Welcome to McClatchy’s Voter Survival Guide, an interactive presentation of daily events from one of the strangest presidential campaigns in modern history.
There’s three weeks left until Election Day, and today is the deadline to register in the battleground states of Florida and Nevada along with Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon and West Virginia.
The deadline to register in Florida was originally scheduled for last week, but a judge ruled in favor of the Democratic Party to extend the deadline due to Hurricane Matthew.
If you want to check your voter registration status, click here.
Hillary Clinton is putting resources into Arizona, a reliably Republican state that is trending toward the Democratic nominee in recent polls. Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama will campaign there, and Clinton herself may step away from the traditional battleground states in the coming weeks to make a visit.
“We do see opportunity in Arizona,” Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told reporters on a call.
Donald Trump may launch a news network after the election, and the polls indicate the Republican nominee will need something else to do on November 9.
WikiLeaks announced its founder Julian Assange had his internet interrupted by a state actor.
And a joke Tweet about voter fraud ended up on Drudge Report, as Texas investigates potential voter fraud in the Fort Worth area.
The polls open nationally in 20 days. Let’s get started.
Voters must register today in Florida and Nevada
Florida is one of the biggest prizes on Election Day with 29 electoral votes, and is a virtual must-win for Trump to capture the presidency.
Voters were supposed to register by last Tuesday, but Hurricane Matthew and a lawsuit resulted in an extended deadline, even though Florida governor Rick Scott did not want to extend the deadline. Scott, a Republican, is a Trump supporter.
Nevada is another battleground state, with a growing Hispanic population that largely supports Clinton and a large amount of working class white voters that generally support Trump.
You can check your voter registration and register here.
Clinton contests Arizona
Arizona has not voted for a Democrat since Bill Clinton in 1996 and before that you have to go back to 1948.
But Clinton thinks she can win the state, and recent polls slightly favor Democrats to pull it off.
“Trump is becoming more unhinged by the day and that is increasing prospects for Democrats further down the ballot,” Mook said.
Trump is becoming more unhinged by the day and that is increasing prospects for Democrats further down the ballot.
Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook
The campaign will pour $2 million into Arizona while Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders and Chelsea Clinton will appear there in the coming weeks.
The campaign in a nutshell: Clinton currently has a better shot at Arizona than Trump does at Pennsylvania
— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) October 17, 2016
Trump may get into the news business
Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner reached out to an investment bank about a possible Trump network after the election, The Financial Times reports.
In September, Trump said he was not interested in starting a TV network.
“I want to win the presidency, and I want to make America great again,” he told the Post. “It’s very simple. I have no interest in a media company. False rumor.”
WikiLeaks’ Assange has internet interrupted
Julian Assange’s internet in London was disconnected by a “state party,” according to a tweet from the website.
Julian Assange's internet link has been intentionally severed by a state party. We have activated the appropriate contingency plans.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 17, 2016
This month the organization has leaked thousands of stolen emails from the private account of Clinton chair John Podesta. The Clinton campaign has not confirmed or denied the authenticity of the emails.
“Our intelligence community has made it clear that the Russian government is responsible for the cyberattacks aimed at interfering with our election, and that WikiLeaks is part of that effort. This revelation should deeply trouble all Americans in both parties,” interim Democratic Party Chairwoman Donna Brazile said last Tuesday in a statement.
A joke Tweet ends up on Drudge Report
A Twitter user with the handle @randygdub decided to make some jokes Sunday afternoon about voter fraud.
i love working at the post office in Columbus, Ohio and ripping up absentee ballots that vote for trump
— raandy (@randygdub) October 16, 2016
Less than 24 hours later, he successfully duped a large corner of the internet.
His Tweet appeared on Drudge Report and Trump fooled Trump supporter Scott Baio.
I hope you get fired! Cheating is the only way she'll win. @realDonaldTrump Hey @JohnKasich is this okay with you? https://t.co/9mgk11KZHk
— Scott Baio (@ScottBaio) October 17, 2016
Links of Note
Melania Trump says Bill Clinton’s history is fair game (McClatchy)
Texas investigating allegations of voter fraud (McClatchy)
Just in time for Halloween, the election is scaring the hell out of people (McClatchy)
NBC fires Billy Bush after Trump tape (Miami Herald)
Have a question about the candidates, the campaign, the process, the election itself? Ask us here.
- Map: How America votes
- Quiz: Pick a side
- Register to vote
- Deadlines by state
- Find your state’s election office
- Sample ballots by ZIP code
Alex Daugherty: 202-383-6049, @alextdaugherty
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