Election Day Brings High-Stakes Races and Ballot Measures

Voters across the country face Election Day on Tuesday, with polling hours and rules varying by state; Texas voters need acceptable identification, and Alaska uses ranked-choice voting in statewide races. Nevada reported more than 747,000 ballots cast by Monday, with Democrats leading overall, as voters decide races from governor to Congress and measures on abortion rights and voter ID. High-stakes contests include the Texas and Kansas U.S. Senate races and Pennsylvania races for governor, the legislature and Congress, which could affect control of the U.S. House; Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to win reelection. Alaska voters will decide whether to repeal ranked-choice voting and open primaries, while Missouri voters will consider measures on abortion access and the initiative process. Washington officials urged voters to use drop boxes after some properly postmarked mail ballots arrived too late to count in the August primary, while Oregon officials highlighted secure, offline ballot-scanning operations.