Saturday, November 2, 2024

The journey to Election Day

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On Politics

Sat Nov 2 2024

Rebecca Morin | Senior National News Reporter

@RebeccaMorin_

Hello! It's Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY. The election is nearly upon us and I'm here with a special edition to break down all the important stories that have led to Nov. 5.

From 'Hope' to election security: USA TODAY's journey on the campaign trail

Election Day is almost here. But in the months and days leading up to the final ballots being cast and results counted, USA TODAY reporters fanned out across the country – road tripping to key counties like Erie in Pennsylvania and shadowing election workers in Georgia and North Carolina.

We visited 6 communities that bear the name Hope, from Hope, Maine to Hope, Alaska, to see if voters were feeling any sense of optimization amid an intensely polarized election cycle. And as Red states have gotten redder and Blue states bluer, we analyzed why that's happening and what voters on the ground are feeling in those key states.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are statistically tied in nationwide polling for the presidential election – and are in a dead heat in nearly every single swing state. But USA TODAY went beyond the numbers, focusing on the priorities of Americans in the increasingly intense election.

Here's what we found.

7 Counties in 7 Days: A cross-country road trip to battleground states

The road to the White House passes through seven key swing states: Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona.

Within those states, the USA TODAY Network team traveled to seven counties whose voters will play a pivotal role in determining whether Trump or Harris wins their state – and, ultimately, the presidency.

In Washoe County, Nevada, voters across the political spectrum outlined what is getting them to the polls – from the economy to crime to border security to health care and the preservation of America's democratic institutions. Erie County, Pennsylvania, the ultimate bellwether, saw renewed excitement after Harris catapulted to the top of the Democratic ticket.

Hope in America: Yes, hope is still alive and well in this nation

Hope. The city in Maine. Or the one in Alaska. Bill Clinton sure put Arkansas' Hope on the map. Maybe, it's hope, the feeling.

USA TODAY sent reporters to six of the 19 U.S. cities named Hope. Residents of Hope, Alaska, a town 15 miles from Anchorage, try to steer clear of national politics. In Hope, New Mexico, which has a population of 105, resilience keeps the town alive.

But one other thing reporters found in their journey to hope: a sense of alarm.

The dangerous job of counting: How it feels for frontline, swing-state workers

Counting votes was a once-monotonous job. Now, it's become dangerous.

After losing the 2020 election, Trump spread false rumors there was fraud in the election. That message was amplified by conspiracy theorists who have peddled claims that the use of machines to count ballots allows results to be rigged. Election workers have been intimidated and threatened.

In Atlanta, Georgia, it's one woman's job to help voters who may have problems or questions with voting. One election coordinator in a suburb of Detroit no longer speaks about his job.

And here's how officials are preparing for protests and possible violence ahead of Election Day.