The brisk pace of voting continued on Election Day, and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson expects the battleground state to shatter a 64-year-old record of more than 70% voter participation this year.

Michigan voters had already cast more than 1.5 million ballots by Oct. 22, and more than 3.2 million by this week.

Debra Cleaver, founder and CEO of VoteAmerica, believes the widespread use of absentee voting in 2020 during the pandemic has significantly contributed to the higher participation being seen this year.

"You have all these Americans receiving their ballot in the mail for the first time, and realizing how convenient it was," Cleaver observed. "We're just seeing a lot of interesting things going on in Michigan."

Cleaver added the early voting numbers in Michigan include both the people voting by mail and those who voted early.

Cleaver pointed out another driving factor in this year's high voter turnout is the surge in college students casting their ballots. At the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus, student voting rates jumped from 44% in 2012 to 78% in 2020, and pollsters expect the numbers to climb even higher this year. Cleaver noted she is not surprised at the rise in student engagement.

"I think it's because people were so surprised at the rate at which college students voted in 2020," Cleaver emphasized. "Politicians from both sides of the aisle actually started investing just a little bit more time, a little bit more money, in reaching these people."

Not everyone made time to cast a ballot. According to research from VoteAmerica, 50% of the people who do not vote in presidential elections are registered voters.


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As results continue to come into focus post-Election Day, factors like the youth vote are expected to be scrutinized.

Experts said it is important to keep historical connections in mind and to avoid finger-pointing. Leading up to Tuesday's vote, election forecasters tried to get a better reading of the enthusiasm level among voters under 30. However, some analysts said it is difficult to get an accurate reading of the subgroup.

Mindy Romero, director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California, said even if the final results show a stronger turnout among young voters, it is still a demographic which tends to be overlooked in the political process.

"One of the big reasons, not the only one, is because we have what I call an 'inequitable outreach landscape,'" Romero emphasized.

She explained it is the case when a young voter who feels ignored by campaigns and outreach groups tries on their own to become more informed and runs into information gaps. Meanwhile, Romero and other experts said it would not be surprising to see the outcome of the presidential vote slowed by potential lawsuits.

Romero stressed another noteworthy aspect is in the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris focused on reproductive rights but not so much on her own gender. She suggests it is still likely a tricky spot in trying to appeal to centrists and voters from the opposing party.

"An appeal based on gender doesn't always work for Republican voters, when you would hope that across party lines -- Republican or Democrat -- it would be an exciting thing at least to consider," Romero asserted. "The first female president."

Romero also expects more follow-ups to the reported bomb threats called into voting sites, namely in Georgia, with officials there citing Russia as the culprit. She added such events can have a chilling effect on voters who had to leave and were later informed the all-clear was given, although it can easily make someone not feel safe and not return to cast their ballot.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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Although Florida was not considered a swing state this year's election, its diverse demographics reflect national trends, and political observers are watching to see how the trends may have affected the turnout and the results.

Sharon Austin, professor of political science at the University of Florida, said while most of Florida's election outcomes might be predictable, the state's unique demographics offer insights into voter behavior across the country, especially in understanding the diversity within each racial and ethnic group.

"For example, when you say 'Hispanic and Latino,' you have Cuban Americans in South Florida who, in some cases, tend to trend Republican, although many of them are Democrats as well," Austin explained. "But you also have the Puerto Rican population in Central Florida, which tends to trend Democratic."

Austin noted there are unique dynamics within the African American voter base, which includes a large Caribbean demographic. She cautioned against assumptions Vice President Kamala Harris will automatically get significant support from voters of color. She added observers will be looking closely at how many Black Latino and Asian American voters support the Trump campaign, as well as the turnout within the LGBTQ+ community.

Postelection analysis will be key in testing long-held assumptions about diverse groups. Austin highlighted what she called a significant "generation gap" in voter enthusiasm. She is closely watching the election results between younger and older voters, especially in Florida, famously known for its retirement communities.

"If so, to what extent are those differences? Are there extreme differences, in the sense that older voters, the overwhelming majority of them are going to vote for Trump; younger voters, the overwhelming majority of them are going to vote for Harris? Is that what we are going to see in this election cycle?" Austin questioned.

Looking ahead, Austin believes Florida's evolving voter demographics will continue to reshape its political landscape in nuanced ways. She predicted the state's internal dynamics will be an ongoing study in how traditional voting blocs adapt within a changing political environment.


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pro-Palestinian groups are hosting a demonstration today starting at Red Arrow Park in downtown Milwaukee.

The groups Students for a Democratic Society: United with Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee said no matter the election results, their rallying message is to elevate Palestine, with an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to all U.S. military aid to Israel.

Sara Onitsuka, chair of the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, said it is important momentum does not stop just because the election is over.

"It's so important for people to be activated in between those four years where we have the presidential elections, because there's things that we can really win together on a local level, on a national level, if we really came together and organized for it," Onitsuka contended. "I think we're motivated by the 'people power' that we know that we have."

Student-led movements across the state continue as tensions persist on university campuses. Students have been calling for the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee to end all financial ties to Israel and rename the Golda Meir Library, named after the alumna who served as Israel's fourth prime minister.

Some students have reported actions by pro-Palestinian student groups have incited antisemitism on campus.

Samia, with the group Students for a Democratic Society in Milwaukee, declined to provide her last name for safety reasons. She said her group, which is cohosting the Milwaukee demonstration, is against current policies, not certain political parties or people.

"Despite whatever party comes into power, this system will always allow for the genocide of Palestinians to keep happening, to keep escalating," Samia contended.

Meanwhile, recent death threats toward Muslims and pro-Palestinian students and groups on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus have increased the sense of urgency. Samia pointed out the latest threat came from an anonymous sender through a university-managed platform and contained severe and graphic language.

Samia added the general sentiment from affected students is the faculty and administration's lack of response toward the threats breeds an environment for them to continue.

"We've seen that people -- be it cops on campus, be it other students, be it other organizations, be it anonymous people who send death threats -- all of them are getting more comfortable targeting these Muslim students, these very obviously pro-Palestinian students."

The university did not respond to a request for comment.


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