News from around the nation.

Election 2024 - close races to decide control of US Congress; Alabama felony voting ban leaves thousands disenfranchised as polls open; Glynn County under watch as key Election Day player; Pennsylvania voting report: Strengthening election integrity amid potential disruptions.

Transcript

- The Public News Service Tuesday afternoon update, Election Day 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

In addition to the momentous decision in the hotly contested race for president, the Associated Press reports control of the Congress is at stake today in elections that could flip both the House of Representatives and the Senate while leaving Capitol Hill divided between Trump's Republicans and Harris Democrats.

The AP notes that nonpartisan analysts say Republicans stand a good chance of taking back the Senate where Democrats hold a 51 to 49 majority, but Republicans could also lose their grip on the House where Democrats only need to pick up four seats to take back control of the 435 seat chamber.

And as Alabamans head to the polls, some people won't be able to vote in the general elections because of a past felony conviction.

Research by the Sentencing Project is spotlighting more than 227,000 people in Alabama with felony convictions who are denied voting rights.

Nicole D. Porter with the Sentencing Project says the national total has come down since it peaked in 2016, but still four million Americans are disenfranchised.

Now many of those people are completing their sentence inside of prison and jail, but many people are disenfranchised living in the community after incarceration.

They're either on community supervision, on felony probation or parole, or they are post-sentenced.

In Alabama, a new law is expanding the list of crimes that can take away someone's right to vote.

We head next to Georgia, where Glynn County finds itself at the heart of a competitive battle for the White House.

Historically a Republican stronghold, both the Trump and Harris campaigns have made last-ditch efforts to sway Glynn County's growing and increasingly diverse electorate.

Jerry Gibbs is a reporter with The Current who first reported on this story he calls Glynn County one to watch in today's election.

This election could kind of be an indication of what the voter trends could look like four years from now, because a lot of people are moving here.

Democrats recently held a Souls to the Polls rally in the county, while the GOP held an event featuring former TV judge, Joe Brown.

And amid concerns of election denialism, a report from a nonpartisan watchdog organization highlights the robust protections in place to help safeguard Pennsylvania's election process.

Our Shantia Hudson has the details.

More than 8 million registered voters in the Commonwealth are expected to cast a ballot in today's presidential election.

Jenny Gimien from the nonprofit Informing Democracy says counties in Pennsylvania have significant authority to interpret and implement state laws, while the Secretary of State has limited oversight power.

This comes into play if defective ballots need a cure.

Some counties go out of their way to notify voters and allow them to cast a provisional ballot to fix the issue, while others do not.

Gimien says they will track petition recounts, noting that in 2022, voters filed around 150 recount petitions in 27 counties.

Many were dismissed due to errors and none changed any race outcomes.

This is public news service.

Election experts are urging calm and patience as Californians and all Americans head to the polls on election day.

Rules that forbid the counting of votes until after the polls close in battleground states like Pennsylvania mean that a definitive result could take days or even weeks.

Selena Stewart is CEO of the League of Women Voters.

We likely will not know the winner of the election on election night, and we should be skeptical of candidates who claim victory before there's a clear picture.

Voters who face an obstacle to casting a ballot can report the problem to county election officials and to the hotline 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform Act in the wake of the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

The attack aimed to halt the certification of the election.

The ECRA clarified the vice president cannot set aside the results.

And on this election day, reproductive rights and healthcare access are on voters' minds as advocates warn that the 150-year-old Comstack Act could be revived.

It criminalizes distributing contraception, abortion medication, and related information across state lines.

Originally created to limit reproductive access, the act has gone largely unenforced.

Sneha S. Nair, Partnerships Coordinator at the nonprofit Women First Digital, says she's concerned about renewed efforts to bring it back, which could restrict access to critical health information online.

If the Comstack Act were enforced, it would seriously impact the work and the mission of Women First Digital.

We rely on digital platforms to share sexual and reproductive health content worldwide.

The Comstack Act could lead to significant censorship and suppression of vital health information.

Its potential revival raises significant concerns among advocates about the future of reproductive health access.

Opponents of repealing the act highlight concerns for family values and public health.

As voters head to the polls today, the implications of this historic law resonate deeply for many, particularly for marginalized communities that already face barriers to healthcare.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

Finally, Eric Galatas lets us know in this sentiment, Colorado News Connection collaboration, every year in America's largest lamb slaughterhouse, located in Denver's Globeville neighborhood, half a million young sheep are carted into the facility and leave as packaged meat.

Aiden Kankyoku with Pro Animal Future is working to pass initiative 309 on this year's ballot, which would ban slaughterhouses in the city of Denver and prioritize job training programs for workers.

Kankyoku says most people he approaches are open to the idea.

And almost everyone I talk to says that they're supportive.

It's not like these are all vegetarians and vegans, but they're really on board with protecting animals and they say that they're gonna support the ban.

Please be sure to get out and vote today.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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