usatoday--2020-10-22--2020 CMT Music Awards: 5 highlights from a show in the 'great outdoors'

Country stars made noise in the great outdoors of Tennessee for the 2020 CMT Music Awards , which aired from Nashville Wednesday night .
In a normal year , the show aims to set itself apart from the CMA and ACM Awards – and that ’ s doubly crucial in 2020 , when coronavirus concerns pushed all three shows into the same two-month period .
CMT 's approach ?
Lean heavily on young stars , let the fans choose the winners , and if you can ’ t put these performers in a traditional venue , do n't be afraid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The result was a breezy show ( just over two hours ) that should stand out among its peers , even if it was lacking in surprises .
Michael Jordan and the Bulls , Tom Brady with Bill Belichick — some dynasties seem unstoppable .
Enter : Carrie Underwood at the CMT Music Awards .
Underwood won the fan-voted video of the year honor for `` Drinking Alone , '' her eighth time earning top accolades at the show and seventh since 2010 .
Randee St. Nicholas directed the video , for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cry Pretty . ''
Underwood , who also won female video of the year at the 2020 program , dedicated the honor to her dogged following .
She 's won 22 total CMT Music Awards , most by any artist in show history .
`` This one is really all about you guys again , because we have n't been together , '' Underwood said .
`` I feel so loved this evening . ''
She continued , `` Thank you for all of this support and all the fans voting for everybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Again , the love .
It 's all about the love .
God bless you , hope to see you all soon . ''
Underwood joined male video of the year winner Luke Bryan , duo video winner Dan + Shay , group video winner Old Dominion , breakthrough video winner Gabby Barrett and more in hoisting a CMT trophy Wednesday evening .
CMT crafted a cocktail of one-part country music and one-part Tennessee outdoor exploration ( except for Shania Twain 's Switzerland sidebar , but more on that later ) .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Nashville played a quasi-home base for performances , with Jimmie Allen and Noah Cyrus , Gabby Barrett , Kane Brown and more taking to the expansive stage for performances .
The show cut to a staged dive bar in Los Angeles for Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey 's duet `` The Other Girl '' ; transported viewers to Ruskin Cave in Dickson County for a colorful Morgan Wallen showing ; highlighted Ashley McBryde 's modern murder ballad “ Martha Divine ” at the Barn at Sycamore Farms in Williamson County and offered a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` To Hell and Back '' in an Ashland City attic .
If you had “ Shania Twain performs a 25-year-old song from a Charlie Chaplin museum in Switzerland ” on your CMT Music Awards bingo card , tell you what : You win it all .
Leave it to Twain and her 1995 smash “ Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under ?
” to deliver the most creative and memorable performance of the night .
As she celebrates the 25th anniversary of her debut album , “ The Woman In Me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ Boots ” video , where a diner full of good ol ’ boys completely ignore her .
As it 's hard to re-create that safely in 2020 ( even in Switzerland , we suppose ) , she did the next best thing – playing off mannequins in a single shot through the museum .
Her co-stars , we must say , did a fantastic job of not caving to her charms .
A few other artists also got inventive and/or into their video concepts .
Dan + Shay brought some the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Go to Bed ” clip ; Morgan Wallen surrounded himself in glowing bottles during “ Chasin ’ You ” ; Luke Combs shotgunned a beer in the midst of “ 1 , 2 Many ” and Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey hopped on top of a bar for “ The Other Girl.
” The world 's top pop star continues to dip her toes back into country music , this time giving a nod to breakthrough artist of the year , a CMT Music Award she won in 2007 ( for `` Tim McGraw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Awards for Swift before she exited the format ) .
`` I was honored to win this award 13 years go because it 's a vote done by the fans , '' she said in presenting the 2020 award to Barrett for her smash single `` I Hope . ''
It 's the second country music awards show appearance for Swift in as many months ; she performed her country radio single `` Betty '' from the Grand Ole Opry House during the ACM Awards in September .
Swift joined a slew of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Demi Lovato and Idina Menzel — that CMT Music Awards producers remotely tapped for the show .
Producers could call on A-list talent who may not have been able to trek to Nashville if the show were delivered live in Bridgestone Arena , as previously planned .
Presenters ranged from Rob Thomas introducing Allen and Cyrus from an award-covered room to Brandi Carlile praising Morris in a Black Lives Matter T-shirt and Katy Perry ribbing Bryan , her `` American Idol '' co-star .
`` When CMT asked me about introducing my favorite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 'Sure I 'll do anything for Lionel Richie . '
… and then they had to clear up some confusion , '' Perry jested .
Last year , Jennifer Nettles stood on an awards show stage and called for more female representation on country music 's airwaves .
Her efforts were applauded , and now they 've being rewarded .
Nettles received the inaugural CMT Equal Play Award Wednesday night , an award she earned `` for her ongoing advocacy for women and diverse voices in the music industry , as she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music and beyond , '' the network said earlier this week .
Most prominently , Nettles wore an outfit at the 2019 CMA Awards that featured the messages `` Equal Play '' and `` Play our F* @ # !
n records . ''
`` To my sisters out there who continue to burn the holy fire : I am so proud to be part of this legacy in country music with you and I am so proud of the stories we tell , '' the Sugarland co-founder said in her acceptance speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as soon as we can and I can ’ t wait to do it all alongside you , holding your hands . ''
Five years after `` Tomatogate '' — when a radio consultant famously called female artists `` the tomatoes of our salad '' — the conversation has only grown louder about the lack of women heard on country radio .
At the start of 2020 , CMT pledged that 50 % of its music video airplay would be dedicated to female artists .
As part of its Equal Play campaign , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ female artists accounted for 10 % percent of country radio airplay in 2019 .

Matthew Leimkuehler and Dave Paulson, Nashville Tennessean

2020 CMT Music Awards: 5 highlights from a show in the 'great outdoors'
Show Caption Hide Caption 2020 CMT Music Awards: Carrie Underwood wins big Carrie Underwood , Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Luke Bryan and Gabby Barret among winners in the 2020 CMT Music Awards. FCCE, FCCE
Country stars made noise in the great outdoors of Tennessee for the 2020 CMT Music Awards, which aired from Nashville Wednesday night.
In a normal year, the show aims to set itself apart from the CMA and ACM Awards – and that’s doubly crucial in 2020, when coronavirus concerns pushed all three shows into the same two-month period.
CMT's approach? Lean heavily on young stars, let the fans choose the winners, and if you can’t put these performers in a traditional venue, don't be afraid to get out there — literally.
The result was a breezy show (just over two hours) that should stand out among its peers, even if it was lacking in surprises.
Underwood times 22
Michael Jordan and the Bulls, Tom Brady with Bill Belichick — some dynasties seem unstoppable. Enter: Carrie Underwood at the CMT Music Awards.
Underwood won the fan-voted video of the year honor for "Drinking Alone," her eighth time earning top accolades at the show and seventh since 2010.
Randee St. Nicholas directed the video, for the single off Underwood's 2018 album "Cry Pretty."
Underwood, who also won female video of the year at the 2020 program, dedicated the honor to her dogged following. She's won 22 total CMT Music Awards, most by any artist in show history.
2020 CMT Music Awards: A list of winners
"This one is really all about you guys again, because we haven't been together," Underwood said. "I feel so loved this evening."
She continued, "Thank you for all of this support and all the fans voting for everybody. We all feel loved tonight. Again, the love. It's all about the love. God bless you, hope to see you all soon."
Underwood joined male video of the year winner Luke Bryan, duo video winner Dan + Shay, group video winner Old Dominion, breakthrough video winner Gabby Barrett and more in hoisting a CMT trophy Wednesday evening.
Location, location, location
CMT crafted a cocktail of one-part country music and one-part Tennessee outdoor exploration (except for Shania Twain's Switzerland sidebar, but more on that later).
The amphitheater at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville played a quasi-home base for performances, with Jimmie Allen and Noah Cyrus, Gabby Barrett, Kane Brown and more taking to the expansive stage for performances.
The show cut to a staged dive bar in Los Angeles for Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey's duet "The Other Girl"; transported viewers to Ruskin Cave in Dickson County for a colorful Morgan Wallen showing; highlighted Ashley McBryde's modern murder ballad “Martha Divine” at the Barn at Sycamore Farms in Williamson County and offered a stripped down rendition of Maren Morris' "To Hell and Back" in an Ashland City attic.
More: CMT Music Awards 2020: Who's performing? A complete list of artists and songs
Shania Twain and other unique performances
If you had “Shania Twain performs a 25-year-old song from a Charlie Chaplin museum in Switzerland” on your CMT Music Awards bingo card, tell you what: You win it all.
Leave it to Twain and her 1995 smash “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?” to deliver the most creative and memorable performance of the night. As she celebrates the 25th anniversary of her debut album, “The Woman In Me,” Twain revisited the concept of the “Boots” video, where a diner full of good ol’ boys completely ignore her.
As it's hard to re-create that safely in 2020 (even in Switzerland, we suppose), she did the next best thing – playing off mannequins in a single shot through the museum. Her co-stars, we must say, did a fantastic job of not caving to her charms.
A few other artists also got inventive and/or into their video concepts. Dan + Shay brought some the set of their “I Should Probably Go to Bed” clip; Morgan Wallen surrounded himself in glowing bottles during “Chasin’ You”; Luke Combs shotgunned a beer in the midst of “1, 2 Many” and Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey hopped on top of a bar for “The Other Girl.”
Swift's return
The world's top pop star continues to dip her toes back into country music, this time giving a nod to breakthrough artist of the year, a CMT Music Award she won in 2007 (for "Tim McGraw," one of six CMT Music Awards for Swift before she exited the format).
"I was honored to win this award 13 years go because it's a vote done by the fans," she said in presenting the 2020 award to Barrett for her smash single "I Hope."
It's the second country music awards show appearance for Swift in as many months; she performed her country radio single "Betty" from the Grand Ole Opry House during the ACM Awards in September.
Swift joined a slew of celebrity presenters — including Jessica Chastain, Demi Lovato and Idina Menzel — that CMT Music Awards producers remotely tapped for the show. Producers could call on A-list talent who may not have been able to trek to Nashville if the show were delivered live in Bridgestone Arena, as previously planned.
Presenters ranged from Rob Thomas introducing Allen and Cyrus from an award-covered room to Brandi Carlile praising Morris in a Black Lives Matter T-shirt and Katy Perry ribbing Bryan, her "American Idol" co-star.
"When CMT asked me about introducing my favorite 'American Idol' co-star, I said, 'Sure I'll do anything for Lionel Richie.' … and then they had to clear up some confusion," Perry jested.
An inaugural Equal Play Award
Last year, Jennifer Nettles stood on an awards show stage and called for more female representation on country music's airwaves. Her efforts were applauded, and now they've being rewarded.
Nettles received the inaugural CMT Equal Play Award Wednesday night, an award she earned "for her ongoing advocacy for women and diverse voices in the music industry, as she works tirelessly towards gender parity in country music and beyond," the network said earlier this week.
Most prominently, Nettles wore an outfit at the 2019 CMA Awards that featured the messages "Equal Play" and "Play our F*@#!n records."
"To my sisters out there who continue to burn the holy fire: I am so proud to be part of this legacy in country music with you and I am so proud of the stories we tell," the Sugarland co-founder said in her acceptance speech. "We have more to do as soon as we can and I can’t wait to do it all alongside you, holding your hands."
Five years after "Tomatogate" — when a radio consultant famously called female artists "the tomatoes of our salad" — the conversation has only grown louder about the lack of women heard on country radio.
At the start of 2020, CMT pledged that 50% of its music video airplay would be dedicated to female artists. As part of its Equal Play campaign, it commissioned a study that found that female artists accounted for 10% percent of country radio airplay in 2019.


usatoday--2020-10-22--This group monitors foreign elections. Its latest challenge: American democracy

A global election monitoring group will be deployed across the U.S. for the presidential election on Nov. 3 .
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , or OSCE , an intergovernmental organization , has been monitoring elections among its 57 members in North America , Europe and Asia for two decades .
Its mission is to assess how well a democratic vote is functioning and to make recommendations for improvements in areas that touch on transparency , accountability and voter pluralism .
The OSCE has observed eight previous U.S. elections , beginning in 2002 with the mid-term Congressional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of George W. Bush .
OSCE called the 2000 vote `` highly controversial , divisive and litigious . ''
Urszula Gacek , a former Polish politician who is leading the OSCE 's international delegation to monitor the U.S. presidential election , spoke to USA TODAY about the approaching vote , what her team of observers has noticed so far and the difficulties of being an international observer of fiercely contested elections .
The following conversation has been lightly edited .
What do your observers specifically do ?
People often think that observers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places on election day .
In fact , our observation is for a much longer period and has a much wider scope .
The fact that we arrived in the U.S. five weeks prior to election day is the best indicator of that .
We start by covering the pre-election period , looking at candidate and voter registration , preparations for elections by election officials , the technologies used for casting and counting ballots , election legislation and ongoing court cases , the campaign environment , campaign finance – how money is raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the elections and candidates are being portrayed in the media .
The list is quite long .
For this , we have a team of 15 experts based in Washington , D.C , , as well as 30 observers out in the field .
Altogether , we plan to visit 30 states before or during election day .
Our observers are talking with all the players in the elections .
While many meetings are inevitably ( because of COVID-19 ) taking place online this year , some things must be seen in person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to different voting methods , including for persons with disabilities On election day we will be joined by 100 observers from our partners in the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE .
What challenges are you seeing in the U.S. vote ?
ODIHR ( Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights , the OSCE unit that deals with elections ) spoke several months ago to a large number of people involved in these elections in a wide variety of roles .
The message we came away with was that the 2020 U.S. elections would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The COVID-19 pandemic poses problems for election officials such as the need to keep voters and poll workers safe and increased volume of postal ballots .
For candidates and parties , there 's adapting campaigns to COVID-19 restrictions , greater use of media , and fewer large rallies and door-to-door campaigns .
And for the voters themselves , they need to be kept informed as regulations change rapidly , often in response to health concerns .
COVD-19 has impacted our own operations .
We had hoped to bring in ( about 500 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and with the smaller presence we now have , the assessment of election day will be qualitative , more anecdotal , rather than statistical .
However , the rest of our work carries on more or less as planned , including observing early in-person voting wherever possible .
I am therefore confident that we will deliver a meaningful and comprehensive assessment that is completely impartial .
Pentagon : Troops have no role in US election – that includes vets at polls Are you concerned about calls by President Donald Trump for his supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment on remarks made by specific politicians or parties .
It is important to understand , though , that in principle we welcome the presence of domestic poll watchers , both partisan and non-partisan , as we believe their presence contributes to the transparency of the process .
However , and this is a big however , they need to abide by strict standards , just as our observers do .
They may in no way intimidate voters or election officials for that matter , through their behavior .
They should identify themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , nothing more .
We are not jumping to conclusions here – we have to wait and observe and only then we will be able to assess .
Among the things that count as voter intimidation , according to the Brennan Center for Justice , a public policy institute that is part of New York University : • `` use of insulting , offensive , or threatening language or raised voices in and around polling places '' 2020 vote : Tenn. poll worker fired after turning away voters in Black Lives Matter shirts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Nov. 4 , but counting goes on and both sides claim victory how long will monitors to stay on the job ?
Our job never stops on election day or the day after .
We will be following the count , which is expected to continue for some time this year due to the many postal ballots .
We will also follow any complaints and appeals made by voters and candidates to the courts .
I ’ m due to stay in Washington , D.C. until mid-November together with key experts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may stay longer or will otherwise continue to watch developments remotely .
We will see the process through to the end .
Supreme Court : Penn .
can count ballots received up to 3 days after Election Day How well has the U.S. implemented previous OSCE election recommendations ?
Recommendations are one of the most important aspects of our work .
We are currently looking at how and to what extent past recommendations have been implemented and this will be summed up in our final report , which is due to be published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are some of the toughest voting environments your observers work in ?
Mongolia with nomadic people of no fixed address voting in yurts out on the steppe is a good example of some of the more unusual environments we have worked in .
Vast distances , as in Kazakhstan , or complex electoral systems such as here in the U.S. are also examples .
But each country is unique and poses distinctive challenges .
On substance , the experts who work with me must be knowledgeable and able to grasp the key issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ setting their own personal views and opinions firmly aside .

This group monitors foreign elections. Its latest challenge: American democracy
Show Caption Hide Caption Why voter suppression in the US has increased since 2013 Civil rights experts point to long wait times to vote as a sign of growing voter suppression in the U.S. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
A global election monitoring group will be deployed across the U.S. for the presidential election on Nov. 3. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, an intergovernmental organization, has been monitoring elections among its 57 members in North America, Europe and Asia for two decades. Its mission is to assess how well a democratic vote is functioning and to make recommendations for improvements in areas that touch on transparency, accountability and voter pluralism.
The OSCE has observed eight previous U.S. elections, beginning in 2002 with the mid-term Congressional elections that followed 2000's presidential election of George W. Bush. OSCE called the 2000 vote "highly controversial, divisive and litigious."
Urszula Gacek, a former Polish politician who is leading the OSCE's international delegation to monitor the U.S. presidential election, spoke to USA TODAY about the approaching vote, what her team of observers has noticed so far and the difficulties of being an international observer of fiercely contested elections.
The following conversation has been lightly edited.
What do your observers specifically do?
People often think that observers are only focused on watching voting at polling places on election day. In fact, our observation is for a much longer period and has a much wider scope. The fact that we arrived in the U.S. five weeks prior to election day is the best indicator of that. We start by covering the pre-election period, looking at candidate and voter registration, preparations for elections by election officials, the technologies used for casting and counting ballots, election legislation and ongoing court cases, the campaign environment, campaign finance – how money is raised, spent and accounted for, how the elections and candidates are being portrayed in the media. The list is quite long.
For this, we have a team of 15 experts based in Washington, D.C,, as well as 30 observers out in the field. Altogether, we plan to visit 30 states before or during election day. Our observers are talking with all the players in the elections. While many meetings are inevitably (because of COVID-19) taking place online this year, some things must be seen in person, such as:
in-person voting
voter access to different voting methods, including for persons with disabilities
ballot storage, equipment storage and set-up processes
ballot processing by election officials, ballot processing at USPS offices
training of poll workers and poll watchers
On election day we will be joined by 100 observers from our partners in the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE.
What challenges are you seeing in the U.S. vote?
ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE unit that deals with elections) spoke several months ago to a large number of people involved in these elections in a wide variety of roles. The message we came away with was that the 2020 U.S. elections would be both technically and politically challenging.
The COVID-19 pandemic poses problems for election officials such as the need to keep voters and poll workers safe and increased volume of postal ballots. For candidates and parties, there's adapting campaigns to COVID-19 restrictions, greater use of media, and fewer large rallies and door-to-door campaigns. And for the voters themselves, they need to be kept informed as regulations change rapidly, often in response to health concerns.
COVD-19 has impacted our own operations. We had hoped to bring in (about 500) observers specifically to observe election day, and with the smaller presence we now have, the assessment of election day will be qualitative, more anecdotal, rather than statistical. However, the rest of our work carries on more or less as planned, including observing early in-person voting wherever possible. I am therefore confident that we will deliver a meaningful and comprehensive assessment that is completely impartial.
(The OSCE will publish an interim report about its work on Nov. 3's vote later Thursday.)
Pentagon: Troops have no role in US election – that includes vets at polls
Are you concerned about calls by President Donald Trump for his supporters to watch polls?
We don't comment on remarks made by specific politicians or parties. It is important to understand, though, that in principle we welcome the presence of domestic poll watchers, both partisan and non-partisan, as we believe their presence contributes to the transparency of the process. However, and this is a big however, they need to abide by strict standards, just as our observers do. They may in no way intimidate voters or election officials for that matter, through their behavior. They should identify themselves to election officials and then simply watch, nothing more. We are not jumping to conclusions here – we have to wait and observe and only then we will be able to assess.
Election officials: Trump 'army' of poll watchers could frighten voters, incite violence
Among the things that count as voter intimidation, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a public policy institute that is part of New York University:
"baseless or abusive challenges to voters eligibility"
direct confrontation of voters"
"use of insulting, offensive, or threatening language or raised voices in and around polling places"
"blocking polling-place entrances"
"following and photographing voters, recording license plate numbers"
"brandishing weapons in front of voters"
2020 vote: Tenn. poll worker fired after turning away voters in Black Lives Matter shirts
If the U.S. election does not end on Nov. 4, but counting goes on and both sides claim victory how long will monitors to stay on the job?
Our job never stops on election day or the day after. We will be following the count, which is expected to continue for some time this year due to the many postal ballots. We will also follow any complaints and appeals made by voters and candidates to the courts. I’m due to stay in Washington, D.C. until mid-November together with key experts, but if it becomes necessary, we may stay longer or will otherwise continue to watch developments remotely. We will see the process through to the end.
Supreme Court: Penn. can count ballots received up to 3 days after Election Day
How well has the U.S. implemented previous OSCE election recommendations?
Recommendations are one of the most important aspects of our work. We are currently looking at how and to what extent past recommendations have been implemented and this will be summed up in our final report, which is due to be published early in the New Year.
(After the 2016 presidential vote, the OSCE recommended the establishment of independent redistricting commissions to draw district boundaries free from political interference, "Congress should give urgent consideration to establish the formula to identify jurisdictions to be subject to Section Five of the Voting Rights Act" so that minority groups are not blocked from voting, and improvements to campaign finance transparency.)
What are some of the toughest voting environments your observers work in?
Mongolia with nomadic people of no fixed address voting in yurts out on the steppe is a good example of some of the more unusual environments we have worked in. Vast distances, as in Kazakhstan, or complex electoral systems such as here in the U.S. are also examples. But each country is unique and poses distinctive challenges. On substance, the experts who work with me must be knowledgeable and able to grasp the key issues in a matter of weeks, while setting their own personal views and opinions firmly aside.


usatoday--2020-10-22--WATCH: Fan at World Series flings glove on field after catching Will Smith home run

Unlikely stars reveal themselves in the World Series — even in the stands .
A fan sitting in Globe Life Field 's fifth row of the left-field seats was perfectly positioned to catch Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith 's sixth-inning solo home run .
The man , equipped with a mitt on his left hand , leaned back in his seat and reached to haul in the baseball .
Then , as the result of either over-excitement or a brain malfunction , the fan flung his glove off his hand while celebrating his big play .
The mitt landed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left fielder Randy Arozarena , who looked up in bewilderment before tossing the glove back to the fan .
Smith 's homer cut the Dodgers ' deficit to 6-3 , and the Rays went on to win 6-4 to even the World Series 1-1 .
Major League Baseball played its entire 60-game regular season without fans .
Only Globe Life Field , the neutral-site location of the NLCS and World Series , admitted fans , with capacity limited to 25 percent , or roughly 11,000 fans per game .
It 's the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an impressive play on a home run .
Last year , during Game 5 of the Houston Astros-Washington Nationals series , a fan picked up a home-run ball after taking it off the stomach — because he was holding a Bud Light in each hand .

WATCH: Fan at World Series flings glove on field after catching Will Smith home run
Show Caption Hide Caption Brandon Lowe ignites Rays offense, evens series with Dodgers What I'm Hearing: USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale explains that while Brandon Lowe had been struggling at the plate, the Tampa Bay Rays never lost faith in their second baseman who delivered in a big way in Game 2. What I'm Hearing, USA TODAY
Unlikely stars reveal themselves in the World Series — even in the stands.
A fan sitting in Globe Life Field's fifth row of the left-field seats was perfectly positioned to catch Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith's sixth-inning solo home run. The man, equipped with a mitt on his left hand, leaned back in his seat and reached to haul in the baseball.
Then, as the result of either over-excitement or a brain malfunction, the fan flung his glove off his hand while celebrating his big play. The mitt landed near the feet of Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Randy Arozarena, who looked up in bewilderment before tossing the glove back to the fan.
This fan caught Will Smith's HR ball... and threw his glove on the field? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/0MNh1MwUeR — FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 22, 2020
Smith's homer cut the Dodgers' deficit to 6-3, and the Rays went on to win 6-4 to even the World Series 1-1.
Major League Baseball played its entire 60-game regular season without fans. Only Globe Life Field, the neutral-site location of the NLCS and World Series, admitted fans, with capacity limited to 25 percent, or roughly 11,000 fans per game.
It's the second consecutive Fall Classic a fan has made an impressive play on a home run. Last year, during Game 5 of the Houston Astros-Washington Nationals series, a fan picked up a home-run ball after taking it off the stomach — because he was holding a Bud Light in each hand.
EPA photographer John G. Mabanglo, bless you for getting this shot of beer-wielding Nats fan taking a home run ball to the solar plexus pic.twitter.com/jYIykAGUuN — Nate Scott (@aNateScott) October 28, 2019
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.


usatoday--2020-10-22--Target bolsters coronavirus protections for shoppers ahead of holiday season hours

Target stores are enacting additional safety protocols to help shoppers get in and out of its stores – or not even enter the store – ahead of the holiday shopping season .
Like other major retailers , Target made changes at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic including additional disinfecting and cleaning , as well as curbside pickup of orders .
Now , the Minneapolis-based retailer is adding measures to make shoppers feel safer on their holiday excursions .
`` We are doubling down on safety by adding new measures and by further innovating across our popular offerings , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the advances is an update to the Target mobile app 's Wallet payment option so it can be used to checkout in a contactless manner , bypassing a scanning device .
Shoppers can also check on Target.com/line to see if there 's a line at their local store before heading out .
If so , they can make a reservation and get a text message when they can enter the store .
Holiday shopping 2020:1 in 4 Americans already finished buying all their gifts Throughout Target stores , there will be more MyCheckout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ check out customers without waiting in lines .
`` Many of the measures just focus on contact-free shopping .
It ’ s here to stay , '' Cornell said .
`` And we certainly hope guests will continue to use their mobile devices and our team members will be equipped with devices to continue to check guests out in different parts of our stores . ''
Target is also making it easier for customers to use its Drive Up service by letting shoppers show their app through the car window to get purchases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of Drive Up spots will be doubled , expanded by nearly 8,000 more nationwide , providing more spots for drivers to pull up and have purchases brought to their cars .
Guests can also change their order using Order Pickup or Drive Up even after getting to the store .
Children and adult apparel are also available for same-day delivery through its grocery delivery service Shipt .
`` Right now , we want to really make sure we are the easiest place to shop in America , '' Cornell said .
Target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday , but its holiday season hours were not announced .
The retailer will be closed on Thanksgiving this year , the first time since 2011 .
The retailer will offer Black Friday prices throughout the month of November and is extending its Price Match Guarantee from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 .
As part of that program , Target will match select competitors ' prices within 14 days of the purchase , and get a price adjustment for any item advertised as a “ Black Friday deal ” at Target or Target.com @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lower price at the store or online .
Target also will match its own prices on other purchases if they are found for a lower price within 14 days of a purchase .
The store began requiring shoppers to wear masks at its stores nationwide Aug. 1 , as did many other national retailers .
Back in March , Target reduced hours , dedicated shopping hours to vulnerable guests , and began providing disposable face masks and gloves each shift .
The following month , the retailer began monitoring guest traffic at its @ @ @ @ @

Target bolsters coronavirus protections for shoppers ahead of holiday season hours
Show Caption Hide Caption Pandemic jumpstarts holiday shopping season Retailers are kicking off the holiday season earlier than ever this year in hopes of avoiding big in-store crowds in November and December, creating a potentially dangerous situation during a pandemic. (Oct. 21) AP
Target stores are enacting additional safety protocols to help shoppers get in and out of its stores – or not even enter the store – ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Like other major retailers, Target made changes at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, including additional disinfecting and cleaning, as well as curbside pickup of orders. Now, the retailer is adding measures to make shoppers feel safer on their holiday excursions.
"We are doubling down on safety by adding new measures and by further innovating across our popular offerings," said Target CEO Brian Cornell.
Among the advances is an update to the Target mobile app's Wallet payment option so it can be used to checkout in a contactless manner, bypassing a scanning device. Shoppers can also check on Target.com/line to see whether there's a line at their local store before heading out. If so, they can make a reservation and get a text message when they can enter the store.
Holiday shopping 2020: 1 in 4 Americans already finished buying all their gifts
Coronavirus effect: With stimulus stalled, shortfalls in tax revenues leave states facing layoffs, service cuts
Throughout Target stores, there will be more MyCheckout devices, which let store team members check out customers without waiting in lines.
"Many of the measures just focus on contact-free shopping. It’s here to stay," Cornell said. "And we certainly hope guests will continue to use their mobile devices and our team members will be equipped with devices to continue to check guests out in different parts of our stores."
Target is also making it easier for customers to use its Drive Up service by letting shoppers show their app through the car window to get purchases they have made online. The total number of Drive Up spots will be doubled, expanded by nearly 8,000 more nationwide, providing more spots for drivers to pull up and have purchases brought to their cars. Guests can also change their order using Order Pickup or Drive Up even after getting to the store.
Children and adult apparel are also available for same-day delivery through its grocery delivery service Shipt.
"Right now, we want to really make sure we are the easiest place to shop in America," Cornell said.
Target will open at 7 a.m. on Black Friday, but its holiday season hours were not announced. The retailer will be closed on Thanksgiving this year, the first time since 2011.
The retailer will offer Black Friday prices throughout the month of November and is extending its Price Match Guarantee from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24. As part of that program, Target will match select competitors' prices within 14 days of the purchase, and get a price adjustment for any item advertised as a “Black Friday deal” at Target or Target.com, if it is offered for a lower price at the store or online.
Target also will match its own prices on other purchases if they are found for a lower price within 14 days of a purchase.
The store began requiring shoppers to wear masks at its stores nationwide Aug. 1, as did many other national retailers.
Back in March, Target reduced hours, dedicated shopping hours to vulnerable guests, and began providing disposable face masks and gloves each shift. The following month, the retailer began monitoring guest traffic at its stores nationwide when needed.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.


usatoday--2020-10-22--Paragliders have visitor during flight

Paragliders have visitor during flight

For 20 years , Scott Mason has trained birds of prey to fly along with him to help find thermal @ @ @ @ @ He calls this parahawking .

Paragliders have visitor during flight
For 20 years, Scott Mason has trained birds of prey to fly along with him to help find thermal columns as he paraglides. He calls this parahawking.
Animalkind, USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-10-22--Senate Judiciary Committee authorizes subpoenas for Twitter's Jack Dorsey and Facebook's Mark Zucker

WASHINGTON – Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to authorize subpoenas to compel the testimony of the CEOs of Twitter and Facebook amid controversy over the social media companies ' handling of the New York Post 's publication of alleged contents of a computer hard drive purporting to document the Ukrainian and Chinese business activities of Hunter Biden , son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden .
All 12 Republican senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to authorize the subpoenas for Facebook 's Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter 's Jack Dorsey .
The 10 Democrats on the panel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Judge Amy Coney Barrett 's Supreme Court nomination , which the panel approved .
Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , the committee chairman , said he hoped it would give the panel some `` leverage to secure ( the CEOs ' ) testimony '' if they did not come and testify voluntarily .
The two CEOs have taken heat from conservatives over their companies ' flagging of the New York Post story as spreading disinformation and their attempts to clamp down on the distribution of the story .
More : A tabloid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden from Rudy Giuliani .
Now , the FBI is probing a possible disinformation campaign .
Twitter had initially blocked the sharing of links to the Post 's articles , though it later reversed course .
Dorsey acknowledged missteps in his company 's handling of the story .
USA TODAY has not been able to confirm the authenticity of the emails .
More : Twitter CEO says it was wrong to block links to Biden story The FBI is probing connections between the data and a possible misinformation campaign , though Director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trove of emails was not linked to a Russian effort .
Ratcliffe acknowledged he knew `` little '' about the material published by the Post and that the intelligence community `` has not been involved . ''

Senate Judiciary Committee authorizes subpoenas for Twitter's Jack Dorsey and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg over Hunter Biden stories
Show Caption Hide Caption Election 2020: Mics will be muted for portions of presidential debate President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will have their microphones cut off during portions of the final presidential debate. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to authorize subpoenas to compel the testimony of the CEOs of Twitter and Facebook amid controversy over the social media companies' handling of a New York Post story about Hunter Biden.
The Post published alleged contents of a computer hard drive purporting to document the Ukrainian and Chinese business activities of Hunter Biden, son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. The two CEOs have taken heat from conservatives over their companies' flagging of the story as spreading disinformation and their attempts to clamp down on the distribution of the story.
All 12 Republican senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to authorize the subpoenas for Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey. The 10 Democrats on the panel boycotted Thursday's meeting over its consideration of Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination, which the panel approved.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the committee chairman, said he hoped it would give the panel some "leverage to secure (the CEOs') testimony" if they did not come and testify voluntarily. The committee has not scheduled a hearing date yet.
More: A tabloid got a trove of data on Hunter Biden from Rudy Giuliani. Now, the FBI is probing a possible disinformation campaign.
More: DNI Ratcliffe: Russia disinformation not behind published emails targeting Biden; FBI reviewing
Twitter had initially blocked the sharing of links to the Post's articles, though it later reversed course. Dorsey acknowledged missteps in his company's handling of the story.
USA TODAY has not been able to confirm the authenticity of the emails.
More: Twitter CEO says it was wrong to block links to Biden story
The FBI is probing connections between the data and a possible misinformation campaign, though Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Monday that the trove of emails was not linked to a Russian effort. Ratcliffe acknowledged he knew "little" about the material published by the Post and that the intelligence community "has not been involved."
Contributing: Kevin Johnson


usatoday--2020-10-22--Jill Biden's teaching career has always been important to her. Joe Biden didn't want that to change.

All anyone could talk about that day were the yellow roses .
During the 1976-1977 school year , a courier delivered three dozen long-stemmed roses to the desk of Saint Mark ’ s High School newest English teacher .
The women in the office were buzzing about their beauty .
The men commented on their exorbitant cost .
When the teacher , for whom the flowers were for , opened the card , her cheeks blushed .
Everyone already knew who Jill Jacobs ’ admirer was — some of them likely voted for him .
More than 40 years later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can still recall the day Ms. Jacobs received those yellow roses .
It represented an important chapter in the life of Jill Biden : Her first year of teaching full-time , while also dating a gregarious U.S. senator whose ambitions included the White House .
During this year at Saint Mark ’ s , Jill began to establish her long career as an educator .
Her kind gestures , tough grading and stylish outfits are still remembered by students decades later .
At 25 , she also cautiously began to enter what would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s wife , all while trying to find independence from her partner .
She would continue to do so for years to come .
“ She was always self-possessed , ” said Barbara Reilly , who taught English at Saint Mark ’ s for decades .
“ She always knew where she was going.
” As a teacher and later a professor , Jill ’ s office had no photos of her husband , only of her children and grandchildren .
Some students never knew who she was married to .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the University of Delaware in 2007 , she did so in her maiden name .
Joe Biden was not allowed in the room out of concern that his presence would sway opinions .
If Jill Biden ’ s husband is elected president come Nov. 3 , that first year at Saint Mark ’ s may offer a glimpse at the early life of a potentially historic first lady — one who plans to have a job outside the walls of the White House .
“ I want my own money , my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Jill Biden told The News Journal in 2007 .
“ He realizes , ” she said of Joe Biden , “ that he ’ s not my life and my love.
” ' A banner year for the discovery of Middle English' On the first day of teacher orientation , Barbara Reilly knew she liked her instantly .
Jill Jacobs was smart and confident .
She seemed like a natural teacher .
The two teachers formed a tight bond that year , particularly since the English department shared an office .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laughs were frequent .
Reilly , already a veteran teacher at this point , recalled how quickly Jill impressed her fellow teachers .
“ She asked for advice and she took advice , ” Reilly said .
Jill , who the Biden campaign did not make available for an interview , taught 9th and 10th grade English at the Catholic private school .
Her students learned to think critically of the words written by Dickens , Thoreau , and one of her favorites , Shakespeare .
'He does it for you ' : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ husband receives DNC nomination Decades later , former students described their teacher with a certain glee .
Several commented on how Jill made them feel special , how they felt like she understood them .
Others credited her with helping them get on the right path .
Not every student felt this way .
On RateMyProfessor.com , she had a reputation for being a “ tough ” grader to several students .
Jill was not one to just stand in front of a blackboard and lecture , remembers Patricia Peacock , a former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good at engaging with students .
“ Before you ’ re in high school , you ’ re talked down to , ” Peacock said .
“ She was probably the first teacher who treated us like an equal — like adults .
And it really makes an impression on you to be treated with respect , something you never had before.
” Beth Stickney , a 1980 Saint Mark ’ s grad , said her English teacher helped nurture her love for writing , which she now does professionally .
Knowing Stickney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a freshman , Jill encouraged her to write about the painter in an independent study .
Stickney even made a presentation to the class .
She also recalls meeting with the English teacher at “ odd times ” to talk about writing .
“ I don ’ t know if she felt I was bored or what , ” she said .
“ But the idea that she recognized something in me .
She took extra time to cultivate my passion . ''
Almost 40 years later , Stickney believes witnessing the bond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ female teachers — Barbara Reilly , Pamela MacPherson and Jill Biden —had a deeper impact on her than she might have then realized .
She and her friends saw these women model professionalism while also incorporating women ’ s voices and perspectives into their work .
“ But , frankly she was , like , really cool , ” Stickney said .
At Saint Mark ’ s , Jill recognized that she looked young , which is why she often wore her hair in a bun and attempted to portray “ some gravitas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ memoir .
Stickney can still recall Jill ’ s outfits : Her boots , her suede mini skirt , her leather blazer .
And that blond hair .
In many ways , Jill represented the cool , working woman that she and her friends aspired to be .
More:9 things you might not know about Jill Biden “ We sort of saw her as this rebel chick , ” Stickney said .
“ I certainly didn ’ t think she was becoming this appendage to this powerful senator .
I saw her as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this guy is captivated by.
” And boys fell in love with her .
Reilly , the English teacher , recalled that she had never experienced so many male upperclassmen stopping by the department ’ s office pretending to seek “ help ” from their teachers .
They were really there to see Ms. J .
“ I was astonished to have so many young men interested in the pilgrims in 'The Canterbury Tales , ' ” she wrote years ago in a short essay for her family .
“ It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Middle English.
” At this point , Jill and Joe had been dating for about a year and the pressures of public life were beginning to seep in .
In her first year as a teacher , she was also planning for graduate school while having to go through Biden 's office just to schedule a date .
“ I knew that if I married Joe , ” she wrote in her memoir , “ I ’ d have to give up my apartment , the only space that was just for me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my job for the boys ’ sake , to give them the time to acclimate to having someone new in the house every day and not just on weekends.
” “ And I ’ d have to become Jill Biden , senator ’ s wife .
It was all too much ” .
‘ So much more than ‘ lovely wives ’ ' The students had whispered about Ms. J ’ s dating life for a while at this point — how she married and then divorced the man who founded Stone Balloon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe and Jill together at a gas station .
The news of the new English teacher dating Delaware ’ s widowed senator spread through the halls of Saint Mark ’ s like a “ firestorm , ” Jill wrote in her memoir .
Being in a relationship with Joe Biden meant being in a relationship with Delaware and its politics .
He was usually at some parade or school function or big gathering .
And everyone knew his tragic story .
But Jill was not very interested in politics then , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans , talked about at the dinner table .
As a self-described introvert , campaign events overwhelmed her .
She preferred staying in the background .
For a time , the thought of speeches made her sick .
The Washington Post reported this summer that Senate payroll records show Jill having worked as a “ staff assistant ” in Joe Biden 's office for about four months when they were dating , between 1975 and 1976 .
Jill did n't mention this in her memoir , and a campaign aide told the Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office was `` short-staffed . ''
“ I don ’ t want her to get into the political thing , ” Joe Biden told The News Journal in 1977 , shortly after their wedding .
“ Jill married me , my boys and the entire state of Delaware , you know .
She ’ s entitled to a little privacy.
” Yet over the years — as she taught at Delaware psychiatric hospital , Concord High School , Brandywine High School and Delaware Technical Community College — Jill found herself becoming a more-involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making speeches , even practicing with a speaking coach .
She never lost that Philly accent .
More : Jennifer Garner tells Jill Biden that moms will 'put you in the White House' Now , Jill has transformed into one of the Biden campaign ’ s most valued surrogates ( and bodyguards ) .
It was in her old classroom at Brandywine High School where Jill delivered one of the most poignant lines from the Democratic National Convention .
“ How do you make a broken family whole ?
, ” she asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The same way you make a nation whole.
” For some of her former students , they felt instantly transported back to high school as they watched their English teacher give the biggest speech of her life .
Students messaged one another on Facebook , sharing photos of their awkward teenage selves at the time .
One alum got a Brandywine High School T-shirt out of her attic and wore it during Jill ’ s speech .
“ I don ’ t think we have a better representative of the state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brandywine student , who Jill Biden drove home each day after school .
“ Even a celebrity status hasn ’ t changed who she really is.
” Throughout the campaign , Jill has spoken openly about her desire to teach if she became first lady , which would make her the first to do so .
As second lady , she was the first woman to continue to work .
Stickney , the former Saint Mark ’ s student , described the idea of a working first lady as “ ( expletive ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall , where attendees were mostly political spouses , Jill spoke about the years of juggling being a mother , a teacher , a student and a senator ’ s wife .
And her disdain for not being seen as her own person .
“ You are leaders in your states , advisers , advocates , friends , confidants , ” she said .
“ And so much more than ‘ lovely wives.
’ “ Didn ’ t you just hate it when people called us that.
” As the fall turned into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lives of the Biden family .
She made dinner for Beau and Hunter and picked them up from school .
Joe came to student productions of King Lear .
Jill regularly stayed over on the weekends .
She began to see a future .
After coming home from events and dinners with Joe , Jill recalls in her memoir how she would throw herself onto the bed in her small apartment and stare at the divots in the ceiling .
`` What am I doing , '' she asked herself .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had attempted to propose to Jill five times , a story that , decades later , has become an endearing anecdote they tell in interviews .
But at the time , the idea of marriage overwhelmed her .
She had prayed to never marry again .
Before boarding a plane for a 10-day trip in South Africa , Joe stopped by Jill ’ s apartment .
He was asking one last time , and he wanted an answer by the time he got home to Delaware .
“ Saying yes meant changing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ twenty-five , ” Jill wrote .
“ On the other hand , saying no meant walking away from three people I had grown to love more than anyone.
” Becoming Jill Biden would mean taking time off work to raise her children .
Yet she returned to teaching .
It would mean helping her husband run for president over the course of 30 years , each time returning to teaching .
It might mean becoming first lady , and once again , returning to teaching .
So , in the spring of 1977 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foyer waiting for an answer , Jill Jacobs said OK. “ I promise you , ” he said , holding her shoulders and looking at her in the eye , “ your life will never change.
” Contact Meredith Newman at ( 302 ) 324-2386 or at mnewman @ delawareonline.com .
Follow her on Twitter at @ merenewman .

Jill Biden's teaching career has always been important to her. Joe Biden didn't want that to change.
Show Caption Hide Caption Jill Biden, Joe Biden's wife, is more than a former second lady Dr. Jill Biden has championed for her husband, Joe Biden, throughout his political career. But she has her own incredible accomplishments. USA TODAY
All anyone could talk about that day were the yellow roses.
During the 1976-1977 school year, a courier delivered three dozen long-stemmed roses to the desk of Saint Mark’s High School newest English teacher. The women in the office were buzzing about their beauty. The men commented on their exorbitant cost.
Even teenage boys took notice.
When the teacher, for whom the flowers were for, opened the card, her cheeks blushed. Everyone already knew who Jill Jacobs’ admirer was — some of them likely voted for him.
More than 40 years later, retired teachers and some former students can still recall the day Ms. Jacobs received those yellow roses. It represented an important chapter in the life of Jill Biden: Her first year of teaching full-time, while also dating a gregarious U.S. senator whose ambitions included the White House.
During this year at Saint Mark’s, Jill began to establish her long career as an educator. Her kind gestures, tough grading and stylish outfits are still remembered by students decades later.
At 25, she also cautiously began to enter what would become her life as mother and senator’s wife, all while trying to find independence from her partner. She would continue to do so for years to come.
“She was always self-possessed,” said Barbara Reilly, who taught English at Saint Mark’s for decades. “She always knew where she was going.”
As a teacher and later a professor, Jill’s office had no photos of her husband, only of her children and grandchildren. Some students never knew who she was married to. When Jill defended her doctoral dissertation in education from the University of Delaware in 2007, she did so in her maiden name. Joe Biden was not allowed in the room out of concern that his presence would sway opinions.
If Jill Biden’s husband is elected president come Nov. 3, that first year at Saint Mark’s may offer a glimpse at the early life of a potentially historic first lady — one who plans to have a job outside the walls of the White House.
“I want my own money, my own career, my own identity,” Jill Biden told The News Journal in 2007.
“He realizes,” she said of Joe Biden, “that he’s not my life and my love.”
'A banner year for the discovery of Middle English'
On the first day of teacher orientation, Barbara Reilly knew she liked her instantly. Jill Jacobs was smart and confident. She seemed like a natural teacher.
“And I thought, ‘Merciful goodness she’s beautiful,’ ” she laughed.
The two teachers formed a tight bond that year, particularly since the English department shared an office. It was a social group, where belly laughs were frequent. Reilly, already a veteran teacher at this point, recalled how quickly Jill impressed her fellow teachers.
“She asked for advice and she took advice,” Reilly said.
Jill, who the Biden campaign did not make available for an interview, taught 9th and 10th grade English at the Catholic private school. Her students learned to think critically of the words written by Dickens, Thoreau, and one of her favorites, Shakespeare.
'He does it for you': Jill Biden gives personal speech as her husband receives DNC nomination
Decades later, former students described their teacher with a certain glee. Several commented on how Jill made them feel special, how they felt like she understood them. Others credited her with helping them get on the right path.
Not every student felt this way. On RateMyProfessor.com, she had a reputation for being a “tough” grader to several students.
Jill was not one to just stand in front of a blackboard and lecture, remembers Patricia Peacock, a former student and 1980 alum. She was good at engaging with students.
“Before you’re in high school, you’re talked down to,” Peacock said. “She was probably the first teacher who treated us like an equal — like adults. And it really makes an impression on you to be treated with respect, something you never had before.”
Beth Stickney, a 1980 Saint Mark’s grad, said her English teacher helped nurture her love for writing, which she now does professionally.
Knowing Stickney had an obsession with Norman Rockwell as a freshman, Jill encouraged her to write about the painter in an independent study. Stickney even made a presentation to the class. She also recalls meeting with the English teacher at “odd times” to talk about writing.
“I don’t know if she felt I was bored or what,” she said. “But the idea that she recognized something in me. She took extra time to cultivate my passion."
Almost 40 years later, Stickney believes witnessing the bond of three of the department’s female teachers — Barbara Reilly, Pamela MacPherson and Jill Biden —had a deeper impact on her than she might have then realized.
She and her friends saw these women model professionalism while also incorporating women’s voices and perspectives into their work.
“But, frankly she was, like, really cool,” Stickney said.
At Saint Mark’s, Jill recognized that she looked young, which is why she often wore her hair in a bun and attempted to portray “some gravitas,” as she wrote in her memoir.
Stickney can still recall Jill’s outfits: Her boots, her suede mini skirt, her leather blazer. And that blond hair. In many ways, Jill represented the cool, working woman that she and her friends aspired to be.
More: 9 things you might not know about Jill Biden
“We sort of saw her as this rebel chick,” Stickney said. “I certainly didn’t think she was becoming this appendage to this powerful senator. I saw her as this cool, independent, younger woman that this guy is captivated by.”
And boys fell in love with her. Reilly, the English teacher, recalled that she had never experienced so many male upperclassmen stopping by the department’s office pretending to seek “help” from their teachers. They were really there to see Ms. J.
“I was astonished to have so many young men interested in the pilgrims in 'The Canterbury Tales,' ” she wrote years ago in a short essay for her family. “It was a banner year for the discovery of Middle English.”
At this point, Jill and Joe had been dating for about a year and the pressures of public life were beginning to seep in. In her first year as a teacher, she was also planning for graduate school while having to go through Biden's office just to schedule a date.
“I knew that if I married Joe,” she wrote in her memoir, “I’d have to give up my apartment, the only space that was just for me. I’d have to quit my job for the boys’ sake, to give them the time to acclimate to having someone new in the house every day and not just on weekends.”
“And I’d have to become Jill Biden, senator’s wife. It was all too much”.
‘So much more than ‘lovely wives’ '
The students had whispered about Ms. J’s dating life for a while at this point — how she married and then divorced the man who founded Stone Balloon in Newark.
Then a student saw Joe and Jill together at a gas station. The news of the new English teacher dating Delaware’s widowed senator spread through the halls of Saint Mark’s like a “firestorm,” Jill wrote in her memoir.
Being in a relationship with Joe Biden meant being in a relationship with Delaware and its politics. He was usually at some parade or school function or big gathering. And everyone knew his tragic story.
But Jill was not very interested in politics then, and it was never something her parents, registered Republicans, talked about at the dinner table. As a self-described introvert, campaign events overwhelmed her.
She preferred staying in the background. For a time, the thought of speeches made her sick.
The Washington Post reported this summer that Senate payroll records show Jill having worked as a “staff assistant” in Joe Biden's office for about four months when they were dating, between 1975 and 1976. Jill didn't mention this in her memoir, and a campaign aide told the Post that she answered phones when Biden's office was "short-staffed."
“I don’t want her to get into the political thing,” Joe Biden told The News Journal in 1977, shortly after their wedding. “Jill married me, my boys and the entire state of Delaware, you know. She’s entitled to a little privacy.”
Yet over the years — as she taught at Delaware psychiatric hospital, Concord High School, Brandywine High School and Delaware Technical Community College — Jill found herself becoming a more-involved political spouse.
Democratic Convention speaker: Jill Biden Dr. Jill Biden delivers a speech from a school in Wilmington, Delaware about COVID and closed schools for the Democratic National Convention. USA TODAY
She got better at making speeches, even practicing with a speaking coach. She never lost that Philly accent.
More: Jennifer Garner tells Jill Biden that moms will 'put you in the White House'
Now, Jill has transformed into one of the Biden campaign’s most valued surrogates (and bodyguards). It was in her old classroom at Brandywine High School where Jill delivered one of the most poignant lines from the Democratic National Convention.
“How do you make a broken family whole?,” she asked, looking directly into the camera. “The same way you make a nation whole.”
For some of her former students, they felt instantly transported back to high school as they watched their English teacher give the biggest speech of her life. Students messaged one another on Facebook, sharing photos of their awkward teenage selves at the time.
One alum got a Brandywine High School T-shirt out of her attic and wore it during Jill’s speech.
“I don’t think we have a better representative of the state,” said Amy Diamond, a former Brandywine student, who Jill Biden drove home each day after school. “Even a celebrity status hasn’t changed who she really is.”
Throughout the campaign, Jill has spoken openly about her desire to teach if she became first lady, which would make her the first to do so. As second lady, she was the first woman to continue to work.
Stickney, the former Saint Mark’s student, described the idea of a working first lady as “(expletive) amazing.”
During a campaign fundraiser this fall, where attendees were mostly political spouses, Jill spoke about the years of juggling being a mother, a teacher, a student and a senator’s wife. And her disdain for not being seen as her own person.
“You are leaders in your states, advisers, advocates, friends, confidants,” she said. “And so much more than ‘lovely wives.’
“Didn’t you just hate it when people called us that.”
Saying yes
As the fall turned into spring, Jill became more intertwined in the lives of the Biden family. She made dinner for Beau and Hunter and picked them up from school. Joe came to student productions of King Lear. Jill regularly stayed over on the weekends.
She began to see a future.
After coming home from events and dinners with Joe, Jill recalls in her memoir how she would throw herself onto the bed in her small apartment and stare at the divots in the ceiling.
"What am I doing," she asked herself.
During the course of 1977, Joe Biden had attempted to propose to Jill five times, a story that, decades later, has become an endearing anecdote they tell in interviews. But at the time, the idea of marriage overwhelmed her. She had prayed to never marry again.
Before boarding a plane for a 10-day trip in South Africa, Joe stopped by Jill’s apartment. He was asking one last time, and he wanted an answer by the time he got home to Delaware.
“Saying yes meant changing the trajectory of my entire life at age twenty-five,” Jill wrote. “On the other hand, saying no meant walking away from three people I had grown to love more than anyone.”
Becoming Jill Biden would mean taking time off work to raise her children. Yet she returned to teaching. It would mean helping her husband run for president over the course of 30 years, each time returning to teaching.
It might mean becoming first lady, and once again, returning to teaching.
So, in the spring of 1977, as Joe Biden stood in her foyer waiting for an answer, Jill Jacobs said OK.
“I promise you,” he said, holding her shoulders and looking at her in the eye, “your life will never change.”
Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @merenewman.


usatoday--2020-10-22--Former President Obama slams President Trump's COVID-19 response at Biden rally in PA

Former President Obama slams President Trump 's COVID-19 response at Biden rally in PA Former President Barack Obama took aim @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 response at a rally in Philadelphia for Joe Biden .

Former Pres. Obama slams Trump's COVID-19 responses at Biden rally
Former President Barack Obama took aim at President Donald Trump's COVID-19 response at a rally in Philadelphia for Joe Biden.
USA TODAY, Associated Press


usatoday--2020-10-22--12 days out from Election Day, Mike Pence is holding a rally in deeply red Indiana. Why?

Vice President Mike Pence will collect some much-needed campaign dollars from his home state during a trip to Indiana Thursday that is sandwiched between multiple rallies in battleground states .
His private meeting with donors in a state Trump previously carried by 19 points and a public rally at a Fort Wayne airport come 12 days before the election .
National polls and those in competitive states near Indiana show Trump behind .
“ We ’ ve got a lot of supporters here , obviously , for Mike , ” said Bill Bean , a GOP donor and developer in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ll help put him over the top.
” Bean said the event was squeezed into Pence ’ s schedule as a “ favor to the supporters here in the area ” and not because the Trump/Pence campaign is concerned about losing Indiana or because the coffers are running dry .
“ It was never portrayed to me that , ` Hey , you know , we 're struggling , ’ ” Bean said .
“ I ’ ve honestly been petitioning for him to try to make a stop in here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others – just to raise up the enthusiasm level , if nothing else .
So I do n't think that the main purpose of it was to raise campaign funds.
” But Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden had nearly three times as much cash at the end of September as Trump , according to disclosure reports filed Tuesday .
Trump traveled to heavily Democratic California Sunday for a high-dollar fundraiser .
Bean was busy calling fellow Trump supporters Wednesday for a “ small group ” meeting of donors with Pence Thursday .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally soon after Pence holds a similar event in Michigan .
After Pence votes in Indiana Friday , he ’ ll head to Ohio and Pennsylvania for more rallies .
Michigan , Ohio , Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are among the Rust Belt states that are considered crucial for Trump 's reelection this year .
Trump , however , won 56 % of the vote in Indiana .
His 19-point margin was mirrored in Allen County , where Fort Wayne is the largest city .
“ The amount of financial supporters and contributors to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the greatest in the state , ” said Steve Shine , chairman of the Allen County GOP and another longtime friend of Pence ’ s .
“ It is probably one of the easiest areas to raise money for Trump and Pence because of the solid support not just for the president , but the robust support for Mike Pence in this area.
” On Wednesday , the Indiana Republican Party sent out a fundraising email in Pence ’ s name asking supporters to help “ Keep Indiana Red !
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s successor in that position , is up for reelection .
Holcomb said Wednesday that he `` likely will '' be at the Pence campaign event .
While Holcomb 's Democratic challenger hasn ’ t gained much traction , Democrats have a chance of picking up a congressional seat in a district north of Indianapolis that includes many suburban voters who have been turned off by Trump .
The congressional district where Pence is headed , by contrast , is one of the two most Republican in the state .
Final Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blistering showdown despite the new mute button More : How Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris stack up against each other

12 days out from Election Day, Mike Pence is holding a rally in deeply red Indiana. Why?
Show Caption Hide Caption Pence touts reelection bid at New Hampshire rally Vice President Mike Pence campaigns in New Hampshire and touts a bid to reelect President Donald Trump at a 'Make America Great Again!' event at Port City Air in Portsmouth. (Oct. 21) AP
Vice President Mike Pence will collect some much-needed campaign dollars from his home state during a trip to Indiana Thursday that is sandwiched between multiple rallies in battleground states.
His private meeting with donors in a state Trump previously carried by 19 points and a public rally at a Fort Wayne airport come 12 days before the election. National polls and those in competitive states near Indiana show Trump behind.
“We’ve got a lot of supporters here, obviously, for Mike,” said Bill Bean, a GOP donor and developer in Fort Wayne, Ind. “Hopefully we’ll help put him over the top.”
Bean said the event was squeezed into Pence’s schedule as a “favor to the supporters here in the area” and not because the Trump/Pence campaign is concerned about losing Indiana or because the coffers are running dry.
“It was never portrayed to me that, `Hey, you know, we're struggling,’” Bean said. “I’ve honestly been petitioning for him to try to make a stop in here and I'm sure there were probably others – just to raise up the enthusiasm level, if nothing else. So I don't think that the main purpose of it was to raise campaign funds.”
But Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden had nearly three times as much cash at the end of September as Trump, according to disclosure reports filed Tuesday. Trump traveled to heavily Democratic California Sunday for a high-dollar fundraiser.
Bean was busy calling fellow Trump supporters Wednesday for a “small group” meeting of donors with Pence Thursday.
The public part of the schedule is a rally soon after Pence holds a similar event in Michigan.
After Pence votes in Indiana Friday, he’ll head to Ohio and Pennsylvania for more rallies.
USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll: Joe Biden leads Donald Trump by 7 points in pivotal Pennsylvania
Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are among the Rust Belt states that are considered crucial for Trump's reelection this year.
Trump, however, won 56% of the vote in Indiana. His 19-point margin was mirrored in Allen County, where Fort Wayne is the largest city.
“The amount of financial supporters and contributors to Mike Pence in Northeast Indiana is probably one of the greatest in the state,” said Steve Shine, chairman of the Allen County GOP and another longtime friend of Pence’s. “It is probably one of the easiest areas to raise money for Trump and Pence because of the solid support not just for the president, but the robust support for Mike Pence in this area.”
On Wednesday, the Indiana Republican Party sent out a fundraising email in Pence’s name asking supporters to help “Keep Indiana Red!”
GOP Gov. Eric Holcomb, Pence’s successor in that position, is up for reelection. Holcomb said Wednesday that he "likely will" be at the Pence campaign event.
While Holcomb's Democratic challenger hasn’t gained much traction, Democrats have a chance of picking up a congressional seat in a district north of Indianapolis that includes many suburban voters who have been turned off by Trump.
The congressional district where Pence is headed, by contrast, is one of the two most Republican in the state.
Contributing: Kaitlin Lange, Indianapolis Star.
Final Trump vs. Biden debate: Brace for another blistering showdown despite the new mute button
Mike Pence: Reelect President Donald Trump to renew America’s promise
More: How Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris stack up against each other


usatoday--2020-10-22--Know your voting rights: Here's what to do if you encounter intimidation at the polls on Election Da

The Carter Center has monitored elections in some of the world ’ s most dangerous and corrupt countries — Sudan , Kenya and Venezuela among 39 countries in all .
Now , the not-for-profit organization founded by former President Jimmy Carter is adding to that list of countries once seen as a model for fair and free elections .
Avery Davis-Roberts , associate director in the Democracy Program at the Carter Center , said in recently taped remarks , “ we typically prioritize work in places where democracy seems poised to take a step forward or where it 's in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are often struggling with polarization , a lack of public trust , ethnic or racial divisions and fears that election results won ’ t be credible or accepted .
“ U.S .
elections have never been perfect , but generally Americans trusted in the process and believed in the results .
But in the last five or 10 years , we ’ ve started to see many of the same discouraging trends we see in countries where we work.
’ ’ As the Nov. 3 election approaches , with President Donald Trump and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the fear and cynicism among American voters is undeniable .
More than half of 1,505 registered voters surveyed in a YouGov poll Oct. 1-2 said they expect to see `` an increase in violence as a result of the election.
” Another YouGov poll found that almost half of voters disagree with the idea that the election `` is likely to be fair and honest . ''
Amidst that uneasy climate , voter knowledge is key , said Stephanie Young , Chief Communications and Culture Officer at “ When We All Vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to increasing voter participation .
“ An informed voter is a voter whose vote is most likely not to be suppressed because they understand their rights , ’ ’ Young said .
Here are the rights voters have at the polls : The Right to Vote Free of Intimidation Federal law prohibits the intimidation of voters and can result in prison time .
Check it out : 18 U.S. Code Section 594 .
The law states : “ Whoever intimidates , threatens , coerces , or attempts to intimidate , threaten , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purpose of interfering with the right of such other person to vote or to vote as he may choose….shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year , or both.
’ ’ Yet the law hasn ’ t always stopped voter intimidation .
In 1981 , for example , the Republican National Committee targeted a tight race for New Jersey governor .
The RNC created the “ National Ballot Security Task Force , ’ ’ comprised of off-duty police and sheriffs officers and deployed to deployed to voting precincts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The stated purpose of the so-called task force was to prevent voter fraud .
The outcome : discouraging Democrats from going to the polls on a day when the Republican and the gubernatorial candidate prevailed by 1,797 votes out of 2.3 million cast .
But Julie Ebenstein , a senior staff attorney for the ACLU ’ s Voting Rights Project , said there ’ s no recent history of widespread efforts of voter intimidation , which would include being questioned about citizenship , criminal record or other qualifications .
“ Obviously people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s understandable , ’ ’ Ebenstein said .
“ But at least over the last decade , I can ’ t think of effective or organized efforts that were carried out to keep people away from the polls .
It would be a shame for people to assume there was going to be something like that and stay away out of intimidation.
’ ’ Voters who encounter or witness intimidation are encouraged to call the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE ( 866-687-8683 ) , or the U.S. Department of Justice voting rights hotline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by violence , 911 .
More : Voter turnout in election could reach highest rate in more than a century 'The country 's lost its mind ' : Polls warning of civil war , violence show deep partisan chasm over election The right to vote by provisional ballot if your name is not on the list of registered voters If you show up to the polls and your name is not on the list of registered voters , you have the right to vote with a provisional ballot .
The ballot should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ registered voter in that county and you did not vote elsewhere .
“ Sometimes people show up and find their names are not on the rolls , ’ ’ said Kristen Clarke , president and executive director of the National Lawyers ' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law .
“ They may have been unlawfully purged .
Or removed from rolls .
Or there may have been an error on the part of officials who failed to include a voters ’ name on the rolls.
’ ’ It happens .
More than you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , for example , 2.4 million provisional ballots were cast and 71 percent were counted either partially or in full , according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission .
So before heading to the polls , it never hurts to make sure you ’ re registered to vote and confirm your polling site .
The right to vote with accommodations “ People with intellectual or mental health disabilities have been prevented from voting because of prejudicial assumptions about their capabilities , ’ ’ U.S. Department of Justice has written .
“ People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , such as walkers , have been unable to enter the polling place to cast their ballot because there was no ramp .
People who are blind or have low vision could not cast their vote because the ballot was completely inaccessible to them.
’ ’ Efforts to protect the voting rights of people with disabilities has led to accessible polling places that meet the American Disabilities Act requirements and “ curbside voting.
’ ’ Any voter unable to reach the polling site because of physical limitations or architectural barriers may request a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site worker brings a ballot or a voting device to the voter and , if necessary , assists the voter .
But not everyone is in favor of this accommodation .
More:30 years after the ADA , access to voting for people with disabilities is still an issue The state of Alabama is challenging that right .
On Oct. 15 , state officials asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a lower court order allowing curbside voting .
Voters with disabilities can report complaints and possible violations of the federal voting rights laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Section in Washington at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767 .
Another protected accommodation : Voters who struggle with English can bring a family member or friend — but not an employer — to help them fill out and cast a ballot .
There also are toll-free numbers for assistance in Spanish ( 1-888-839-8682 ) , Arabic ( 1-844-925-5287 ) and Bengali , Catonese , Hindu , Urdu , Korean , Mandarin , Tagalog and Vietnamese at 888-274-8683 .
Ballots are available in a variety of languages and , according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide some type of language assistance The right to vote after the polls close If you ’ re in line when a polling place closes and you still want to vote , stay put .
“ It doesn ’ t matter if that line is stretching for hours or blocks , ’ ’ said Clarke of the Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law .
“ As long as you ’ re in line when the polls close , you have a right to vote.
’ ’ The right to re-vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting for the unintended candidate or voting or more than one person for a single office , ask a pollster for help .
Replacement ballots are available .
While there is no mention of a Personal Protective Equipment ( PPE ) in voting rights law , Clara Long of the Human Rights Watch said she thinks PPE should be available at the polling places in light of the ongoing pandemic .
“ Authorities , local and federal , have the responsibility to protect people ’ s right to health as well as their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ So that means providing PPE at the polls for people who don ’ t have it .
And people should be asking for that if they don ’ t have it .
“ Voters have the right to have their access to the vote facilitated .
Facilitating the vote is part of the obligation that the U.S. has under a human rights framework that it ’ s actually been a leader in developing globally in terms how elections should be held.
’ ’ But this year , talk often circles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Long applauded the recent decision by Michigan officials to prohibit people from openly carrying guns within of 100 feet of buildings with polling places on Election Day .
But she expressed uncertainty about what will transpire across the country on Election Day .
“ The question is what is enforcement going to look like ?
’ ’ she said .
“ Are states and local authorities going to scrupulously enforce voters rights ?
’ ’ For more follow @ JoshPeter11 on Twitter .
Who 's undecided ?
Donald Trump 's toughest hurdle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minds are made up ' A lot of chaos ' : ' A lot of chaos ' : Trump 's rhetoric , a global pandemic and a tsunami of lawsuits complicate 2020 election

Know your voting rights: Here's what to do if you encounter intimidation at the polls on Election Day
Show Caption Hide Caption Why voter suppression in the US has increased since 2013 Civil rights experts point to long wait times to vote as a sign of growing voter suppression in the U.S. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Correction & clarification: A prior version of this story misstated the term for the Hindi language.
The Carter Center has monitored elections in some of the world’s most dangerous and corrupt countries – Sudan, Kenya and Venezuela among 39 countries in all. Now, the not-for-profit organization founded by former President Jimmy Carter is adding to that list of countries once seen as a model for fair and free elections.
The United States.
Avery Davis-Roberts, associate director in the Democracy Program at the Carter Center, said in recently taped remarks, “we typically prioritize work in places where democracy seems poised to take a step forward or where it's in danger of sliding backwards. These places are often struggling with polarization, a lack of public trust, ethnic or racial divisions and fears that election results won’t be credible or accepted.
“U.S. elections have never been perfect, but generally Americans trusted in the process and believed in the results. But in the last five or 10 years, we’ve started to see many of the same discouraging trends we see in countries where we work.’’
Read this: How election officials are preparing for voter intimidation tactics
As the Nov. 3 election approaches, with President Donald Trump and Joe Biden battling on the campaign trail, the fear and cynicism among American voters is undeniable.
More than half of 1,505 registered voters surveyed in a YouGov poll Oct. 1-2 said they expect to see "an increase in violence as a result of the election.” Another YouGov poll found that almost half of voters disagree with the idea that the election "is likely to be fair and honest."
Amidst that uneasy climate, voter knowledge is key, said Stephanie Young, Chief Communications and Culture Officer at “When We All Vote,’’ a nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing voter participation.
“An informed voter is a voter whose vote is most likely not to be suppressed because they understand their rights,’’ Young said.
Here are the rights voters have at the polls:
The Right to Vote Free of Intimidation
Federal law prohibits the intimidation of voters and can result in prison time. Check it out: 18 U.S. Code Section 594.
The law states: “Whoever intimidates, threatens, coerces, or attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of such other person to vote or to vote as he may choose ... shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.’’
Yet the law hasn’t always stopped voter intimidation.
In 1981, for example, the Republican National Committee targeted a tight race for New Jersey governor. The RNC created the “National Ballot Security Task Force,’’ composed of off-duty police and sheriffs officers and deployed to voting precincts heavily populated by Blacks and Latinos.
The stated purpose of the task force was to prevent voter fraud. The outcome: discouraging Democrats from going to the polls on a day when the Republican and the gubernatorial candidate prevailed by 1,797 votes out of 2.3 million cast.
But Julie Ebenstein, a senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, said there’s no recent history of widespread efforts of voter intimidation, which would include being questioned about citizenship, criminal record or other qualifications.
“Obviously people are concerned about this election and that’s understandable,’’ Ebenstein said. “But at least over the last decade, I can’t think of effective or organized efforts that were carried out to keep people away from the polls. It would be a shame for people to assume there was going to be something like that and stay away out of intimidation.’’
Voters who encounter or witness intimidation are encouraged to call the Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683), or the U.S. Department of Justice voting rights hotline at 1-800-253-3931, or, if threatened by violence, 911.
More: Voter turnout in election could reach highest rate in more than a century
'The country's lost its mind': Polls warning of civil war, violence show deep partisan chasm over election
The right to vote by provisional ballot if your name is not on the list of registered voters
If you show up to the polls and your name is not on the list of registered voters, you have the right to vote with a provisional ballot. The ballot should be counted when officials confirm you are a registered voter in that county and you did not vote elsewhere.
“Sometimes people show up and find their names are not on the rolls,’’ said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “They may have been unlawfully purged. Or removed from rolls. Or there may have been an error on the part of officials who failed to include a voters’ name on the rolls.’’
It happens. More than you might think.
During the 2016 presidential election, for example, 2.4 million provisional ballots were cast and 71% were counted either partially or in full, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
So before heading to the polls, it never hurts to make sure you’re registered to vote and confirm your polling site.
The right to vote with accommodations
“People with intellectual or mental health disabilities have been prevented from voting because of prejudicial assumptions about their capabilities,’’ U.S. Department of Justice has written. “People who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids, such as walkers, have been unable to enter the polling place to cast their ballot because there was no ramp. People who are blind or have low vision could not cast their vote because the ballot was completely inaccessible to them.’’
Efforts to protect the voting rights of people with disabilities has led to accessible polling places that meet the American Disabilities Act requirements and “curbside voting.’’
Any voter unable to reach the polling site because of physical limitations or architectural barriers may request a ballot “curbside.’’ A polling site worker brings a ballot or a voting device to the voter and, if necessary, assists the voter. But not everyone is in favor of this accommodation.
More: 30 years after the ADA, access to voting for people with disabilities is still an issue
The state of Alabama is challenging that right. On Oct. 15, state officials asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a lower court order allowing curbside voting.
Voters with disabilities can report complaints and possible violations of the federal voting rights laws to Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767.
Another protected accommodation: Voters who struggle with English can bring a family member or friend – but not an employer – to help them fill out and cast a ballot.
There also are toll-free numbers for assistance in Spanish (1-888-839-8682), Arabic (1-844-925-5287) and Bengali, Catonese, Hindi, Urdu, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog and Vietnamese at 888-274-8683.
Ballots are available in a variety of languages and, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commissioner, federal law requires more 260 jurisdictions to provide some type of language assistance.
The right to vote after the polls close
If you’re in line when a polling place closes and you still want to vote, stay put.
“It doesn’t matter if that line is stretching for hours or blocks,’’ said Clarke of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “As long as you’re in line when the polls close, you have a right to vote.’’
The right to revote
If you make a mistake, like voting for the unintended candidate or voting for more than one person for a single office, ask a pollster for help. Replacement ballots are available.
While there is no mention of a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in voting rights law, Clara Long of the Human Rights Watch said she thinks PPE should be available at the polling places in light of the ongoing pandemic.
“Authorities, local and federal, have the responsibility to protect people’s right to health as well as their right to vote,’’ Long said. “So that means providing PPE at the polls for people who don’t have it. And people should be asking for that if they don’t have it.
“Voters have the right to have their access to the vote facilitated. Facilitating the vote is part of the obligation that the U.S. has under a human rights framework that it’s actually been a leader in developing globally in terms how elections should be held.’’
But this year, talk often circles back to the fear of voter intimidation.
Long applauded the recent decision by Michigan officials to prohibit people from openly carrying guns within of 100 feet of buildings with polling places on Election Day. But she expressed uncertainty about what will transpire across the country on Election Day.
“The question is what is enforcement going to look like?’’ she said. “Are states and local authorities going to scrupulously enforce voters rights?’’
For more follow @JoshPeter11 on Twitter.
Who's undecided? Donald Trump's toughest hurdle to pull off a win: Most minds are made up
'A lot of chaos': 'A lot of chaos': Trump's rhetoric, a global pandemic and a tsunami of lawsuits complicate 2020 election