Melania Trump posts photo of son Barron, 18, voting for the 1st time in election with father at top of ticket
Melania Trump celebrated that her 18-year-old son, Barron, voted for the first time on Tuesday, saying he cast his ballot for his father, former President and now President-elect Trump. “Voted for the first time – for his dad!” the former first lady wrote on X, sharing a photo of Barron from behind at the voting booth. The post on her official account added the hashtags: #18yearsold #presidentialelection #proud.” Donald and Melania Trump voted in-person on Tuesday at the Mandel Recreation Center near Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. MELANIA TRUMP REVEALS HOW SHE STAYS CALM, COOL, FOCUSED AND HEALTHY: ‘GUIDING PRINCIPLE’ By contrast, Vice President Harris told reporters in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday that she had voted via a mail-in ballot that was “on its way” to California. Barron Trump, who turned 18 in March, is Melania’s only child with the president-elect. He is a college freshman attending the Stern School of Business at New York University in Manhattan. TRUMP TAPS INTO GEN Z’S PULSE WITH HELP FROM SON BARRON, WHO TELLS HIM ABOUT HOTTEST TRENDS Barron, whose childhood included time at the White House during Trump’s first term, had been helping his father’s campaign with their podcast strategy. Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, told Politico’s Playbook Deep Dive podcast that Barron “has been very involved in selecting or recommending, I should say, a number of the podcasts that we should do.” Miller added, “I got to tell you, hats off to the young man. Every single recommendation he’s had has turned out to be absolute ratings gold that’s broken the internet. He’s done a great job.”
Election results in 7 key swing counties show how Trump swept to victory
Seven key swing counties, known as “bellwether counties,” with some exceptions, have consistently sided with the winning presidential candidate for decades. They are Door County, Wisconsin; Kent County, Michigan; Vigo County, Indiana; Clallam County in Washington; and Bucks, Erie and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania. In some, Trump won or improved his performance from 2020. Other counties went for Harris, who is projected to lose the 2024 race. Here’s how these battleground counties voted in Tuesday’s election. With 98% reporting as of Wednesday morning, Trump led in Bucks County, a primarily suburban county just north of Philadelphia, by a mere 512 votes. If Trump’s lead of 49.58% to Harris’ 49.45% holds, it would be the first time a Republican won the county since 1988. Biden beat Trump by four points in 2020. Trump is projected to win Pennsylvania, according to the Fox News Decision Desk. In Erie County, Trump is leading with 50.26% of the vote, compared to the 48.82% for Harris. Erie is situated in far northwestern Pennsylvania on Lake Erie, is primarily rural and significantly smaller in terms of population. That is a flip from 2020, when Biden won the county by 1 percentage point. Trump is also leading with 50.63% of the vote in Northampton County, where Harris received 48.40%. Northampton in eastern Pennsylvania is suburban and home to Lehigh University, a private research college. Biden won Northampton by less than a point in 2020. Berwood Yost, the director of the national survey group the Center for Opinion Research, said all three Pennsylvania counties mirror many of the key demographics, such as racial composition, educational attainment and population density, that make Pennsylvania so competitive. “Both campaigns see the path to the White House running through Pennsylvania,” Yost said, adding the path to victory in Pennsylvania runs through Bucks, Erie and Northampton counties. Biden won Pennsylvania overall by a narrow 1.17 percent margin in 2020. Door County, Wisconsin, broke with its usual bellwether status on Tuesday night, as 50.56% of voters chose Harris, while 48.33% chose Trump, according to unofficial results Wednesday morning. That contrasted with the state as a whole. Trump carried battleground Wisconsin, Fox News projects, with 49.75% of the vote, compared to 48.8% who selected Harris. In 2020, Biden received 50% of the vote in Door County, while Trump received 48.6% there. Biden carried Wisconsin as a whole 49.6% to Trump’s 48.9%, and the Democrat won the 2020 general election. In Kent County, Michigan, 51.53% of voters chose Harris, while 46.69% chose Trump. As of Wednesday morning, Trump is leading in Michigan with 50.09% of the vote to Harris’ 48.09%, but the Fox News Decision Desk has not yet called the race. VOTERS IN SEVERAL STATES PROJECTED TO APPROVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS FORBIDDING NONCITIZEN VOTING A traditionally conservative county that has moved into toss-up territory in recent years, Kent’s chosen candidate has also won Michigan and the general election in the last three presidential contests. In the 2020 election, Biden won 52.1% of the vote in Kenty County, while Trump won 45.9%. That year, Biden carried Michigan with 50.6% of the vote, while Trump received 47.9%. According to WOOD-TV, that represented the first time more than half of the vote in Kenty County went to the Democratic candidate since Lyndon Johnson’s re-election victory in 1964. “Traditionally, Kent County has been a Republican-leaning county, and its sort of dominant political culture has been in the spirit of Gerald Ford through Reagan-Bush conservatism, but that started to change right around the [Barack] Obama years,” Whitt Kilburn, a political science professor at Grand Valley State University, told WOOD-TV, crediting a population boom and suburban development outside Grand Rapids for the change. A Democratic presidential candidate carried Kent County for the first time in more than 40 years in 2008 when the majority of voters chose Barack Obama. Despite his victory in the general election and winning Michigan’s electoral votes, Obama lost Kent County by 8 percentage points to Mitt Romney in the 2012 election, according to WOOD-TV. Kilburn credited Trump for Kent County remaining purple territory. “Trump, for the most part, has been pretty clear. He rejects Reagan-Bush conservatism, and you can extend that back to Ford as well… pillars of moral traditionalism, commitment to free trade, commitment to strong military alliances,” Kilburn told WOOD-TV. “MAGA conservatism is presented to voters as an alternative and an alternative that is radically different from those ideas of conservatism.” Trump won Vigo County, Indiana, with 58.08% of the vote, while Harris received 39.96%. The Republican presidential nominee also won statewide, receiving 59.08% of the vote, compared to 39.20% for Harris. FOX NEWS VOTER ANALYSIS: HOW TRUMP REGAINED THE WHITE HOUSE Matthew Bergbower, a political science professor at Indiana State University, described a bellwether county as a “microcosm of the nation” in terms of political preferences. Though his county, Vigo County in Indiana, deviated by voting for Donald Trump in 2020, it has chosen the winning candidate in every election since 1952. In Clallam County, Washington, Harris received 54.29% of the vote, while Trump received 43.90%. The state of Washington also handed the Democratic presidential nominee 58.62% of the vote, while Trump received 39.10%. Before the 2024 contest, Clallam County stood out as the only county to have voted for the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1980. In 2020, Biden carried Clallam County with 50.4% of the vote, while Trump received 47.0%. Biden carried Washington state in 2020 with 58.4% of the vote, while Trump received 39.0%. Before Tuesday, the people of Clallam County considered themselves proud of their history as the “last bellwether county” in America. Pam Blakeman, chair of the Clallam County Republicans, previously told Fox News Digital that she thought the election “will be close in our County, but I see it swinging towards Trump,” pointing to good Republican turnout and a ground game that she said “is the most active I have ever seen.” Yet, Ben Anderstone, a progressive Washington-based political consultant, had told Fox News Digital that “a Trump win in Clallam
Bill Barr: Prosecutors should ‘do the right thing’ and dismiss Trump cases: ‘Respect the people’s decision’
Former Attorney General Bill Barr, who served in President-elect Trump’s first administration, is calling on prosecutors at the state and federal levels to dismiss the pending legal cases against Trump before he takes office once again. Barr told Fox News Digital that voters were well aware of all the allegations against Trump when electing him to a second term in office on Tuesday, and that it is in the country’s best interest for prosecutors to listen to them. “The American people have rendered their verdict on President Trump, and decisively chosen him to lead the country for the next four years,” Barr said. “They did that with full knowledge of the claims against him by prosecutors around the country and I think Attorney General Garland and the state prosecutors should respect the people’s decision and dismiss the cases against President Trump now.” Barr asserted that the legal theories in some of the cases already had been “greatly weakened by a series of court decisions,” and that the matters “have now been extensively aired and rejected by the American people.” TRUMP VOWS TO LEAD ‘GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA’ IN VICTORY SPEECH: ’FIX EVERYTHING’ Once Trump takes office in January, Barr pointed out, prosecutors will be unable to continue the cases during his term. A Trump-appointed attorney general could end the federal cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith; one in Washington, D.C., for alleged efforts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election, and another in Florida based on allegations dealing with retaining classified documents after his first term. The Florida case was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on technical grounds involving Smith’s appointment, and the Washington case was undermined by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that presidents have immunity from prosecution for certain official actions. “We got immunity at the Supreme Court,” Trump told Hugh Hewitt last month. “It’s so easy. I would fire [Smith] within two seconds. He’ll be one of the first things addressed.” TRUMP CLAIMS VICTORY, HARRIS SKIPS PARTY: THE BIGGEST SURPRISES OF ELECTION NIGHT However, Trump would be powerless to stop state cases brought against him in New York and Georgia. One is a pending state criminal case in Georgia based on alleged efforts to overturn that state’s results in the 2020 election. He has also been convicted in a New York criminal case for falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election and has a sentencing hearing set for later this month. Barr said the local prosecutors and judges need to move on from the spectacle of prosecuting a soon-to-be sitting president. “Further maneuvering on these cases in the weeks ahead would serve no legitimate purpose and only distract the country and the incoming administration from the task at hand,” he said. “The public interest now demands that the country unite and focus on the challenges we face at home and abroad. Attorney General Garland and all the state prosecutors should do the right thing and help the country move forward by dismissing the cases,” he added. This includes the New York criminal case in which Trump was already found guilty but has yet to receive a sentence. Barr called on state prosecutors to dismiss the case, despite already securing a conviction. “That case is rife with legal abuse and error,” Barr said. “If it were continued to be litigated it would ultimately be overturned, but we shouldn’t put up with that kind of distraction. And I think the right thing to do would be for the prosecutors to dismiss the case.” When asked if this is likely to happen, Barr’s response was blunt: “We’ll see what they think of democracy.”
Hurricane Rafael becomes a Category 2 storm as it nears Cuba
Rafael continues to strengthen and forecast to be near major Category 3 hurricane status at landfall in western Cuba. Hurricane Rafael has intensified into a Category 2 hurricane just hours before it is forecast to make landfall in Cuba, according to the United States National Weather Service. Hurricane Rafael is located about 260km (160 miles) south-southeast of Havana, Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 160km/h (100mph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported on Wednesday. Rafael continues to strengthen and is now expected to reach “major hurricane” intensity – classified as Category 3 or above – at landfall in western Cuba, the NHC added. It was another stroke of bad news for Cuba, which has been struggling with blackouts while recovering from Hurricane Oscar, which killed at least six people two weeks ago in the eastern part of the island. Rafael is likely to exacerbate the island’s acute energy crisis, which has led to work stoppages and prolonged power outages in recent weeks due to decrepit infrastructure and a lack of fuel for Cuba’s oil-fired power stations. Hurricane #Rafael Advisory 12: Rafael Expected to Become a Major Hurricane Before Landfall In Western Cuba. Life-Threatening Storm Surge, Damaging Hurricane-Force Winds, And Flash Flooding Expected in Portions of Western Cuba. https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ — National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) November 6, 2024 Forecasters warned that Rafael was expected to slam into Cuba on Wednesday evening after dumping rain on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Tuesday. The NHC warned of floods, storm surges and mudslides. The US Department of State issued an advisory for Cuba on Tuesday afternoon, offering departure flights to nonessential staff and American citizens and advising others to “reconsider travel to Cuba due to the potential impact” of Rafael. Also on Tuesday, the Cuban Civil Defence called on citizens to prepare as soon as possible because when the storm makes landfall, “it’s important to stay where you are.” Authorities said they had issued an evacuation order for 37,000 people in far eastern Cuba in the province of Guantanamo due to bad weather. A hurricane warning was in effect on Tuesday for a portion of the Cayman Islands and the Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, La Habana, Mayabeque, Matanzas and the Isle of Youth. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Cuban provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus and Ciego de Avila as well as the lower and middle Florida Keys. Warnings were lifted in Jamaica after the storm passed by the western coast. Rafael on Tuesday knocked out power in Jamaica and unleashed flooding and landslides. The Jamaica Public Service, the island’s electricity provider, said in a statement late on Tuesday that impassable roads were preventing crews from restoring power in some areas. Rafael is the 17th named storm of the season. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the 2024 hurricane season was likely to be well above average with 17 to 25 named storms. The forecast called for as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes. An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes. Rafael is the 11th hurricane to form this year with four becoming major Category 3 storms with maximum sustained winds of 178km/h (111mph) or more. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s wartime row: What’s behind the rift between Netanyahu and Gallant?
As Americans cast their votes in a monumental presidential election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quietly ousted Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The two figures shared an openly divisive relationship following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Netanyahu has long attempted to absolve himself of responsibility for the security lapse. The prime minister has consistently blamed the security establishment for the events that unfolded on October 7, during which 1,139 people were killed and 250 were taken captive. His position has compounded tensions between his far-right coalition and the Israeli army’s senior brass. Where did Gallant stand on Gaza? Gallant, infamous for likening Palestinians to “human animals”, has criticised Netanyahu’s war on Gaza, which has reduced most of the enclave to rubble, killed more than 43,400 people and displaced almost the entire population. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has applied for arrest warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu, accusing them of committing atrocities such as starving Palestinians in Gaza and overseeing the extermination of civilians. While Gallant has shown no remorse for Palestinians, he believes Israel is “conducting a war without a compass” and that it needs to reassess its military objectives in the region. Netanyahu has responded by replacing Gallant with Israel Katz, his foreign minister and loyal ally with little military experience. What’s behind the tumultuous history between Gallant and Netanyahu? Here’s what you should know. What was their relationship like before Israel’s wars began? Gallant and Netanyahu’s relationship was fractious before October 7. In March 2023, Netanyahu was facing mass protests due to his plans to weaken the judiciary. At the time, Gallant criticised Netanyahu during a televised address, arguing that the proposed judicial reforms endangered national security by deepening political divisions within security branches. Critics and analysts said the judicial reforms would effectively curb the powers of the Supreme Court and embolden the legislative and executive branches of government. They accused Netanyahu, who was facing corruption charges and implicated in a bribery scandal, of pushing through these reforms to evade criminal prosecution. What’s the wartime division about? In July, Gallant called for the establishment of an independent inquiry to investigate the Hamas-led attack on October 7 and security failures that day. He said his role, the failures of the Israeli army, those of Netanyahu, as well as the culpability of the internal security agency Shin Bet should be probed. But Netanyahu had long obstructed calls for an international or state-led inquiry, arguing that a commission should be established only after the war in Gaza, so that soldiers do not have to “hire lawyers” while fighting on the battlefield. Critics have said Netanyahu is opposed to establishing a commission because it would reveal his role in strengthening Hamas at the expense of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls large swathes of the West Bank as part of the Oslo Accords – a failed peace agreement inked between Palestinian and Israeli leaders in 1993. “We need an investigation at the national level that will clarify the facts – a state commission of inquiry,” Gallant said on a podium during a graduation ceremony for new army officers. “It must examine all of us: the decision-makers and professionals, the government, the army and security services, this government – and the governments over the last decade that led to the events of October 7,” he added as the crowd applauded. Did the pair agree on a strategy to return the captives? One of the largest disputes between Gallant and Netanyahu was over securing a permanent ceasefire deal in Gaza in order to retrieve the remaining captives held by Hamas. Netanyahu approved a temporary ceasefire deal back in November 2023, which led to the release of 105 Israeli captives in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. But since then, Netanyahu has effectively torpedoed every single ceasefire proposal in order to prolong the war in Gaza and his political career, analysts and critics have previously told Al Jazeera. On July 31, Hamas’s political chief and lead negotiator Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated. Haniyeh was killed while attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in the capital Tehran. While Gallant did not denounce the assassination, which has been blamed on Israel, he has repeatedly called for a deal to retrieve the Israeli captives. Israeli families of the captives believe that Gallant’s dismissal is further proof that Netanyahu is undermining a ceasefire deal. How did Gallant envision Gaza after an end to the war? As part of any ceasefire deal, Gallant stressed that Israel should promote or encourage a new Palestinian faction to control Gaza in a “day after” scenario. The United States has long called on a reformed PA, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, to return to Gaza and assume governance. The PA was first pushed out of Gaza following an inter-factional war with Hamas in 2007. Despite objections from the US and from his own security officials, Netanyahu has said that Israel will remain in full military control of Gaza and the West Bank. In May, Gallant publicly condemned Netanyahu’s plan and said that he would “not agree to the establishment of Israeli military rule in Gaza”. Netanyahu has dismissed Gallant’s remarks and repeatedly promised to achieve “total victory” against Hamas in Gaza. In August, Gallant described this war aim and rhetoric as “nonsense”. Adblock test (Why?)
Americans react as Donald Trump wins US presidential race
Donald Trump has won a sweeping victory in the United States presidential election and will return to the White House as the 47th president. The vote was called in favour of the Republican candidate early on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. Trump made an astonishing political comeback in defeating his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is yet to concede. His victory has been met by international congratulations but is likely to add further uncertainty to a turbulent geopolitical situation. Results showed Trump beating Harris, a Democrat, in a race far less tight than expected as he triumphed in key battleground states. Victory in Wisconsin after earlier triumphs in Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania saw the former president clear the threshold of the 270 Electoral College votes required to clinch the White House in Tuesday’s election. Adblock test (Why?)
Mike Johnson reveals where House stands as GOP fights to keep majority after Trump win
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is anticipating full Republican control of Washington, D.C., after the GOP swept the White House and the Senate on Tuesday night. “As more results come in it is clear that, as we have predicted all along, Republicans are poised to have unified government in the White House, Senate, and House,” Johnson said in a statement Wednesday morning. He said Republican promises of “secure borders, lower costs, peace through strength, and a return to common sense” drove Americans to vote red across the country. THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS REMOVED FROM VOTER ROLLS, DOZENS OF LAWMAKERS WANT ANSWERS FROM GARLAND “House Republicans have been successful in securing critical flips in swing states including Pennsylvania and Michigan, while our battle-tested incumbents have secured re-election from coast to coast,” Johnson continued. “The latest data and trends indicate that when all the votes are tabulated, Republicans will have held our majority, even though we faced a map with 18 Biden-won seats.” “We will continue to monitor the results and ensure every legal ballot is counted throughout this process.” As of late Wednesday morning, The Associated Press projected House Republicans to have won 198 seats to Democrats’ 177. Of the 435 House races across the country, the first party to win 218 will take the majority. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS ELECTION RESULTS A significant number of outstanding races are in California, where Republicans are fighting to hold onto several seats that were critical to them winning the majority in 2022. The GOP suffered two setbacks in New York on Tuesday night with the projected losses of Reps. Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams, who were both expected to run in tight races. Republicans are projected to hold onto Rep. Mike Lawler’s critical New York swing seat and the central New Jersey district represented by Rep. Tom Kean, however – both key suburban victories. They also are projected to flip Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s Michigan House seat, which she vacated to run for Senate. It comes after Republicans won control of the Senate, with businessman Bernie Moreno projected to oust Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio on Tuesday and veteran Tim Sheehy on the path to defeating Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., as of Wednesday morning. The GOP also won control of West Virginia’s Senate seat, which was expected with the retirement of Democratic-aligned Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump secured the critical swing states of North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania in the early hours of Wednesday, solidifying his path to victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
JD Vance vows to ‘never stop fighting’ for Americans following election victory
Vice President-elect JD Vance is declaring Wednesday that he will “never stop fighting” for the American people following his election victory with President-elect Donald Trump. In a post on X, the Ohio senator thanked his wife for “making it possible to do this” and “To President Donald J. Trump, for giving me such an opportunity to serve our country at this level. “And to the American people, for their trust. I will never stop fighting for ALL of you,” Vance added. Vance said earlier this morning during Trump’s victory speech in Palm Beach, Florida, that “I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America. LIVE UPDATES: DONALD TRUMP ELECTED AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES “After the greatest political comeback in American history, we are going to lead the greatest economic comeback in American history under Donald Trump’s leadership,” he also said. Trump, speaking to Vance, said, “I want to be the first to congratulate our great – now I can say – Vice president-elect of the United States, JD Vance.” HERE’S HOW VP-ELECT JD VANCE’S SENATE SEAT WILL BE FILLED “He’s turned out to be a good choice. I took a little heat at the beginning, but he was, I knew the brain was a good one. About as good as it gets,” Trump added. With Vance poised to take on the role of vice president next year, Ohioans will now need someone else to fill his Senate seat. Initially, Ohio’s governor will tap someone to fill the void caused by Vance vacating the seat. Later, there will be a special election to fill the remainder of Vance’s Senate term, according to Ohio law. Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
JEE Advanced 2025: Candidates now allowed to give 3 attempts, check details inside
The eligibility for JEE Advanced 2025 has been updated allowing three attempts, detailing age limits, academic requirements, and category-specific reservations.
Here’s how VP-elect JD Vance’s Senate seat will be filled
With Sen. JD Vance poised to take on the role of vice president next year, Ohioans will need someone else to fill his Senate seat. Initially, Ohio’s governor will tap someone to fill the void caused by Vance vacating the seat. Later, there will be a special election to fill the remainder of Vance’s Senate term, according to Ohio law. “The appointee shall hold office until the fifteenth day of December succeeding the next regular state election that occurs more than one hundred eighty days after the vacancy happens,” Ohio law states. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS REACT TO PROJECTED TRUMP VICTORY: ‘WELCOME BACK’ “At that next regular state election, a special election to fill the vacancy shall be held, provided, that when the unexpired term ends within one year immediately following the date of such regular state election, an election to fill the unexpired term shall not be held, and the appointment shall be for the unexpired term,” Ohio law stipulates. Since current Ohio Gov. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is slated to select Vance’s temporary replacement, the seat should remain in GOP hands. A special election will be held in November 2026, according to cincinnati.com. ‘TIRELESS CAMPAIGN’: REACTIONS POUR IN AFTER GOP CHALLENGER FLIPS CRUCIAL SENATE SEAT HELD BY LONGTIME DEM Vance took office in 2023, and his Senate term is not slated to end until early 2029. During remarks celebrating the victory, Vance said, “After the greatest political comeback in American history, we’re gonna lead the greatest economic comeback in American history, under Donald Trump’s leadership.” Earlier this year, entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital that he would consider serving in the Senate role if asked to do so. AOC CHIMES IN AFTER JD VANCE REFERS TO KAMALA HARRIS AS ‘TRASH’ Ramaswamy mounted a bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2023 before dropping out in early 2024 and backing Trump. The Fox News Decision Desk projected that Republicans won control of the Senate during the 2024 elections.