NEWS AND OPINION:
So the countdown continues on the presidential election, now just days away and looming large on the calendar. As is his habit, former President Donald Trump is on the road and eager to reach out to voters. He begins his journey at a voter rally in Traverse City, Michigan, on Friday, followed by rallies in Novi, Michigan and State College, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
On Sunday, Mr. Trump returns to New York for what could be the most spirited gathering of all in Madison Square Garden. House Speaker Mike Johnson will also make an appearance.
Mr. Trump himself says the event will be “the biggest of all” the campaign rallies he has hosted in past months. But there’s more. On Tuesday, the candidate heads to Allentown, Pennsylvania — for another rally — then it’s on to Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Wednesday. He also had a word or two on the future of Trump-led activities.
“This is the single greatest political movement in the history of our country. There’s never been anything like it,” Mr. Trump told an enthusiastic audience at a rally in North Carolina earlier this week.
Vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance is also on the road. He’ll spend Friday in Raeford, North Carolina, then it’s on to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday and Racine, Wisconsin, on Monday.
BUSY, BUSY DEMOCRATS
Democrats are not holding back when it comes to voters.
The Democratic National Committee has launched a six-figure “I Will Vote” paid media campaign engaging communities that are home to Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders — or AANHPI voters for short. It is a sizable voting bloc.
“Asian Americans have been the fastest-growing group of eligible voters in the United States over roughly the past two decades and since 2020. Their number has grown by 15%, or about 2 million eligible voters, in the past four years,” the Pew Research Center said in an analysis of Asian voters released in January.
“The campaign will run in 24 constituency outlets nationally and in key markets in Florida, New York, and Texas to reach AANHPI voters through trusted sources and in multiple languages to encourage Democratic turnout. Asian American voters have the power to be the margin of victory in critical down-ballot races and help secure a majority for Democrats in the House and Senate,” the committee said in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
The outreach will target key communities through “trusted constituency-owned media” and be available in languages including Korean, Tagalog, Filipino, traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese. In addition, radio ads will encourage voting in Vietnamese, English, Korean and Chinese.
In addition, the committee’s Translation Assistance Program, which helps state parties translate voter registration and voter education materials into 28 languages, including Bengali, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Hindi, Hmong, Korean, Tagalog, Telugu, Vietnamese and Yup’ik.
“AANHPI voters have the power to be the margin of victory in crucial down-ballot races that could decide the direction of the future of our country. The DNC is reaching AANHPI voters through sources they trust and in languages they speak to ensure that every voter has the resources they need to cast their ballot in the most important election of our lifetimes,” the committee said.
NIGHTSTAND READING
The House Committee on Homeland Security has released a “Startling Stats” fact sheet outlining U.S. Customs and Border Protection border encounter numbers for the final month of fiscal 2024. It covers both the southern and northern borders.
“These open-borders policies have devastated our safety, security, and sovereignty. It’s time to return to policies that secured our border and our nation,” said Rep. Mark E. Green, committee chairman, in a written statement.
“You wouldn’t know it from the way President Biden, his ‘border czar,’ Vice President [Kamala] Harris, and their defenders in the media are talking about these numbers, but this was the second-worst year in terms of inadmissible alien encounters ever — only surpassed by the all-time record Biden and Harris set just last fiscal year. In terms of official encounters, this year was a disaster,” the Tennessee Republican said.
“Every day, Americans are experiencing the consequences of the unchecked flow of inadmissible aliens into their communities. There are countless examples of those aliens going on to commit crimes against innocent Americans, and many of them create financial burdens for state and local governments who are already struggling to provide resources to their citizens. We simply cannot go on like this as a country,” Mr. Green said.
Find the committee and its research at https://homeland.house.gov.
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POLL DU JOUR
• 84% of U.S. adults favor requiring all voters to provide photo identification at their voting place.
• 83% favor requiring people who are registering to vote for the first time to provide proof of citizenship.
• 76% favor early voting, which enables voters to cast their ballot before Election Day.
• 60% favor enacting automatic voter registration through the motor vehicle department or other state agency.
• 60% favor sending absentee ballot applications to all eligible voters before an election.
• 40% favor limiting the number of drop boxes or locations for returning absentee ballots.
• 35% favor removing people from voter registration lists if they don’t vote in any elections over a five-year period.
Source: A Gallup Poll of 1,023 U.S. adults conducted by telephone Oct. 1-12.
• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.