Voting begins after competing claims of fraud, intimidation

Long lines stretched often a block long in parts of the NY, with voters waiting as long as an hour before entering the polling station.

Problems cropped up in key battleground states such as Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania – states that could decide whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump wins the presidency.

Republicans were free to mislead and intimidate voters, and that is exactly what they did. In 2012, billboards went up in OH emblazoned with the penalties for committing voter fraud in an attempt to intimidate minorities.

“Voter suppression” has become a watchword in the state after a multi-year fight against the 2013 HB 589 voter law, a law championed by Republicans that reduced the early-voting period for elections by seven days, ended same-day voter registration, and established strict voter ID requirements.

Absent today were reports of the kind of hostile political displays, vandalism and violence that have cropped up regularly throughout the campaign. However, I do not believe that a person should vote just for the sake of voting.

Early voting began on October 24, but numerous voters wait until Election Day to fill out their ballot. Unprecedented long lines have already been reported at early voting polling locations across the nation, including the metro areas of Phoenix and counties in Los Angeles. A group of students in the state were told their votes would not count because their college dormitory was considered a hotel.

Not many people were breathlessly waiting to see what Mitt Romney, John McCain or John Kerry had to say the nights they went down to defeat.

Minnesotans can view the candidates and races that will appear on their ballot using the “My Ballot” tool at mnvotes.org.

Nationally, civil rights activists reported more than 20,000 calls to a Election Protection hotline by midday.

Trump has repeatedly said the election will be “rigged” but has not provided evidence for his claim. FOX News has already reported that while North Carolina may be the state to keep everyone up late tonight as the results are tallied, Clinton now has the lead over Trump.

Voters in at least four Pennsylvania counties said touch-screen voting machines were mistakenly switching votes. To register on Election Day, voters will need to bring any of the approved documents that provide proof of residency.

States were quick to adopt the amendment because they would have had to keep two sets of records for federal and state elections otherwise.

Voters waited up to an hour to cast their ballots for presidential candidates as long lines became a signature motif of Election Day in New York, Miami and Washington, DC. The city’s district attorney, Seth Williams, said in mid-afternoon that his office had investigated 68 complaints about voter intimidation, broken machines or other problems, a number consistent with the past three presidential elections.

“The Durham County Board of Elections – made up of two Republicans and one Democrat – has agreed that voting hours must be extended due to technical problems that occurred earlier today”, Campaign Manager Robby Mook said in a statement. “It has nothing to do with our voting machines”, says Kate Cosner, Interim Director for the Durham County Board of Elections.