The journey to election day

Hello! It’s Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY. The elections are just around the corner and I’m here with a special edition to break down all the major stories leading up to November 5.

From ‘hope’ to election security: USA TODAY’s journey on the campaign trail

Election day is almost here. But in the months and days leading up to the final ballots being cast and the results being counted, USA TODAY reporters fanned out across the country – road tripping to important provinces such as Erie in Pennsylvania and shadow of election workers in Georgia and North Carolina.

We visited 6 communities that bear the name Hopefrom Hope, Maine on the east coast to Hope, Alaska, to see if voters felt any sense of optimization amid an intensely polarized election cycle. And now that the Red states have become redder and the Blue states have become bluer, we analyzed why what is happening and what voters on the ground in those key states are feeling.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump do statistically bound in the national polls for the presidential election – and are in a dead heat in almost every swing state. But USA TODAY went beyond the numbers and focused on Americans’ priorities as the election intensifies.

Here’s what we found.

7 Counties in 7 Days: A cross-country road trip to battleground states

The road to the White House passes through seven important swing states: Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona.

The USA TODAY Network team operates within those states traveled to seven provinces whose voters will play a crucial role in determining whether Trump or Harris wins their state — and ultimately the presidency.

In Washoe County, NevadaVoters from across the political spectrum outlined what brings them to the polls — from the economy, to crime, to border security, to health care and preserving America’s democratic institutions. Erie County, PAthe ultimate bellwether, saw renewed excitement after Harris catapulted to the top of the Democratic ticket.

Hope in America: Yes, hope is still alive in this country

Heap. The town in Maine. Or the one in Alaska. Bill Clinton certainly raised Arkansas’ hopes. Maybe, it is hope, the feeling.

USA TODAY sent reporters to six of 19 U.S. cities named Hope. Residents of Hope, Alaska, a city 15 miles from Anchorage, try to avoid national politics. In Hope, New Mexico, With 105 inhabitants, resilience keeps the city alive.

But there’s something else reporters discovered in their search for hope: a feeling of alarm.

The dangerous task of counting: What it feels like for frontline workers in the swing state

Counting votes was once a monotonous job. Now, it has become dangerous.

After losing the 2020 election, Trump spread false rumors that there was fraud in the election. That message was amplified by conspiracy theorists who claimed that using machines to count ballots allows the results to be manipulated. Election workers are intimidated and threatened.

In Atlanta, Georgia, it is one woman’s job to help voters who may have problems or questions about voting. One election coordinator in a suburb of Detroit no longer talks about his work.

And here’s how officials are preparing for protests and possible violence before election day.