President Obama Passes the Torch to Hillary Clinton, Officials Prepare for Chaotic Election Day and More

Americans will decide today whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be their next president after a prolonged electoral season that was never short on drama, even if it came with often toxic elements that left an electorate that is totally exhausted. Yet, more than 30,000 people showed up at Independence Mall in Philadelphia to see Clinton, President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinto and Chelsea Clinton in what amounted to a passing of the torch from Obama to Clinton.

Yet, President Obama could not help but take one step back, making one final plea for voters to cast their ballots, saying, "The choice you face when you step into that voting booth could not be more clear or could not be more serious."

"If you share my faith, then I ask you to vote," said Obama. "If you want a president who shares our faith in America, who's lived that faith in America, who will finally shatter a glass ceiling and be a president for each and every one of us, then I'm asking you to work as hard as you can this one last day."

For her part, Clinton gave what sounded like a victory speech.

"I believe we all have a role to play in building a better, stronger fairer America; building on the progress that we have enjoyed under President Barack Obama over the last eight years," she said. "I am not going to let anybody rip away the progress we've made and turn the clock back, sending us back in time where people are free to question the foundation of our country."

Top Stories

Obama Passes the Torch to Clinton: "Hillary Clinton — joined by her husband, Bill, and their daughter, Chelsea — campaigned a final time with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama Monday night, in front of tens of thousands of supporters before the historic Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The group celebrated the history Obama made eight years ago, as the first African-American to win the White House, and expressed optimism that the next day Clinton will make a different kind of history as the first woman to be elected to the highest office." (CNN)

State Officials Prepare for an Unusually Chaotic Election Day: "State leaders, voting experts and advocates say they are preparing for an unusual level of confusion and chaos Tuesday as voters cast their ballots in a historically bitter presidential race. Early voters in some states have faced hours-long lines the past several days. Democrats have filed a flurry of last-minute lawsuits alleging voter intimidation by Donald Trump supporters. And there have been some heated polling site confrontations between Trump voters and Hillary Clinton backers." (The Washington Post)

Spread of Early Voting Is Forging New Habits and Campaign Tactics: "The spread of early balloting is forging new habits that are forcing campaigns to rethink how they allocate their resources. And it tends to favor those campaigns that are more technologically sophisticated and can identify, draw out and measure its support over a longer voting period." (New York Times)

Final Presidential Polls Before Election Day Show Hillary Clinton With Slight Edge Over Donald Trump: "Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton maintains a small but steady national lead over Republican rival Donald Trump, as news that a final headache for her White House run — another probe into emails during her time as secretary of state — has come to an end when FBI Director James Comey said on Sunday that nothing has changed since July when he announced that he would not recommend criminal charges against Clinton to the Department of Justice." (Patch)

From the Twitterverse

Early at the polls:

On the Radar

• Donald Trump and Mike Pence have no public events scheduled for Election Day. Their victory party is scheduled for Tuesday evening at the New York Hilton Midtown.
• Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine have no public events scheduled for Election Day. Their victory party is scheduled for Tuesday evening at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

Today's Numbers

• 0 days until Election Day 2016!
• 46.26 million people have voted early in the 2016 election.
• Hillary Clinton has a 71.6 percent chance of winning the White House and Donald Trump has a 28.4 percent chance, according to FiveThirtyEight.
• An average of just 14 percent of Republicans have approved of Barack Obama over the course of his presidency, compared with an average of 81 percent of Democrats.

Quote of the Day

House Speaker Paul Ryan saying the Republican Party is not Donald Trump's party:

“No one person controls this party.”

Allen 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