November 5, 2018 - Alabama Today

Despite bad weather, delays John Merrill says Alabama polls will open as scheduled

While many schools around the state are delaying opening due to severe inclement weather in the forecast Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has taken to social media to announce that the delays will not impact the polls, even if they are at the schools with delays. All polling sites in each one of Alabama’s 67 counties are scheduled to be open in the morning at 7 AM and will remain open until 7 PM tomorrow night as scheduled. There are some polling sites that are currently located in school facilities in certain counties. Some of these counties have a delayed opening for schools tomorrow. The delayed opening of certain schools will not affect the polling site in that location. All polls will open at 7 AM in all jurisdictions tomorrow morning on election day! Across the state, polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Here’s what you need to know before you head to the polls. For additional voting and election information, visit: alabamavotes.gov. Current list of delays: Albertville City Schools: 2-hour delay Athens Bible Schools: 2-hour delay Athens City Schools: 2-hour delay Athens State University: 2-hour delay Arab City Schools: 2-hour delay Big Cove Christian Academy: 2-hour delay Boaz City Schools: 2-hour delay Calhoun Community College: Will open at 9:30 a.m. Country Day School: 2-hour delay Cullman County Schools: 2-hour delay Cullman City Schools: 2-hour delay DeKalb County Schools: 2-hour delay Drake State: Will open at 9:30 Etowah City Schools: 2-hour delay Grace Lutheran School: 2-hour delay Guntersville City Schools: Closed (originally scheduled to be a half day) Huntsville City Schools: 2-hour delay Jackson County Schools: 2-hour delay Lawrence County Schools: 2-hour delay Limestone County Schools: 2-hour delay Lincoln Academy – 2-hour delay Madison Academy: 2-hour delay Madison City Schools: 2-hour delay Madison County Schools: 2-hour delay Marshall County Schools: 3-hour delay Morgan County Schools: 2-hour delay Northeast Alabama Community College: Will open at 9:30 a.m. Randolph School: Begin at 9:20 a.m. St. John Paul II: 2-hour delay (Classes to begin at 9:50 a.m.) Wallace State Community College: classes will begin at 9:30 a.m. Westminster Christian: 2-hour delay

Understanding Cullman County local amendment 1: sheriffs pocketing prison money

When Alabamians get to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6, voters in some counties will see local amendments on the ballot. Here’s a look at what residents of Cullman County need to know about a local amendment they’ll see on the ballot: On the ballot: PROPOSED LOCAL AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE (1) Relating to Cullman County, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to provide that effective beginning the next term of office of the sheriff, all allowances or amounts received by the sheriff for feeding prisoners would be deposited in a special account and used for feeding prisoners in the county jail and any excess in the fund would be authorized to be used for law enforcement purposes by the sheriff and to provide that, at that time, the annual salary of the Sheriff of Cullman County would be equal to the annual salary of the Judge of Probate of Cullman County. (Proposed by Act 2018-409) Vote: Yes/No What it means: If passed, the amendment would put an end to local sheriffs being allowed to keep any money they have left over after providing food for the jail inmates in their custody. Sample ballot Click out the Cullman County sample ballot: Front side | Back side Don’t live in Cullman County? Find your county’s sample ballot here.

Understanding Elmore County special referendum: repealing the Limited Self-Governance Act

When Alabamians get to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6, voters in some counties will see local amendments and special referendums on the ballot. Here’s a look at what some residents of Elmore County will need to know about a special referendum they’ll see on the ballot: On the ballot: SPECIAL REFERENDUM ELECTION “Shall the powers previously authorized to the Elmore County Commission under Chapter 11-3A-1 et seq., of the Code of Alabama, 1975, also known as “The Alabama Limited Self-Governance Act,” be repealed in Elmore County? The powers authorized the County Commission to provide for its property and affairs; and for the public welfare, health and safety of its citizens throughout unincorporated areas of the county by excercising certain powers for protection of the county and public property under its control, except as otherwise prohibited and/or defined by law. The authorized powers include: (1) Abatement of weeds as a public nuisance; (2) Control of animals and animal nuisances; (3) Control of litter or rubbish; (4) Control of junkyards which create a public nuisance because of an accumulation of items; and (5) Abatement of noise, unsanitary sewage, or pollution Vote: Yes/No What it means: If passed, the referendum would repeal the “Limited Self Governance Act” in Elmore County. Passed in 2014, the act gave additional power to the commission to enact or strengthen laws dealing with issues such as weed and animal control, litter and junkyards in unincorporated areas of the county. County leaders say the law was written too broadly to be effective and that many locals did not understand it when they first approved it. Sample ballot Click out the Elmore County sample ballot: Front side | Back side Don’t live in Elmore County? Find your county’s sample ballot here.

Understanding Etowah County special referendum: Sunday alcohol sales

Election day: here’s what to know before you head to the polls

Big decisions will be made Tuesday as Alabamians statewide head to the polls to cast their ballots in the general election. Voters will have from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. to choose between candidates is races across the state. Here’s what you need to know before you head to the polls: Valid ID A voter can use any of the following forms of photo ID at the polls: Valid driver’s license Valid non-driver ID Valid Alabama photo voter ID Valid state issued ID (Alabama or any other state) Valid federal issued ID Valid US passport Valid employee ID from federal government, State of Alabama, county government, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state Valid student or employee ID from a college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools) Valid military ID Valid tribal ID If you do not have a valid photo ID you may vote only if you are identified by two election officials in the polling place as a voter on the poll list who is eligible to vote and the election officials execute an affidavit stating this. If you do not have a valid photo ID and the election officials are not able to identify you, you must cast a provisional ballot. Polling place Not sure where you vote? You can find your polling place online here by simply entering in the address from which you registered to vote. Sample ballots Your ballot is based on your county and its associated political districts such as School Board, State Legislative Districts, and U.S. Congressional District. You may view the sample ballot for your county here. Candidate profiles. Throughout the election cycle Alabama Today invited all candidates running for office in Alabama this year to complete a questionnaire we believe offers an interesting, albeit, thumbnail sketch of who they are and why they are running. Here are the responses we’ve gotten thus far (includes some primary candidate responses as well). Straight party voting Straight party voting means you simply fill in one bubble next to you party of choice and then you vote is cast every candidate of that particular party, without having to physically mark every candidate. Secretary of State John Merrill issued a statement Wednesday to let voters know that if want to generally vote straight party, but perhaps there’s one race where they’d like to support someone outside of their party, there’s still an easy way to do that. “If a voter wishes to vote for any candidate outside the party that they have chosen, they may do so by marking the space next to the candidate’s name,” Merrill explained in a statement. “Regardless of whether the voter cast a straight party vote or not, filling in the bubble next to a candidate’s name will be counted as the voter’s choice in that contest.” Write-in votes When the candidate you would like to vote for is not listed on the ballot, you may vote for that person by writing his or her name in the blank “write-in” box on the ballot. Each contest on the ballot has a “write-in” box. You must also shade in the circle next to that “write-in” box to ensure your vote is tabulated properly. In the event that the voter selects the “straight-party” option they may still “write-in” a candidate for any race they choose in the blank area designated for “write-ins.” Each vote for a “write-in” candidate will override the “straight-party” vote only for the race with the “write-in” area filled in. Designated “inactive” If you were designated “inactive” you can still cast a ballot on Tuesday, but must first fill out a form at your polling place to update their address. Most of those voters were declared inactive during voter roll maintenance when the state was unable to reach the person with mailed postcards. Alabama voters are listed as inactive after a mailed registration card was returned as undeliverable and they didn’t respond to a second forwarded postcard. People can check their voting information at the secretary of state’s website. Voter fraud If you experience any issues at the polling place contact the Statewide Elections & Voter Fraud Hotline: 1-800-274-VOTE (8683).

Path to power: House races to watch on election night

The path to power in the House winds through a few dozen districts, many of them suburban, in Tuesday’s election. Republicans defending their majority and Democrats looking to gain 23 seats they would need to win control. After the first polls close in the Eastern United States, the tallies will start revealing clues to where Americans stand in 2018 on immigration, guns, health care, gender equality in the #MeToo era — and who they want representing them in Washington during the next two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. Some races to watch for those keeping score, listed in order of poll-closing times: ___ KENTUCKY The ruby-red state known for the Derby and sweet bourbon is hosting one of the most competitive and expensive races in the country. The Lexington-area battle pits third-term Republican Rep. Andy Barr against Democrat Amy McGrath, a retired Marine fighter pilot. Trump won the 6th District by more than 15 percentage points in 2016. But with the help of carefully shaped campaign ads that went viral, McGrath holds the edge on campaign fundraising. Polls in the district close at 6 p.m. EST __ GEORGIA Red-hot Georgia is home to a House race that turns on issues of race and gun laws. Republican Rep. Karen Handel narrowly won her seat in a special election last year that set a record for spending. Now her Democratic challenger is Lucy McBath, a former flight attendant turned gun control activist. McBath’s 17-year-old son, Jordan Davis, was killed by a white man at a gas station in 2012 when the black teenager refused to lower the volume on the rap music in his car. The district north of Atlanta leans Republican, but Trump won it by only 1 percentage point. Polls close at 7 p.m. EST. ___ VIRGINIA Rep. Dave Brat won his seat after upsetting House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the 2014 Republican primary. Now, it’s Brat’s turn to fight for re-election to the Richmond-area district against Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who is one of a record number of women running for Congress this year. Polls close at 7 p.m. EST ___ NORTH CAROLINA North Carolina’s 9th District became a key election bellwether when the Rev. Mark Harris narrowly ousted three-term Rep. Robert Pittenger in the GOP primary, giving Democrats a wider opening in solidly red territory. Democrats answered with Dan McCready, an Iraq War veteran, solar energy company founder and Harvard Business School graduate. Trump won the district by 12 points and a Democrat hasn’t been elected to represent it since John F. Kennedy was president. Polls close at 7:30 p.m. EST ___ OHIO It’s a rematch in central Ohio’s 12th District between Republican Troy Balderson and Democrat Danny O’Connor. Balderson won short-term control of the seat in August during a special election after Republican Pat Tiberi retired. Republicans in the district appear divided over the president, making the seat vulnerable to a Democrat who, like O’Connor, has supported some Republican ideas. He’s engaged to a Republican who calls herself a “Dannycrat.” Polls close at 7:30 p.m. EST ___ FLORIDA National Republicans and Democrats are pouring major resources into the Miami-area 27th District seat, held since 1989 by retiring Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. The Democratic nominee, former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, has ramped up her Spanish-language advertising and Hillary Clinton campaigned for her. But she’s facing a stiff challenge from her Republican opponent, Maria Elvira Salazar, a Cuban-American and former broadcast journalist who, unlike Shalala, speaks Spanish. Though Trump won Florida in 2016, Clinton won this congressional district by nearly 20 points. Polls close at 8 p.m. EST ___ NEW JERSEY Along with California and Pennsylvania, suburb-filled New Jersey is a key battleground for House control. Two seats are open, vacated by veteran Republican Reps. Frank LoBiondo and Rodney Frelinghuysen, and could fall to the Democrats. Keep a close eye on the 3rd District south of Trenton, which twice voted for President Barack Obama but went for Trump by about 6 percentage points. Fighting for re-election is Republican Rep. Tom MacArthur, who helped strike a deal that pushed the GOP’s “Obamacare” repeal bill to House passage (it failed in the Senate). His Democratic opponent is political newcomer Andy Kim, a National Security Council staffer under Obama who has worked in Afghanistan. Polls close 8 p.m. EST ___ PENNSYLVANIA Democrats have particular reason to believe they can flip as many as six seats in the Keystone state. A state Supreme Court decision in January threw out 6-year-old congressional district boundaries as unconstitutionally drawn to benefit Republicans. The replacement districts approved by the court’s Democratic majority have created more competitive contests. One key race is playing out in the Philadelphia suburbs. Freshman Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent, has a centrist voting record and has explicitly tried to put distance between himself and Trump. He’s facing Scott Wallace, a longtime Democratic Party donor who was co-chairman of the Wallace Global Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that supports liberal social movements. He’s heavily funding his campaign and outspent Fitzpatrick nearly 5-to-1 in the July-September quarter. Polls close at 8 p.m. EST. ___ KANSAS Trump and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi loom large over a race in Northeastern Kansas. That’s where Democrat Paul Davis, the former state House minority leader, and Republican Steve Watkins, an Army veteran and engineer, are battling for the seat vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Lynn Jenkins. Davis has said he would not support Pelosi for speaker if Democrats win the House. And Republicans were hoping that Trump’s visit to Topeka last month would boost Republican Steve Watkins, who has faced questions over claims he made about his qualifications and background. Polls close 9 p.m. EST ___ MINNESOTA Four House seats could flip from one party to the other in this traditionally Democratic stronghold. For evidence of Democratic gains, look to the state’s booming suburbs. Clinton won Minnesota’s 3rd District west of Minneapolis by 9 percentage points. GOP Rep.

Here’s where the candidates will be on election night

Tuesday is Election Day in Alabama where candidates will face off at ballot boxes across the state. If you’re hoping to hang out and catch a glimpse of them, here is where you will find the candidates Tuesday night: Governor’s race Walt Maddox What: Election Watch Party When: TBA Where: River Market in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Lt. Governor’s race Will Ainsworth What: Election Watch Party When: TBA Where: Wintzells Oyster House: 14455 US-431 Guntersville, Ala. 35976 Attorney General’s race Joseph Siegelman What: Joe Siegelman Election Night Party When: November 6th from 7-10:30 p.m. Where: John Hand Club, 17 20th St. N, Ste 2000, Birmingham, Ala. 35203 State Auditor’s race Jim Zeigler What: Election Night Watch Party When: 7:00 p.m. Where: 3964 Airport Blvd. Mobile, Ala. 36608 Public Service Commission Place 1 Cara McClure What: Election Night Watch Party When: 7:00 p.m. Where: Rogue Tavern: 2312 2nd Ave N, Birmingham, Ala. 35203 Jeremy Oden What: When: TBA Where: Wagon Wheel Restaurant in Eva, Ala. 1st District to the U.S. House of Representatives Bradley Byrne What: Baldwin County GOP Victory Party When: Tuesday, November 6th starting at 6:30 p.m. Where: Timber Creek Golf Club; 9650 Timbercreek Blvd; Daphne, Ala. 3rd District to the U.S. House of Representatives Mallory Hagan What: Election Night Watch Party When: 6:30 p.m. CST Where: The Pavilion at Moore’s Mill Country Club: 1957 Fairway Drive Auburn, Ala. 36830 4th District to the U.S. House of Representatives Lee Auman What: Victory Party When: 7:00 p.m. Where: Bakers on Main: 336 Gunter Ave. Gunterville, Ala. 6th District to the U.S. House of Representatives Gary Palmer What: Election Night Watch Party When: 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. Where: Rosewood Hall: 2850 19th Street South Homewood, Ala. 35209 Alabama Today will continue to update this article as more Election night details are released by the candidates. Candidates who wish to be included should email their election night information to info@altoday.com

BJCC shares details of $123M Legacy Arena expansion and renovation

A new stadium may be the shiny element of the $300 million expansion and renovation of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, but the substantive changes coming to Legacy Arena will position the campus for the next several decades. Before it was viewed as the “beige bunker” many see it as today, the BJCC’s arena was a state-of-the-art venue rivaled by few in the U.S. when it was built in 1976. Some of music’s biggest names played the main arena, from Elvis to Garth Brooks, Bob Dylan to Luciano Pavarotti, Led Zeppelin to Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Grateful Dead to Taylor Swift, JAY Z to ZZ Top and Prince to Celine Dion. It has hosted major sporting events, from basketball to hockey to tennis and attractions from tractor pulls to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The $123 million renovation and expansion of the arena will include enhancements to improve the fan experience, circulation to and within the space and modernization aimed at the kind of amenities and interactions today’s fans and customers expect. Customers aren’t just those who buy tickets to events, but the performers who have come to expect a certain level of comfort. “The experience the customer has in your building is very important,” said Tad Snider, executive director and CEO of the BJCC. “They’re going to tell others about the kind of experience they had there.” Much has changed in 42 years and while the arena has been renovated and improved in that time, there has been nothing as transformative as the work that is planned. The changes will be apparent before ever setting foot inside Legacy Arena. An added glass wall with floor space will allow for natural light within an expanded area perfect for exhibitions, showcases and other programming. The primary entrance into the arena will be reoriented to Ninth Avenue and 19th Street North. Landscaping and contrasting paint colors will make for a more aesthetically pleasing building. Inside the arena, club-level boxes and VIP suites will be one noticeable difference. Modern seating will be installed, enhancements that build on the use of smartphones and technology will be added. Improved concessions are in the plan as well as an option that could allow for delivery to individual seats. Other changes are planned for behind the scenes areas that will allow for the larger tour buses, increased number of tractor-trailers and other logistics support that comes with modern concert and entertainment productions. The courtyard that connects the arena to the concert hall and exhibition halls will also get an overhaul and all of the BJCC enhancements will complement the $174 million, 55,000-seat stadium being built nearby. Snider said plans are to have the stadium completed in time for the 2021 World Games opening ceremony and the new Legacy Arena ready in the winter of 2022. The BJCC expansion and renovations will be in conjunction with improvements to the interstate system through downtown Birmingham, specifically the enhancements to Interstate 59/20 and the CityWalk BHAM park under the elevated roadway. Along with the success of venues like the Uptown entertainment district and Topgolf, the BJCC and surrounding area will be ready for the next half -century. The NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans have already announced the arena will be home to its G League team and the stadium will be home to UAB football and the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football. Snider said the future is bright, but the new arena will include displays that give a nod to the venue’s past. “New buildings are nice, but you can’t recreate the history,” he said. Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin endorses local candidates

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has been busy the past few days making endorsements in local races ahead of Tuesday’s election. Woodfin first took to social media on Saturday where he endorsed Danny Carr for Jefferson County District Attorney. On Sunday he endorsed Felicia Stewart for State House District 46 as well as Mark Pettway for Jefferson County Sheriff. He continued his endorsements Monday morning adding Alli Summerford for State House District 48 to his endorsements list. All of the candidates Woodfin has endorsed are Democrats. Woodfin’s local endorsements thus far: Alli Summerford “Alli’s vision for Alabama is one that so many of us share: well-paying jobs, a 21st century education system, affordable healthcare, and an economy and state government that works for all of us, not just some of us. I am proud to endorse Alli for Alabama!,” Woodfin posted on Facebook. Mark Pettway “Mark Pettway’s focus on community policing and criminal justice reform will help to bring fresh ideas, transparency, and accountability to the Jefferson County Sheriff Office. I am proud to support Mark Pettway For Sheriff!” said Woodfin on Facebook Felicia Stewart “Felicia Stewart is a true public servant who expects more for our state and will work to solve real problems in public education, healthcare, clean water and other critical issues facing every day Alabamians. VOTE Felicia Stewart this Tuesday! #ExpectMore,” Woodfin posted on Facebook. Danny Carr Woodfin posted on Facebook, “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Danny Carr for many years. You will be hard pressed to find a man that works as hard and cares about the people of our community as much as Danny Carr. His unwavering commitment to the people of Jefferson County over his 17 years of service has been highlighted through his work in the courtroom and his civic participation throughout our community. I am proud to endorse Danny Carr for Jefferson County DA.”

Pepper Bryars: Officials claiming voter suppression in Alabama are crying wolf

We need words to mean things. The phrase “fake news” has been so widely applied that it’s now essentially meaningless, other than identifying those who would rather dismiss than deal with an argument or evidence challenging their conclusions. The extremely important phrase “voter suppression” is now also tittering on the edge of meaninglessness, thanks in part to the ill-considered efforts of some in the Huntsville area. They’re exaggerating the impact of the routine process that Alabama uses to mail voter I.D. cards and manage its voter lists. Here’s the process. Step one: Register to vote. Step two: Election officials mail you a voter I.D. card, and ask you to verify the information. Step three: Follow the instructions on the card if anything needs to be changed. Easy-peasy. Or not, according to a group that includes Madison County Probate Judge Tommy Ragland, the county’s top voting official. “It’s voter suppression, and it gives our county a black eye,” he told AL.com last week. Suppression? To quote Inigo Montoya, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Here’s what’s being alleged: A number of students at Alabama A&M and Oakwood University, both in Madison County, used their campus addresses when registering to vote recently. But when the cards were mailed to those addresses, some of the students reportedly didn’t receive them. The post office sent the undeliverable cards back to county election officials, who, quite reasonably, assumed the lack of acceptance meant an individual had moved. When this happens, people are placed on the “inactive” voter list which means they can still vote but must first update their information. Why do this? If the state doesn’t periodically verify its rolls and move unresponsive voters to an inactive list, then the main list would eventually include any registered voter who ever lived in Alabama – alive, dead, or those who moved away. The rolls would become utterly unmanageable. Why didn’t some students receive the card? Maybe because Alabama A&M doesn’t have individual mailboxes for students, just one big general delivery pile. University staff said they emailed students asking them to pick up their cards, but hundreds still haven’t. Not to worry, though. When they show up to vote and learn that they’re on the inactive list, all they have to do is complete a simple form and are then immediately given a ballot, according to Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill. “It’s a simple one-page voter update form,” Merrill said. “It takes less than three-minutes to complete.” Still, Madison County Commissioner Roger Jones thinks that’s “suppressing their right to vote.” “They have just registered to vote and this is the first time they will be able to vote and then have to go through an ordeal when they go vote Tuesday,” Jones told AL.com. Ordeal? Seriously? It’s a one-page form, commissioner, and while waiting in a line is inconvenient, it’s hardly voter suppression. This is hyperbole and nasty politics at their worst because we’re supposed to assume that this is racist since Alabama A&M and Oakwood have predominantly African-American student bodies. Folks, this hurts us all. We need voter suppression to describe exactly what a reasonable person would assume it means: people being denied their right to vote. Voter suppression is a gravely serious charge that should warrant investigation when alleged, and if proven, it must carry swift and stern punishment. But the way the phrase is being thrown around is remarkably reckless, weakens the strength of the allegation, and reduces the credibility of those making the charge. Those crying voter suppression right now should remember why we teach our children Aesop’s fable of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Because when the wolf really does come around, will any of us heed their cries? ••• Pepper Bryars is the author of American Warfighter. He is a senior fellow at the Alabama Policy Institute. Follow him on Twitter at @jpepperbryars.

‘Everything’s at stake’ on eve of first Donald Trump-era elections

The day of reckoning for American politics has nearly arrived. Voters on Tuesday will decide the $5 billion debate between President Donald Trump‘s take-no-prisoner politics and the Democratic Party’s super-charged campaign to end the GOP’s monopoly in Washington and statehouses across the nation. There are indications that an oft-discussed “blue wave” may help Democrats seize control of at least one chamber of Congress. But two years after an election that proved polls and prognosticators wrong, nothing is certain on the eve of the first nationwide elections of the Trump presidency. “I don’t think there’s a Democrat in this country that doesn’t have a little angst left over from 2016 deep down,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List, which spent more than ever before — nearly $60 million in all — to support Democratic women this campaign season. “Everything matters and everything’s at stake,” Schriock said. All 435 seats in the U.S. House are up for re-election. And 35 Senate seats are in play, as are almost 40 governorships and the balance of power in virtually every state legislature. While he is not on the ballot, Trump himself has acknowledged that the 2018 midterms, above all, represent a referendum on his presidency. Should Democrats win control of the House, as strategists in both parties suggest is likely, they could derail Trump’s legislative agenda for the next two years. Perhaps more importantly, they would also win subpoena power to investigate the president’s many personal and professional missteps. Tuesday’s elections will also test the strength of a Trump-era political realignment defined by evolving divisions among voters by race, gender and especially education. Trump’s Republican coalition is increasingly becoming older, whiter, more male and less likely to have a college degree. Democrats are relying more upon women, people of color, young people and college graduates. The political realignment, if there is one, could re-shape U.S. politics for a generation. Just five years ago, the Republican National Committee reported that the GOP’s very survival depended upon attracting more minorities and women. Those voters have increasingly fled Trump’s Republican Party, turned off by his chaotic leadership style and xenophobic rhetoric. Blue-collar men, however, have embraced the unconventional president. One of the RNC report’s authors, Ari Fleischer, acknowledged that Republican leaders never envisioned expanding their ranks with white, working-class men. “What it means to be Republican is being rewritten as we speak,” Fleischer said. “Donald Trump has the pen, and his handwriting isn’t always very good.” A nationwide poll released Sunday by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal details the depth of the demographic shifts. Democrats led with likely African-American voters (84 percent to 8 percent), Latinos (57 percent to 29 percent), voters between the ages of 18-34 (57 percent to 34 percent), women (55 percent to 37 percent) and independents (35 percent to 23 percent). Among white college-educated women, Democrats enjoy a 28-point advantage: 61 percent to 33 percent. On the other side, Republicans led with voters between the ages of 50 and 64 (52 percent to 43 percent), men (50 percent to 43 percent) and whites (50 percent to 44 percent). And among white men without college degrees, Republicans led 65 percent to 30 percent. Democrats hope to elect a record number of women to Congress. They are also poised to make history with the number of LGBT candidates and Muslims up and down the ballot. Former President Barack Obama seized on the differences between the parties in a final-days scramble to motivate voters across the nation. “One election won’t eliminate racism, sexism or homophobia,” Obama said during an appearance in Florida. “It’s not going to happen in one election. But it’ll be a start.” Trump has delivered a very different closing argument, railing against Latin American immigrants seeking asylum at the U.S. border. With the walking caravan weeks away, Trump dispatched more than 5,000 troops to the region. The president also said soldiers would use lethal force against migrants who throw rocks, before later reversing himself. Still, his xenophobic rhetoric has been unprecedented for an American president in the modern era: “Barbed wire used properly can be a beautiful sight,” Trump told voters in Montana. The hyper-charged environment is expected to drive record turnout in some places, but on the eve of the election, it’s far from certain which side will show up in the greatest numbers. The outcome is clouded by the dramatically different landscape between the House and Senate. Democrats are most optimistic about the House, a sprawling battlefield extending from Alaska to Florida. Most top races, however, are set in America’s suburbs where more educated and affluent voters in both parties have soured on Trump’s turbulent presidency, despite the strength of the national economy. Democrats need to pick up two dozen seats to claim the House majority. Billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who personally invested $110 million to help Democrats this year, largely in the House, has seized on voter education levels in picking target races, according to senior aide Howard Wolfson. “In this cycle, it seemed as if there was a disproportionately negative reaction among highly educated voters to Trump,” he said. As a result, Bloomberg’s team poured money into otherwise overlooked suburban districts in states like Georgia, Washington state and Oklahoma because data revealed voters there were better-educated. Democrats face a far more difficult challenge in the Senate, where they are almost exclusively on defense in rural states where Trump remains popular. Democratic Senate incumbents are up for re-election, for example, in North Dakota, West Virginia, and Montana — states Trump carried by 30 percentage points on average two years ago. Democrats need to win two seats to claim the Senate majority, although most political operatives in both parties expect Republicans to add to their majority. While Trump is prepared to claim victory if his party retains Senate control, at least one prominent ally fears that losing even one chamber of Congress could be disastrous. “If they take back the House, he essentially will

Huntsville gives Remington more time to hit hiring goals

An Alabama city has double-down on its support for a firearms manufacturer that filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year. The Huntsville City Council on Thursday approved a three-year extension for Remington Outdoor Co. to meet the job quotas laid out in an incentive deal that it has fallen short of meeting. The deal was made when Remington moved to Huntsville back in 2014 — the company was to hire 2,000 local employees in 10 years, 680 of those by 2017, in exchange for $69 million. But Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle told local news outlets Remington has yet to meet it hiring commitment and has only hired roughly 450 workers thus far. “They’re 450 right now and it probably should’ve been about 600 at this point, so the ramp up is not as rapid,” Battle told WAFF-48. The City of Huntsville has given the rifle and handguns company until 2022 to meet its employment goal of 1,868.

Day: November 5, 2018