Politics and views in the United States.

Voters in eight states consider amendments to ban noncitizens from voting, Georgians smash early voting records, and Texas Senate candidates debate who is a greater threat to democracy.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

There's a lot of deterrence for noncitizens to not vote in Wisconsin.

It would be very risky on a lot of dimensions for noncitizens to decide to vote.

University of Wisconsin law professor Bree Grossi-Wilde says a state constitutional amendment to ban noncitizen voting is scary and unnecessary.

Seven other states have taken up similar measures, but it's already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.

And in spite of the conspiracy theory, it almost never happens.

Immigration was a central topic of Vice President Kamala Harris' first extended Fox interview.

To sharp questions about harm from migrants, she again pointed to Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, blocking efforts to fix border policy.

Georgians are breaking early voting records, casting half a million ballots in just three days.

Tia Mitchell with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says voters know it's a battleground state.

Every vote in Georgia is going to count.

Georgia is expected to be close.

And so it's in the margins and I think people are just fired up.

Meanwhile, citing potential chaos and delay, Georgia judges have blocked a state rule that workers have to hand-count ballots and said county election officials have to certify election results in a week.

Polls show Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz is very narrowly leading his Democratic challenger, Congressman Colin Allred.

In their first and only debate, they sparred over abortion rights, immigration and January 6th.

Allred said Cruz's support for law enforcement should include the Capitol Police.

You can't be for the mob on January 6th and for the officers.

You can't.

And it's not funny because you're a threat to democracy.

Cruz called Allred's voting record extreme and said his failure to support legislation banning non-citizens from voting was the real threat to democracy.

Voters in Ohio will soon decide the fate of State Issue 1, aimed at creating a citizen-led redistricting commission.

Supporters say it's meant to reduce gerrymandering, but Annette Tucker-Sutherland with the League of Women Voters of Ohio says a court-approved change to include the word gerrymander in the measure misrepresents the true intent.

I never in my life thought I'd be telling people, don't read carefully what's on the ballot and then vote.

Early voting begins today in North Carolina, with the western part of the state still early in recovering from Hurricane Helene.

Election officials there have extended the deadline to request a mail-in ballot until November 4th.

With a North Carolina man already facing charges for threatening FEMA workers, storm-ravaged parts of Tennessee have reported armed groups threatening agency employees.

Carter County Sheriff Mike Fraley says misinformation accusing FEMA of seizing property is putting lives at risk.

Those FEMA workers, they're here to help and if you don't want FEMA's help, then politely tell them so.

But they are human beings just like we are.

I'm Kathryn Carley for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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