Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday

Oct 24, 2020 - Politics & Policy

No spinning needle on Election Night

Mike Allen, author of AM

How the world looked on NYTimes.com at 9:20 p.m. Nov. 8, 2016

The memory most likely to conjure Election Night 2016 nightmares for Democrats is The Needle, AP's David Bauder writes.

The Needle, a half-clock graphic by the N.Y. Times' Upshot, displayed in real-time the candidates' probability of victory as votes were counted.

Its gyrations triggered anxiety for Hillary Clinton supporters, who frantically refreshed the page, and elation for Trump fans.

The Needle won't be back Nov. 3 — one change in the world of election probability gurus following the 2016 shock.

The Times said in announcing its Election Day plans: "Given the changes in the ways voters cast their ballots this year, we anticipate that it may not be possible to declare a winner in a number of key states on election night."

Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight used a number on Election Night four years ago (final forecast: 71% Clinton), but won't this year.

Silver said the change had more to do with uncertainties created by the high volume of early voting this year than any failures in 2016: "I just think people need to be exceptionally careful."

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Stef W. Kight, Naema Ahmed

Aug 13, 2020 - Politics & Policy

When and how to vote in all 50 states

Expand chart

Data: RepresentUS; Note: Montana has told counties they can opt into universal vote-by-mail; Map: Naema Ahmed/Axios

Millions of Americans who normally vote in person on election day will turn to early voting or mail-in ballots this fall — but that only works if you understand your state's election rules, deadlines and how to ensure your vote is counted.

Driving the news: Axios is launching an interactive resource, built on research by RepresentUs, a nonpartisan election reform group, to help voters across the country to get the information they need.

Find your state (1 min. read)

Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei

Sep 5, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Special report on virus-era voting: Prepare for unprecedented threats

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

With rare, if not unprecedented, agreement, President Trump, Joe Biden, intelligence officials and Big Tech CEOs are all warning of threats to accurate and trusted vote counts before, on and after election day.

American elections face a triple threat in 2020:

Foreign governments — especially Russia, China and Iran — are actively spreading misinformation via social platforms.

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Oriana Gonzalez

12 mins ago - World

Myanmar military fires UN ambassador after anti-coup speech

Photo: Peerapon Boonyakiat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Myanmar's military regime on Saturday fired the country's Ambassador to the United Nations, Kyaw Moe Tun, a day after he gave a pro-democracy speech asking UN member nations to publicly condemn the Feb. 1 coup, The New York Times reports.

Details: State television said the ambassador had "betrayed the country and spoken for an unofficial organization which doesn’t represent the country and had abused the power and responsibilities of an ambassador."

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