By Will Weissert and Paul J. Weber
Texans have already cast more ballots in the presidential election than they did during all of 2016, an unprecedented surge of early voting in a state that was once the country's most reliably Republican, but may now be drifting toward battleground status.
More than 9 million ballots have been cast as of Friday morning in the nation's second most-populous state, exceeding the 8,969,226 cast in 2016, according to an Associated Press tally of early votes from data provided by Texas officials.
Texas is the first state to hit the milestone. This year's numbers were aided by Democratic activists challenging in court for, and winning, the right to extend early voting by one week amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas also offers only limited vote-by-mail options when compared to the rest of the country, meaning casting in-person, early ballots is the primary way to vote for people who don't want to line up and do so on Election Day.
Voters in Texas do not register by party affiliation, meaning no one can be sure until the ballots are counted whether one party or the other will benefit from the surge in turnout.
A man accused of threatening President Joe Biden was shot and killed by the FBI as they sought to serve a warrant for him in Utah.
The shooting happened around 6:15 a.m. as special agents tried to serve a warrant on the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson in Provo, south of Salt Lake City.
President Joe Biden will make his case for bringing back factory jobs in the U.S. during a speech in New Mexico.
Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney in Atlanta investigating Trump, is expected to present her case to a grand jury next week.
A U.S Navy sailor charged with passing sensitive information to China was encouraged to do so by his mother.
Ohio voters rejected a ballot measure that would make it harder to pass constitutional amendments, including an upcoming vote on abortion.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves won the Republican nomination for a second term on Tuesday.
Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney in Atlanta investigating Trump, is expected to present her case to a grand jury next week.
Former President Donald Trump spoke out against a potential protective order that would prevent him from disclosing evidence in the 2020 election case.
Ohio voters rejected a ballot measure that would make it harder to pass constitutional amendments, including an upcoming vote on abortion.
