Politics and views in the United States.

The vice presidential candidates hold their first debate, North Carolina election officials face challenges following Hurricane Helene and California bans local governments from requiring IDs to vote.

TRANSCRIPT

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

I don't want people who are struggling with addiction to be deprived of their second chance because Kamala Harris let in fentanyl into our communities at record levels.

In the vice presidential debate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance says he and former President Donald Trump would empower border agents to stop drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

Vance blamed immigrants for many problems, from guns to a housing shortage, but he did not say whether he would support Trump's family separation policy.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz didn't attack Vance for spreading the conspiracy theory that Haitian migrants are eating pets, but he did repeatedly point to Trump killing a tough bipartisan immigration bill that would have hired 1,500 border agents.

We fix this issue with a bill that is necessary, but the issue on this is, this is what happens when you don't want to solve it.

You demonize it.

In a mostly respectful and policy-heavy 90 Minutes, the two clashed on abortion, child care, January 6th, and the economy.

In style, Vance, a Yale-trained lawyer, was smoothly articulate.

Walz, the former small-town teacher, was more folksy, at one point calling himself a knucklehead.

Election officials in North Carolina are scrambling to keep on track after Hurricane Helene.

Officials say no voting equipment or paper ballots were damaged, but some poll sites will need to be relocated.

Governor Erin Brinson-Bell, with the State Board of Elections, says offices in more than half of the state's counties remain closed.

We do not stop an election.

We figure out how to proceed.

Mail service in the western part of the state is suspended.

Many absentee ballots were mailed out last week, but officials say any left in postal boxes might have washed away.

Georgia Democrats are suing the State Board of Elections for requiring poll workers to hand-tabulate ballots after the machine count.

They argue the board's not allowed to make that dramatic a change so close to the election.

David Becker with the Center for Election Innovation and Research tells CBS states already match the number of ballots cast to the number counted.

They just don't necessarily do it late at night on election night with tired poll workers who are exhausted.

A new California law prevents local governments from requiring IDs to vote.

California is one of 14 states without voter ID, and Democrats say the law will keep conservative-leaning jurisdictions from putting up rules that can end up being a barrier to low-income, elderly and minority voters.

Shirley Weber is California's Secretary of State.

We want you to have input.

That's what a democracy is about, and not creating barriers as we have in our history before.

And finally, former President Jimmy Carter turned 100 years old Tuesday.

Carter, who won election in 1976, celebrated at his home in Georgia, where he has received hospice care for the past year.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.