A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that Minnesota’s absentee ballots arriving after Election Day (but mailed before election day), could not be counted. Minnesota’s Secretary of State Steve Simon had extended the deadline by which absentee ballots could be received and still count, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. But the appeals court in a 2-1 ruling said his extension was unconstitutional and sided with Republican state legislators. This means that any absentee ballots being delivered by hand after 3 pm or by mail after 8 pm should be set aside when vote counting commences. “There is no pandemic exception to the Constitution,” wrote the judges that struck down Mr. Simon’s order. Both President Donald Trump and Democratic Nominee Joe Biden headed to Minnesota. While Trump holds an in-person gathering in Rochester, Biden has planned a car rally in St. Paul. The former Vice President leads the state by 8 points to Trump as the President has been busy recruiting former police officers to watch polls in a thinly veiled attempt at voter intimidation. 

Republicans have been adopting Democratic talking points ahead of the election claiming the opposite of reality. For example, President Trump on Friday claimed that if Biden won it would be because the Supreme Court helped him win, even though it’s the President who has been ensuring he has a conservative supermajority on the court to help him. And Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick said that if Democrats win his state on election day it will only be, “because they stole it.” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been working hard to suppress the vote in Texas insisting on having only one ballot drop-box per county in the vast state. Still Texans have been showing up in droves to vote and as of Friday the early voting totals have exceeded all votes cast in the state four years ago. Across the nation early voting has resulted in 80 million ballots being cast so far – an incredibly high number. 

One heartening trend is that young people are turning out to vote in high numbers as well. Four years ago turnout among voters under the age of 30 was low. That trend appears to be reversing this time. The high stakes election year is prompting Americans to purchase guns at an alarming rate. A record 17 million guns were purchased this year alone. Others are choosing a different approach including some unions discussing the idea of a general strike if Trump wins reelection. 

Trump held an outdoor and very crowded rally in Tampa, Florida on Thursday where several of his supporters were treated for heat exhaustion.