The people on edge for Election Day | Morning Newsletter
And what to know before you vote tomorrow
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning. And how are you on this chilly Monday morning?
If you run a local election in Pennsylvania, you might be feeling more than a bit anxious the day before polls open. That’s because these public servants used to toiling in obscurity are still targets of anger and attacks after a year of lies about a stolen election.
In Philly and across the state, we look at the toll it’s taken on elections officials.
Interested in your thoughts. Send a reply my way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com.
— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
City Commissioner Lisa Deeley, Philadelphia’s top elections official, wonders why she should be in the position of needing a police escort.
“I’m not the mayor. I shouldn’t need police protection,” she says. “My deputy shouldn’t be on a first-name basis with the Homeland Security people or the dignitary protection people. This is not the way this is supposed to be.”
The threats and harassment of last year have lessened, but they haven’t gone away. And when the small technical or human errors that have long been a benign feature of American elections pop up, they brace themselves for the errors to be weaponized, spun, or just amplified in a way that erodes voter trust.
Our reporter Jonathan Lai has this look at how once low-key elections in Pennsylvania have become anything but.
If you’re like me leading up to Tuesday, you probably need this. In addition to a rundown of all the major races and candidates for seats across the Philly region, our reporter Julia Terruso has the essential info you need to know to vote:
When and how to return your mail ballot.
What to do before dropping off your mail ballot.
What to know about naked ballots.
And how to check the status of your ballot.
On your way to the polls, this is definitely worth a bookmark.
What you should know today
After serving on the jury that convicted comedian Bill Cosby, Cheryl Carmel hopes to play a role in the state’s defining what constitutes consent.
With the mask debate continuing to fuel strife in schools, members of area school boards are receiving rape and death threats.
The Eagles dumped the Lions, 44-6, yesterday. How are we feeling about it today? Want more Eagles? Sign up for the all-new Sports Daily.
Public investment officers in many states have to disclose their personal investments. One of the states where it’s not mandated? Pennsylvania.
Want to know what’s way better than that stale Snickers bar you took from your kid’s bucket? This look at Halloween from our photojournalists.
And here’s your daily look at coronavirus numbers from around the region.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
There are few mornings like a Center City morning. The proof is in this shot from @kslouf. Show us Philly from your perspective using the hashtag, #OurPhilly.
That’s interesting
🏀 There are conversations happening behind the scenes between Sixers coach Doc Rivers and Ben Simmons’ agent, Rich Paul. Maybe that’s why Simmons keeps showing up to shoot around.
🎓 Jillian Mele, the former NBC10 turned Fox and Friends anchor and Glenside native, is pressing pause on her journalism career to pursue an MBA at La Salle University.
Opinions
“Absent a strong press, local news deserts are being filled by harmful disinformation, partisan hyperbole, and unverified, often bogus, social media posts. Without accurate, independent news and information, families cannot make informed decisions about their health or education, communities cannot hold government accountable, and democracy itself comes under dire threat,” writes Jim Friedlich of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, the nonprofit owner of The Inquirer, regarding the proposed Local Journalism Sustainability Act, designed to provide tax subsidies to newsrooms across the country.
As your kids (and you) go through all that candy that was trick-or-treated, meet the Delaware researcher who says you don’t have to worry about it being tainted.
What we’re...
Gushing over: The undeniable love shared between these two should give us all hope.
Eyeing: Will incumbent New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy become the Garden State’s first Democratic governor to be reelected in more than four decades?
Reading: South Philly was cool long before Bok became a creative mecca, but the old trade school sure is putting the neighborhood on the map.
Photo of the day
Have a great day, Philly. Until tomorrow.