🇺🇲 Election Day 2024. “It’s been a long time coming, my dear. It’s been a long time coming, but now it’s here. Yea, now it’s here.” – Bruce Springsteen

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👋 Join Us Tonight. We know you have a lot of options for national news, but we ask you to join us for the best coverage of everything Pennsylvania tonight. All the races and all the results at PoliticsPA.com

👀 What We’re Seeing. PoliticsPA average of last 5 statewide polls. President: Harris +1.0% | Senate: Casey +3.4%

🔉 What We’re Listening To. Listen to a current and former election director talk about what to expect tonight on Voices of Reason.

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Top Story

1. Harris and Trump Present Dueling Visions For the Country In Their Election Eve Pitches to Pennsylvania

“It was always going to come down to Pennsylvania.

The final day of a presidential campaign that’s made the word unprecedented seem to lose its meaning saw both candidates on Monday crisscrossing the crucial battleground state to present their starkly different visions for the future of the country.

The laser focus on the Keystone State underscores how the race for the White House could hinge on Pennsylvania — a narrowly divided state where Trump prevailed in 2016, but lost four years later to President Joe Biden.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Elsewhere

Will Be Secure. “In his final daily briefing before the Nov. 5 election, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt urged Pennsylvanians to have confidence in the results, even if the vote count continues into the following days.” (Penn Capital-Star)

10 Things I Think I Think. “It’s been the experience of a lifetime. And here are the 10 things I think I think as we approach the end of the line.” (PoliticsPA)

The 20 Counties That Will Decide the 2024 Election. “Here are the 20 counties – including three in PA – that we’ll be tracking as part of Semafor’s election coverage — with an eye to which candidate beats their party’s 2020 result.” (Semafor)

POLITICO’s Hour-By-Hour Guide For Watching Election Returns. “Here is your hour-by-hour guide to Election Day — whether the race ends that night or not (all times Eastern).” (POLITICO)

State

2. Casey and McCormick Square Off In Pennsylvania Race That Could Determine Senate Control

“Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race between three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick will help determine control of the chamber Tuesday in a battleground state contest that is one of the nation’s most expensive this year.

Casey, perhaps Pennsylvania’s best-known politician and the son of a former two-term governor, is seeking a fourth term after facing what he has called his toughest reelection challenge yet. Casey, 64, is a stalwart of the state’s Democratic Party, having won six statewide elections going back to 1996, including serving as the state’s auditor general and treasurer.

McCormick, 59, is making his second run for the Senate after losing narrowly to Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2022’s Republican primary. He left his job as CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund to run after serving at the highest levels of former President George W. Bush’s administration and sitting on Trump’s Defense Advisory Board.” (AP)

Elsewhere

The Pennsylvania Race Serving as a Test of Democrats’ Evolving Democracy Message. “Republican Rep. Scott Perry was one of Donald Trump’s top congressional allies in the effort to overturn the 2020 election. But this year, even his Democratic challenger says her message about upholding democracy was not the main point of her campaign in this increasingly suburbanized — and competitive — district.” (POLITICO)

The State House Races We’re Watching. “The Pennsylvania State House currently sits at 102-101 in favor of Democrats. Could the chamber shift back in favor of Republicans on Tuesday? Here is a look at the races we’re watching in the lower chamber.” (PoliticsPA)

The State Senate Races We’re Watching. “Republicans hold a 28-22 advantage in the upper chamber but Democrats feel that they could flip enough seats to take control for the first time since 1993. Here are the races to keep an eye on Tuesday night.” (PoliticsPA)

Legislature’s Majorities and Picking a New State Attorney General Are On the Pennsylvania Ballot. “Pennsylvania voters on Tuesday will decide whether to keep Democrats in control of the state House and maintain the Republican state Senate’s majority, along with deciding who should be running state offices that prosecute crimes, handle billions in public money and keep a watch on how that money is spent.” (AP)

In Pennsylvania, A Race to Keep Voters From Having Their Ballots Thrown Away. “Thousands of voters are at risk of having their ballots canceled due to simple errors, such as forgetting to date or sign the outer envelope.” (Washington Post)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Where Things Stand in Pennsylvania, Land of Election Uncertainty

“It has been hard to keep track of the disputes over Pennsylvania’s voting rules this year, especially these past two months. Different interpretations of state law have led to different rules from county to county. There have been court rulings, appeals, more rulings, dismissals, and new court cases filed, sometimes whiplashing from week to week.

Election Day is unlikely to bring an end to this confusion. If 2020 is any guide for what we will see tomorrow and in the coming weeks, there will likely be new disputes over which votes should count.” (Votebeat)

Elsewhere

2024 Election Guides

• What You Need to Know Before Heading to the Polls in PA. (Spotlight PA)
• 2024 Pennsylvania Election Guide. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• The General Election Voters Guide. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• A Guide to the Lehigh Valley’s Contested Campaigns and Candidates. (LehighValleyNews.com)
• Latest ‘Most Important Election of our Lifetime’ Finally Arrives. (WVIA)
• What to Know About National, State Races, Issues in Erie County. (Erie Times-News)
• All the Information You Need For Election Day 2024. (Centre Daily Times)

Battleground: Pennsylvanians Feel the Pressure, Privilege of Voting In The Swing State. “It’s been a long year for Pennsylvania voters, with intense scrutiny by national media and relentless campaign ads and near-constant visits and rallies from the candidates.” (Penn Capital-Star)

• ‘Please, Leave Me Alone. I Get It. I’m Going to Vote’: Campaign Messages Overwhelm PA Voters. (WHYY)
• Stressed at Work Over the Election? 3 Ways To Minimize Political Tension on the Job. (WQLN)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• The Dire Consequences of a Donald Trump Win. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Alexis de Tocqueville on the Timeless Tensions of American Elections. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• It’s Your Turn to Change the World. (Greensburg Tribune-Review)
• Work is Done, Time to Go Out and Vote. (Sunbury Daily Item)
• Six Ways Living In a Swing State Is Like Living an Election Fever Dream in 2024. (Stephanie Farr)
• Election Eve in Battleground Pennsylvania. (Salena Zito)
• Bellwethers — What to Watch For on Election Night. (Kyle Sammin)

1 Thing

5. Election Day Deals

“American ingenuity: It’s technically illegal to offer freebies in exchange for an “I Voted” sticker. So businesses get around that by offering Election Day bargains to all, Axios’ Kelly Tyko writes:

• Uber and Lyft are both giving 50% off rides to polls, up to $10.
• Lime is giving free scooter rides to and from polling locations with promo code VOTE2024.
• Krispy Kreme is offering one free glazed doughnut per guest — and is even throwing in “I Voted” stickers “for those who voted early and want a fresh sticker along with their fresh doughnut.”
• At Johnny Rockets, get a free shake with an in-store purchase by mentioning the ballot bargain.

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