Marijuana legalized in five states, Oregon decriminalizes all drugs

Five states across the country voted to legalize marijuana to some degree. 

Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota all had marijuana measures on their ballots, with voters in every state showing support for legalization. 

After over 3 years of failed legislative measures on the issue, New Jersey voters approved recreational marijuana with 67 percent of the vote, finally delivering on Gov. Phil Murphy’s years-long promise to legalize. Many experts also think this move will further push Democrats in New York and Pennsylvania to legalize to ensure their states don’t miss out on what could be one of the largest marijuana markets in the country. 

Arizona and Montana voters also approved recreational marijuana for people over the age of 21, with the former also committing to expunge some marijuana offenses. Mississippi voted to legalize medical marijuana for people in the state with debilitating medical conditions. 

South Dakota decided to legalize both medical and recreational marijuana, requiring the state legislature pass laws for the sale of marijuana products by April 1, 2022.

On the West Coast, Oregon voted to decriminalize all drugs, meaning that while the sale of illegal drugs is still prohibited, the state will remove criminal penalties — including prison time — for possessing small amounts of currently illegal drugs, and will give those caught with drugs the option of either paying a $100 fine or getting a “completed health assessment” at an addiction recovery center. Many see this measure as a significant step in reversing the harm done by the War on Drugs and mass incarceration. 

By Lacey Latch, 11: 15 a.m.

Texas remains red but was on the cusp of shifting blue. 

The state has not been blue in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter defeated Republican Gerald Ford in 1976. An additional 38 electoral votes have been given to Trump.

Historically, the state has been known for low voter turnout rates but this year it surpassed its previous record of 8.97 million to 9.7 million just five days before election day. 

Trump won 52.2 percent of the vote. 

By Rebecca Meluch, 12:16 a.m.

Trump claims Democrats are trying to steal the election, deletes tweet

President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday night that an election steal is underway, despite no evidence pointing toward that being true. 

“We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the election,” Trump wrote in a tweet. “We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls (sic) are closed.”

The rhetoric is in line with scare tactics the president has used throughout the election, like framing mail-in voting as fraudulent. Trump’s senior campaign adviser, Jason Miller, made a similar claim Sunday, Axios reported. 

Twitter has prevented users from sharing the tweet, stating that “Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process.”

By Ella Lee, 12:07 a.m.

Ernst keeps her seat in Iowa

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has narrowly won re-election, likely thwarting Democrats’ hopes of capturing a senate majority. She fended off Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield and Libertarian Rick Stewart.

Ernst, Iowa’s junior senator, has served since 2015. She served in the Iowa National Guard for 22 years, retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Democrats still look to Montana’s Steve Bullock, Maine’s Sara Gideon, and North Carolina’s Cal Cunningham as challengers that could flip valuable senate seats from Republicans.

By Marcus Robertson, 11:57 p.m.

Trump wins Florida

President Donald Trump has won Florida in an extraordinarily tight race.

Trump defeated opponent Joe Biden with 51.38% of the popular vote.

The president previously won the state in 2016, defeating opponent Hillary Clinton with 48.6% of the popular vote.

The state also holds great weight in terms of the electoral vote, with 29 votes at stake.

By Emma Oxnevad, 11:41 p.m.

Illinois’ 14th Congressional District race nearly tied, too close to call 

In one of the most highly anticipated Congressional races, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood and Illinois State Senator challenger Jim Oberweis find themselves nearly tied with 83% of the district reporting.

Oberweis is in the lead with 50.4% but Underwood closely trails him at 49.6%.

Underwood, 34, originally took the district’s seat in 2018 – beating four term GOP incumbent Randy Hultgren.

Oberweis, 74, has had two past unsuccessful runs for Congress but has served in the state legislature since 2013.

Underwood’s 2018 victory made waves as the district departed from its conservative leaning history. It was equated with unhappiness towards President Trump at the time.

This year’s contest drew national attention – with many viewing the race as a referendum of the 2020 election.

By Cailey Gleeson, 11:36 p.m.

Unrest in front of White House flared as police detained two men 

Trouble flared on Black Lives Matter Plaza across from the White House when police detained two men after hundreds of demonstrators had gathered close to the White House, according to Sky News.

Officers formed a bike barrier between the men and the crowd as protesters tried to force themselves through the fence.Protestors were chanting “f-word the police” and “no justice, no peace” while demonstrators called on police to release the men.

Some protesters also kicked police bicycles. Officers later escorted the detained men out through the barrier of bikes.It was not clear yet why they were being held, said Sky News.

By Nicole Shih, 11:33 p.m.

Trump wins Ohio

Trump has won Ohio, a key battleground state with 18 electoral votes on the board.

A president hasn’t won an election without succeeding Ohio since 1964. 

In 2016, Trump won the state over Clinton by nearly 450,000 votes. 

Trump won with 53.48 percent of the vote. 

On Monday night, Trump was in Scranton PA when he attacked Ohio native, LeBron James for his support of Joe Biden. 

By Rebecca Meluch, 11:24 p.m.

Republican Rodney Davis reelected in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District

Republican incumbent Rodney Davis won his re-election bid in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District — securing his seat for a fifth term. The district, which covers large swaths of central Illinois farmland and several college towns, was expected to be one of the most highly contested matchups in the nation. 

This year’s contest was a rematch of the district’s 2018 battle between incumbent Republican Davis and his Democratic challenger Betsy Dirksen Londrigan. That year, Davis managed to maintain his seat — a small victory for Republicans during a midterm election year that turned many districts blue. 

But Davis’ victory in 2018 was not easily won, taking the district by a margin of approximately 2,000 votes. It appears that this year, his victory will be by a considerable margin.

Election experts like Brian J. Gaines, a professor of political science at the University of Illinois, predicted that this year’s election would be, in large, a referendum on Trump. 

“For Davis, the key will be turnout,” Gaines said. “If rural voters are demoralized because Trump is so far behind, he could lose support that he can’t make up elsewhere.”

From tonight’s outcome, it appears turnout was overwhelmingly in Davis’ favor.  

Claire Malon, 11:07 p.m

Kim Foxx re-elected Cook County state’s attorney

Kim Foxx won her bid for a second four-year term as Cook County state’s attorney. Foxx, 48, was elected in 2016, the first Black woman to hold that role. 

As state’s attorney, Foxx pursued fewer cases against petty offenders, reducing time and taxpayer money, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. An analysis by The Marshall Project found that she turned away 5,000 cases, like low-level shoplifting and drug offenses, that would have been picked up by former state’s attorney Anita Alvarez. 

She came under fire in January 2019 for her handling of former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett’s case. Smollett was accused of staging a racist,  homophobic hate crime against himself, and Foxx threw out the charges, which put her in hot water with voters in August, NBC 5 reported.

Foxx received 53.1% of the vote, and her opponent, Republican Patrick O’Brien, received 40.4% of the vote. 

By Ella Lee, 10:14 p.m.

Chicago bridges raised by city officials in fear of unrest

CHICAGO – City officials raised the Wabash Avenue bridge Tuesday evening in case of the potential unrest near Trump Tower. 

The bridge has been shut down “as part of a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of residents,” said Mary May, spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

“The Wabash Bridge will be out of service this evening as part of a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of residents,” May said in a statement. 

Officials are not planning to raise other bridges at the moment. All other bridges, CTA and bus stops remain open. 

Over the summer, the city also raised bridges on multiple occasions in response to protests after the death of George Floyd.

By Nicole Shih, 10:11 p.m.

Fair Tax: Will Illinois vote yes or no?

During Gov. Pritzker’s daily coronavirus briefing Tuesday, he mentioned that he is optimistic about the Fair Tax Amendment. However, as the voting results come in, that outcome is looking less likely. 

Illinoisans were asked on the ballot whether the state should keep its income tax system at a flat tax of 4.95 percent or allow legislators to change it to a graduated tax, where people with higher income pay more than those with lower income.

According to the Southern Illinois University – Simon Poll, on March 3, 2020 about two-thirds (65%) of respondents said they favored a constitutional change “to allow a graduated income-tax.” Particularly, 44 percent strongly favored the proposition while 21 percent somewhat supported the proposal.

The graduated income tax proposal was supported by all three levels of the major geographic breakdown in Illinois: 73 percent rate support in the City of Chicago, 68 percent support in Chicago suburb, and 55 percent support in downstate.

The proposal seemed to be supported by both parties as 41 percent of Republicans supported the Graduated Income Tax proposal while 83 percent of Democrats favored the bill and roughly 59 percent support among Independents.

However, as the polls come in according to Politico, about 52.2% of Illinoisans voted No towards the proposed Fair Tax leaving 47.8% voting Yes. For the amendment to pass, 60 percent must vote “yes.”

“I have mixed feelings about the amendment,” said Stephen Bauser, a resident in South Loop, Chicago. “The people in Springfield are not the most trustworthy.”

Another resident in the South Loop, CJ Zurkwaicz, feels that the proposed amendment is fair. 

“It is a good idea,” Zurkwaicz said. “A lot of people are spending lots of money for ads instead of using it to help.”

By Vera Odedoyin, 10:08 p.m.

Early voting records shattered in 2020 election

Early voting turnout in the 2020 elections shattered records as voters exercised their rights amid a pandemic. Early votes this year have doubled numbers from previous elections.

By mid-October, more than 26 million people in the U.S. had voted, which is six times the number of votes cast around the same time during the 2016 election. Around 102 million Americans voted prior to election day. Early voting did, however, bring a partisan divide.

Democrats voted earlier in much higher numbers than Republicans, which may have been affected by President Trump’s remarks about mail-in voting leading to fraud. By early October, the number of requests for absentee ballots had surpassed the 2016 numbers. Almost a dozen states automatically sent registered voters their absentee ballots without them needing to make a request for one.

Aside from the turnout numbers, there is concern over counting results and being able to call the results tonight. With certain states being allowed to count numbers prior to election day and many others having extensions, the results could be skewed giving the president an early advantage. According to a poll from the Pew Research Center, many voters don’t feel confident about the accuracy of early votes.

Another issue that affected several counties across the country, came down to long lines due to technical issues as well as social distancing policies at in-person polling places. On the flip side, with the increase in people choosing to vote by mail, counties have amped up their mail efforts. Many counties implemented ways for people to track their ballots to ensure they were counted.

Voters under 30 made up a significant number of the early votes. By the end of early voting in Texas, over 1.3 million young voters had already cast their ballot, passing the number of total votes from young people in 2016. In a dozen key states, over 4 million young people voted early which plays a key role in deciding the presidency and U.S. Senate control.

Even with the dramatic increases in early voting across all age groups, the total number of votes may be in line with 2016 numbers, the only difference being the ways in which people chose to vote this year.

By Abby Yimer, 9:55 p.m.

Georgia special election for Senate seat: the runoff is set

Doug Collins has conceded his special election bid for one of Georgia’s two available senate seats. Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler will now face Democrat Raphael Warnock in a runoff election in January.

By Marcus Robertson, 9:55 p.m.

Jill Rose Quinn becomes Illinois’ first transgender elected official

Jill Rose Quinn made history Tuesday and became a Cook County judge, making her Illinois’ first elected transgender official.

Quinn, 65, said she’s “grateful to the people of Cook County who are having an open mind to elect me.”

Quinn is the only candidate in her race who was deemed qualified by the Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Council of Lawyers and the Illinois State Bar Association. She secured the Cook County Democratic Party’s endorsement to fill a judicial seat earlier this year and earned key support from Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

A native New Yorker, Quinn grew up in Queens and attended State University of New York at Binghamton for college. Quinn transitioned in 2002, she said, after realizing, “people who loved me would still love me. People who weren’t gonna love me were never going to love me,” according to the Chicago Tribune. 

She also was inspired to pursue a career in law by the Marvel comic book character Daredevil, a ninja who was blinded as a child but who also practices law. In her office, Quinn keeps a Daredevil portrait on the wall, according to the Chicago Tribune. 

By Damita Menezes, 9:46 p.m.

Cori Bush becomes Missouri’s first Black Congresswoman

Cori Bush has won her bid for Missouri’s First Congressional District — making her the first Black Congresswoman from Missouri. This is Bush’s second congressional attempt in the St. Louis district after her 2018 primary bid ended in loss to incumbent William Lacy Clay. 

Bush was featured in the Netflix documentary Knock Down the House alongside other female candidates of color, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In the 2020 democratic primary, Bush, a progressive and Black Lives Matter activist, managed to unseat ten-term incumbent Clay — ending the longstanding Clay dynasty in the district.

By Claire Malon, 9:31 p.m.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wins relection bid

Incumbent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) won her reelection bid for New York’s 14th Congressional District, per the New York Times.

Ocasio-Cortez defeated her opponent John Cummings with 69 percent of the vote.

The congresswoman, considered by many to be the face of progressive politics, previously won the seat in 2018, with 80 percent of the vote. 

First assuming office at the age of 29, she became the youngest woman to serve in the United States Congress.

By Emma Oxnevad, 9:27 p.m.

Alabama senate race: Former football coach Tommy Tuberville ousts Democrat Doug Jones

Political newcomer and former college football coach Tommy Tuberville has beaten incumbent Democrat Doug Jones for Alabama’s senate seat.

Jones, the first Democratic senator from Alabama in 20 years, was elected in 2018 when Republican candidate Roy Moore’s campaign was doomed by allegations the former state chief justice courted underage girls.

Tuberville is best known in the state as the successful former coach of Auburn University’s football team, rival to the state’s other major sports team, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tuberville guided Auburn to its first-ever stretch of six consecutive victories over Alabama in the Iron Bowl, a famously vitriolic rivalry — and according to many, the most intense rivalry in sports.

In the end, Tuberville’s platform of vague support for President Trump meant more than his reputation among Alabama fans, who outnumber Auburn fans in the state.

By Marcus Robertson, 9:12 p.m.

Graham fends off Harrison’s upset bid

South Carolina will not have a new senator this year, after Lindsey Graham managed to hold onto the senate seat he’s kept for 17 years.

Harrison faced a tough challenge after Democrat Jaime Harrison shattered Senate fund-raising records with a $57 million pull over three months. Harrison kept on the offensive, taking Graham up on his 2016 offer to use his words against him — after Graham reneged on his 2016 promise not to push through a Supreme Court nominee in a presidential election year.

Graham, one of the Senate GOP’s top leaders, was originally one of the most vocally anti-Trump Republicans in 2016. Following Trump’s win that year, Graham kowtowed, following his party’s lead in supporting Trump and his agenda.

By Marcus Robertson, 9:16 p.m.

Sarah McBride becomes first transgender state senator

Sarah McBride has made history, as the country’s first transgender state senator

McBride, 30, becomes the highest-ranking openly transgender official in the United States after winning a state Senate seat in Delaware.

“I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too,” McBride tweeted.

McBride won 76% of the vote against Republican Steve Washington.

McBride, who currently serves as the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, has held supporting roles in politics for more than a decade, according to 19th news. Starting in 2008, she worked under Delaware Gov. Jack Markell before going to work for then-Attorney General Beau Biden in 2010.

She was the first openly transgender woman to intern at the White House and, in 2016, she became the first transgender person to address the Democratic National Convention. 

There are currently four openly transgender U.S. state legislators: Virginia state Del. Danica Roem; Colorado state Rep. Brianna Titone; and New Hampshire state Reps. Lisa Bunker and Gerri Cannon.

By Damita Menezes, 9:06 p.m.

QAnon believer Marjorie Taylor Greene snags Georgia House seat

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican candidate and promoter of QAnon conspiracy theories, is projected to win Georgia’s 14th Congressional District by an overwhelming margin. Greene, who is currently a businesswoman, clinched her primary against John Cowan in August by 10,000 votes, to the dismay of her party.

A Republican winning the race is a no-brainer; the district, which includes nearly all of the northwestern portion of the state, was the 10th most Republican district in the country, according to the 2017 Cook PVI report. Greene stands as an outsider within her own party, however; her support of QAnon, a fringe conspiracy organization that believes in a secret cabal of elites and the “deep state,” has left her standing in as a member of this generation’s Tea Party.

By Cam Rodriguez, 8:53 p.m.

John Hickenlooper gives Dems their first Senate pickup of the night

The first Democratic Senate pickup of the night is in: former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper has flipped Republican Cory Gardner’s seat in Colorado. Hickenlooper previously ran in the Democratic party’s presidential primary last year, proving to be one of a handful of candidates with enough staying power to make it to April.

Before that, he served as Colorado’s governor from 2011 to 2019, a period that saw the state become one of the first in the country to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

Gardner faced waning popularity in his home state this year, following President Trump’s similar popularity trends there. Gardner was widely viewed as the most vulnerable Republican senator up for re-election this year.

Marcus Robertson, 8:38 p.m.

Stores board up, extra police on call despite few election night protests so far

Hundreds of people are demonstrating near the White House Tuesday night as they wait to find out who will be the next president of the United States. 

Crowds began to gather in the afternoon at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House. 

There has been some minor unrest across the country. For instance, in North Carolina, an armed man loitering at a polling site on Election Day was arrested and charged with trespassing, according to local authorities. A thirty-six-year-old man was legally carrying a firearm but loitered at the Charlotte site after voting Tuesday morning, according to local authorities. 

Even so, there have been relatively few election night riots today in American history so far. 

A fence has been installed around the White House ahead of potential protests in Washington, D.C. Chain stores like Tiffany, Saks Fifth Avenue, CVS, Target and Macy’s are boarded up, in case of unrest after the election tonight.

New York City Police Department officials say thousands of extra officers are standing by to facilitate any peaceful protests on Tuesday night and in the coming days. The NYPD has already prepared for a kind of low-grade martial law if things start to get out of hand. FBI has engaged in some states to enhance the safety as well. Six states including Ohio and Michigan, Homeland Security FBI told voters to stay home and be safe and to not go to the polls.

By Nicole Shih, 8:07 p.m.

Mitch McConnell wins reelection in Kentucky

The Republican senator managed to secure a seventh term defeating Democratic nominee Amy McGrath by a convincing margin, according to The Associated Press. McConnell is expected to seek reelection as the GOP Senate leader regardless of whether or not Republicans maintain the majority.

Just four seats could determine who controls the Senate after a six-year Republicn majority that has successfully confirmed three conservative Supreme Court Justices and dozens of lower court judges. 

By Lacey Latch, 7:55 p.m.

Durbin wins Illinois senate seat, 5th term

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has won his reelection bid over four challengers, the Associated Press reported. 

Durbin will now be entering his fifth term as a U.S. senator. The East St. Louis, IL native is the Senate’s second-highest ranking Democrat, and was able to raise millions of dollars for his campaign. 

Durbin, who is 75 years old, was first elected in 1996 and has been a Democratic whip since 2005. 

Durbin was able to beat out four challengers in Illinois’ only statewide race: former Lake County sheriff Republican Mark Curran, Libertarian Danny Malouf, Independent businessman Willie Wilson and Green Party candidate Danny Malouf. 

“Having served in the Senate and the House of Representatives, I’m in a better position to help this state, help this city through one of the most difficult times we’ve had in the history of this country,” Durbin said in a ABC7 article

The Associated Press was also able to project that Former Vice President Joe Biden has defeated President Donald Trump in Illinois.

By Lawrence Kreymer, 7:32 p.m.

Swearengin loses West Virginia Senate bid

Paula Jean Swearengin, who rose to fame in the 2018 midterms thanks to Netflix’s “Taking Back the House,” has lost another Senate bid in West Virginia, this time losing to Republican Shelley Moore Capito, the state’s junior senator.

Swearengin was one of a handful of women featured in the Netflix documentary, and her tearful primary loss to Democrat Joe Manchin proved endearing to viewers, emboldening her to run once again this year.

By Marcus Robertson, 7:26 p.m.

Early voting proves successful, despite hiccups

Voting across the country has been relatively peaceful and easy because of the amount of early voting ballots, despite a few incidents. At least six states have already surpassed their 2016 vote totals.

Poll stations across the country have reported malfunctioning of voting machines facing delays and other complications.

At Union Ridge School in Harwood Heights, IL, paper ballots were going to be “spoiled” because the scanner couldn’t be fixed. The problem has since been fixed, according to a poll worker.

In Spalding County, Ga., a judge has ordered that voting be extended until 9 p.m. across the county because of malfunctioning voting machines. Voters who are in line by 7 p.m. can use the regular machines to cast their ballots. Voters who arrive from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. can cast a provisional ballot marked for extended voting times. Those votes will not be tabulated until Friday, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta.

In the hugely important swing state of Pennsylvania, voters in Bucks County reported waiting more than an hour in the freezing cold to cast their ballots when a scanner began malfunctioning, according to Pocono Record. 

At James Otis School on Chicago’s west side, the sprinkler system went off flooding the polling station. As of now, no ballots have been deemed damaged according to CBS Chicago.

Embed: https://twitter.com/MeganHickeyTV/status/1323752198719811587?s=20

Judge Emmet Sullivan of the US District Court of the District of Columbia ordered the United States Postal Service to sweep all processing facilities by 3 p.m. ET in a number of states, including some critical battleground states.The order mandates that USPS postal inspectors “or their designees” must start sweeping the processing facilities by 3:00 p.m. ET according to CNN.

But after months of anxiety about sweeping disenfranchisement, predicted nightmare scenarios do not appear to have come to pass. And between mail-in ballots, early votes and Election Day votes, turnout is on track to be historically high.

 

At Fulton County, GA, a broken water pipe at the ballot processing site at State Farm arena caused a delay in ability to process thousands of absentee-by-mail votes.

Atlanta won’t finish its count tonight. Election workers in Fulton County, who were counting absentee ballots, went home for the night. A water line break delayed the count.

They planned to stop scanning absentee ballots at 10:30 p.m. and pick it up back in the morning. No official could explain before press time why Fulton was stopping its count of absentee ballots at that time, only saying that was the procedure, according to the AJC.

By Damita Menezes, 6:37 p.m.

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