didn't explicitly say "we are rounding the turn" or try to uses testing as an excuse for the surging cases. But the president did continue to claim he's done "a great job we've done in fighting the China virus," and claimed he was "immune" while sharing a fist-bump on stage with Sen. Rand Paul. The immunity duration after contracting COVID-19 remains unknown, according to experts.

-ABC News' Will Steakin


How DC officials perform signature verifications

ABC News Live got an exclusive look at how election officials in Washington, D.C., perform signature verifications before mail-in ballots are counted.

Trained staff manually inspect each handwritten script and visually compare it to an electronic version associated with the voter's driver's license or other official record.


COVID-19 disconnect looms over Trump in Midwest

Trump hit Michigan Tuesday with what's already become a familiar complaint about TV news.

"With them, you can't watch anything else," he said. "You turn on – COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID. COVID, COVID, COVID. COVID!"

There's a reason, of course, for the coverage. And new ABC News/Washington Post polling out Wednesday morning shows how extensively COVID-19 perceptions are impacting the race -- particularly in a few states that are likely to matter the most.


Biden leads Trump 57-40 among likely voters in Wisconsin, and 52-46 in Michigan. That's a sizable lead with less than a week to go in both critical states, with the Wisconsin number striking on its own because it shows a larger margin than other recent polls.

One thing driving the story in Wisconsin in particular: the pandemic. The state is in the midst of a full-on coronavirus crisis, setting new records for hospitalizations and sitting near the top of the list for per capita cases.


The president is 20 points underwater on his handling of the pandemic in Wisconsin, and Biden is trusted more than Trump on the subject by a similar 20 points. The poll shows Trump's support among suburban voters cratering in Wisconsin, particularly in comparison to Michigan.


The polling also shows Trump trailing among seniors in Wisconsin by 24 points and in Michigan by 12 points. He carried voters 65 and older narrowly in both states four years ago, according to exit polls.

Biden can win the presidency by rebuilding the blue wall -- Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania -- without carrying a single other Trump state. It might wind up being rebuilt with help from the crisis that has defined Trump's presidency.

-ABC News’ Political Director Rick Klein