Early voters in New Jersey on October 31. Some people never miss an opportunity to…clown around. Photo: Getty Images
In yet another grim reminder that it’s just been one long year since Trump was elected, it’s Election Day—again. And many things have been happening. The government shutdown is now tied for the longest shutdown in history (which took place during Trump’s first term); Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) posted a distasteful 9/11 reference to tell New Yorkers not to vote for Zohran Mamdani; Dick Cheney died.
As a bunch of Americans head to the polls, the rest of the country waits with bated breath. Will New Yorkers get the mayor they deserve? Will abortion rights get pulverized in New Jersey? Will California defy Donald Trump in its redistricting battles? It’s too soon to tell, but here’s a roundup to keep you informed (and entertained) through the suspense.
Dick Cheney dying on election day is sort of poetic
America’s most populous city is populating the polls
Hours before the polls close, more people have already voted in New York City’s mayoral election than in the entirety of 2021, when Eric Adams beat Curtis Sliwa.
Five times as many New Yorkers voted early in this mayoral election compared to the previous one.
As of 1:00 p.m., the City Board of Elections told the New York Times that almost 460,000 New Yorkers had cast their ballots between 6:00 a.m. and noon, and early voting numbers already indicated a record turnout for a non-presidential election in the city. Adding a record 735,317 early votes to that figure, and NYC had already recorded 1.2 million votes eight hours before the polls closed. (In 2021, turnout was about 1.15 million.)
As of 3 p.m., 1.4 million New Yorkers have now voted, more than in any NYC mayoral election since 2001.
The White House ignored bomb threats in New Jersey
Polling places across seven New Jersey counties were moved after officials received bomb threats via email—though they quickly said the warnings were not credible. Five of the counties were blue, and there’s been—surprise!—crickets from the White House, despite Trump promising in October that he’d be monitoring the state’s polls.
BREAKING: Bomb Threats have been called in at polling places in 7 New Jersey Counties. They are almost all BLUE.
Mamdani called the threats “an illustration of the attacks we’re seeing in our democracy.” He continued, “We have to understand this as part of the general approach the Trump administration has taken to intimidate voters with baseless allegations of voter frauds as a means of trying to repress the voice of Americans across this country.”
“Voters should continue to have confidence that they can cast their ballots without fear of intimidation, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a free, fair, and secure election,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D) said in a statement.
Cybersecurity threats? You’re on your own!
Speaking to NBC News in an email, a spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said they have no plans to host calls with the media today about potential threats to election sites, despite the fact that the last two administrations did, and blamed the change on the shutdown—and Democrats.
“[The CISA] will steadfastly operate within its statutory mission to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure from cyber and physical threats, even as the Democrat-led shutdown extends into its second month.”
Trump is going nuclear on Truth Social
I mean, it’s not the most unusual thing to happen, but Trump’s schedule is empty today, and he’s really acting like your unemployed friend on a Tuesday. So far, he’s called California’s redistricting vote a “GIANT SCAM”; said “any Jewish person” that votes for Mamdani is “a proven and self professed JEW HATER,” and yell-typed “TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!!” (He’s been banging on about the Senate filibuster for days now, and is convinced that his party will lose control of Congress and the White House if they fail to do so.) His team is struggling to keep up with the balderdash.
Reporter: The president posted that the voting in California is rigged, what evidence does he have of that?
Leavitt: It’s absolutely true that there is fraud in California’s elections. It’s just a fact.
Again, not the most unusual thing, but Andrew Cuomo brought his two daughters—neither of whom lives in NYC—to the voting booth, decked out in full campaign gear. This is considered electioneering in New York and is not allowed!
The move violates a 100-foot. mandate that prohibits voters from wearing partisan merchandise too close to the polls. Also, according to a writer for the New York Daily News, it didn’t stop there, because he also spoke to the press right outside the poll site door. But then again, Cuomo is… bad with personal space.
Cuomo’s daughters + fiance are illegally electioneering here by wearing their “Cuomo for Mayor” shirts in the poll site.
