Battleground States Tight in Early Voting, Preparing for Election Legal Battles and More

With just four days until Election Day, 30 million ballots have been cast by voters — a strong sign of voter enthusiasm. But where Hillary Clinton may unexpectedly benefit is from a surge in early voting by Latinos in battleground states in Arizona, Florida and Nevada during what is becoming a tightening race against Donald Trump.

According to a Washington Post analysis, new data suggest that Clinton is seeing an uptick in participation by Latinos, who historically have a lower voter turnout than the general electorate. Experts say that uptick can be directly attributed to Trump's hard-line rhetoric toward Mexicans and Latinos, more generally, as well as his and policy plans when it comes to immigration.

Top Stories

Battlegrounds Tight with 30 Million Ballots Cast: "Democrats are building an early voting lead in North Carolina and Nevada, but Republicans maintain an edge in Florida and Ohio, according to a CNN analysis. With five days to go, registered Republicans also lead Democrats in early voting in Arizona, while Democrats are also ahead in Colorado and Iowa." (CNN)

Democrats, Trump Lawyers Going to Court Early — and Often: "As Democrats warn their supporters of voter suppression efforts and Donald Trump urges his followers to watch polling areas, lawyers from both sides are filing fiery legal briefs and laying the groundwork for potential challenges on Election Day." (CNN)

‘He’s Got to Get Control of the Ship Again’: How Tensions at the FBI Will Persist After the Election: "Deep divisions inside the FBI and the Justice Department over how to handle investigations dealing with Hillary Clinton will probably fester even after Tuesday’s presidential election and pose a significant test for James B. Comey’s leadership of the nation’s chief law enforcement agency. The internal dissension has exploded into public view recently with leaks to reporters about a feud over the Clinton Foundation, an extraordinary airing of the agency’s infighting that comes as the bureau deals with an ongoing threat of terror at home and a newly aggressive posture from Russia." (The Washington Post)

Donald Trump’s Income Isn’t Always What He Says It Is, Records Suggest: "On the financial disclosure forms that Donald J. Trump has pointed to as proof of his tremendous success, no venture looks more gold-plated than his golf resort in Doral, Fla., where he reported revenues of $50 million in 2014. That figure accounted for the biggest share of what he described as his income for the year. But this summer, a considerably different picture emerged in an austere government hearing room in Miami, where Mr. Trump’s company was challenging the resort’s property tax bill." (The New York Times)

From the Twitterverse

The ol' presidential driving metaphor from Mike Huckabee:

On the Radar

• Donald Trump will hold rallies in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
• Hillary Clinton has rallies in Detroit and Pittsburgh.
• Tim Kaine will attend a Get Out the Vote rally in Florida.

Today's Numbers

• 4 days until Election Day 2016.
• Penn State fined $2.4 million for its mishandling of the Jerry Sandusky case.
• 2 teenage girls in Morocco could face up to 3 years in prison for kissing each other.
• Donald Trump has a 32.9 percent chance of winning the election, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Quote of the Day

Donald Trump on his temperament:

“I’m also honored to have the greatest temperament that anybody has because we know how to win.”

McDuffee is a politics and policy reporter, investigative journalist, blogger and podcast host. He has written for The Atlantic, Wired and The Washington Post. Follow him on Twitter: @AllenMcDuffee

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Commons