‘F around and find out.’ That was the blunt message from Philadelphia’s district attorney Monday to anyone planning to interfere with voting in his neck of a key swing state.
■ See his statement here: “We do have the cuffs. We do have the jail cells. We do have the Philly juries and we have the state prisons.”
■ Chicago cops say they’re ready, too. (Correction. That story is from 2022.)
■ Platformer: Elon Musk’s Twitter X effort to interfere with the election is already underway.
‘You just effed up in a way that I’ve never seen in my political life—and I worked with Sarah Palin.’ That’s MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace’s reaction to vice presidential candidate JD Vance calling Vice President Kamala Harris “trash.”
■ Columnist Rick Perlstein on the import of “Garbagegate”: “The most malodorous garbage during this campaign was the stuff … elite journalists kept trying to shovel in our face.”
■ Donald Trump wrapped it up by calling former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the B-word.
■ Harris’ closing rally: Lady Gaga singing “God Bless America” and Oprah Winfrey pleading for “healing over hate.”
■ Columnist Cate Plys calls on Harris not to sit out Election Day: “Make it a Hail Mary.”
‘He will lie about the outcome.’ Law professor Joyce Vance predicts, “Trump will unilaterally declare victory sometime this evening” …
■ … or, as Popular Information puts it: “Heads I win, tails you lose.”
■ Columnist Eric Zorn: “If Trump wins, the prissy protest voters who didn’t vote or voted for a third party candidate because Harris wasn’t good enough for them on one particular issue or another will come to regret it good and hard.”
On further review … In a late development, the Chicago Bar Association has reversed itself, bestowing a “Not Recommended” rating on a Cook County Circuit Court judge who “has had a driver’s license for over 40 years that lists a Will County address and … obtained a homeowner’s exemption on property he owns in Will County, attesting that it was his primary residence.”
■ Although the presidential vote in Illinois seems not in doubt, Politico’s Shia Kapos sees plenty of suspense further down the ballot.
■ Ready to wrap this up? Check the Chicago Public Square Voter Guide Guide …
■ … now with a link to “Where’s My F**king Polling Place?”
Blogs, blogs everywhere. No shortage of online updates you can follow through the day, and into the night … and, maybe, into the morning again:
■ … with even more here from Pluribus News.
■ Track Chicago’s vote with Block Club, WTTW News and WBEZ and the Sun-Times …
■ … which has killed its registration wall for the next week, “to make it as easy as possible for everyone in the Chicago area to stay informed on behalf of our democracy.”
■ Message Box columnist Dan Pfeiffer: “How to Watch Tonight’s Results and Stay Somewhat Sane.”
■ Poynter: How to dodge misinformation.
■ If you watch Fox News, media writer Tom Jones recommends you recall that Dominion Voting Systems collected a $787.5 million check because of phony claims there four years ago about voting machines flipping votes.
Choose your adventure. Cartoonist Tom Tomorrow offers a variety of cartoons from which to select, depending on how things go.
■ The Post previews what to expect when from seven pivotal states.
■ And don’t forget the fight for control of Congress.
While you’re waiting … With long lines likely for voters near and far, Axios offers five ways to deal with election stress.
■ Michael Moore has assembled a swing-state-themed playlist that’ll get you through an hour or so.
■ American Crisis columnist Margaret Sullivan recommends a new—free online—documentary about the surprising roots of the Electoral College.
■ Amazon’s launched its Black Friday deals early.
■ The broadcast network late-night shows are off tonight to accommodate news coverage, but The Daily Show goes live with Jon Stewart for an hour at 10 p.m. Central.
■ Monday night’s monologues brought the hosts’ final takes on the campaign—including this from Seth Meyers: “How is it possible that half the country thinks Trump is an amoral psychopath who will wreck democracy and the other half thinks he’s an amoral psychopath who will wreck democracy—but it’s worth it because he’s a really good dancer.”
■ The Hollywood Reporter: Amid high anxiety and last-minute voter drives, showbiz Election Night watch parties are on ice.
… But don’t play Wordle? The striking New York Times Tech Guild is asking people to boycott the Times’ online games …
■ … and don’t be surprised if the Times’ celebrated Needle, reflecting the changing tides of presidential election returns through the evening, goes agley.
Cop killed. A three-year veteran Chicago police officer was shot and killed—as was another man—during a traffic stop last night on the South Side …
■ … and another officer was struck by a car driven by the alleged shooter as he tried to get away.
■ A Sun-Times editorial: “Chicago can’t afford to shortchange policing reform with big budget cuts.”
Park carefully. Chicago’s launched a monthlong test of a plan to issue automated tickets to those who block bus and bike lanes downtown.
■ The CTA says its train service is back to pre-pandemic levels, but Block Club reports plenty of skepticism.
■ A former Ohio State University professor newly transplanted here: Chicago’s e-scooters are dangerous.
Thanks. As we enter the next phase of this nation’s history, Chicago Public Square will be here—because readers like you keep supporting its production …
■ Mike Braden and Todd Bannor made this edition better.