having enough towels in the gym. >> i'i'm david shuster. >> and i'm michael shure. >> thank you for watching. . >> now it is up to the people after billions of dollars, countless campaign ads. >> i'm not barack obama. >> and mud-slinging across the country. americans head to the polls. >> what it's all about to be able to vote. >> voters are deciding who will make the decisions in washington and at home. >> victory is in the air. >> i'm on your side. >> we're cutting through the

rhetoric and examining the issues from healthcare in kentucky to minimum wage in alaska, and soon we'll know who is going to capitol hill as america votes. the long and expensive midterm election campaign is over. today voters are casting ballots that will have widespread impact. it will come down to a handful of days. we go to david shuster who joins us with more on what to watch. let's talk about control of the u.s. senate. >> yes, tony, for the purposes of calling a senate majority, the first wave of results on the east coast could be crucial. around 8:00 p.m. of republicans could flip either new hampshire or north carolina, where we're favored the chance to reaching 51 tonight will rise dramatically. keep an eye on kentucky and georgia, seats that republicans are defending. the democratic victory in either

kentucky or georgia would raise the democratic chances of holding on to the u.s. senate. mitch mcconnell stands to become majority leader if republicans gain control. the reason why the odds favor the republicans is because the democrats are having to defend more seats. the democrats are trying to hold on. in red, kansas, ken, georgia. it is something of a mismatch. to take control, republicans need a net gain, a net gain of six. a net gain of six. >> that's interesting. the president said on a radio show this morning, that this could be the worst stage for this election cycle since dwight

eisenhower with a lot of states being contested and just favo favoring republicans. is he right on that? >> he is right. if you look at the 2012 presidential election, in these battleground senates. if you average all of them the president loss these seats by an average of 54-46 to mitt romney. these are seats that tend to favor conservative republican voters. >> you're also paying tanks to the house of representatives. >> the house is important because the democrats are not expected to make up inform ground. the predictions are that they'll lose anywhere between 5 and 10, but if gets beyond ten. if they pick up a dozen or more than that, there is a huge storyline and it puts democrats in even a more difficult position in 2016 in terms of an election that should be more favorable to them. >> i want you, because you're also focusing on the governor's races as well, right? >> 8:00 p.m. is the magic hour for people who care about governor races. because that's when the polls

will be closing in connecticut, illinois, maryland. those are democratic held gubernatorial mansions. in florida, the republican-held gubernatorial mansions. just five of these incumbent governors were to lose that's the most turnover in governor mansions in 24 years. >> it's shaping up to be a long one. >> it will be a lock night. >> there is always alaska. >> there is plenty of time in alaska. we'll be here. >> thank you. as we mention in today's elections will determine the balance of power in washington for the next two years. president obama and others in the nation's capitol arelying a close eye on the results. mike viqueira joins us from washington, and mike, you are in a political town. what are people there predicting will happen this evening? >> well, i think the conventional wisdom, tony, has congealed around the fact that the republicans are likely, even to take control of the senate.

there by throwing the president's last two years of his eight-year term a big question mark about what he could get accomplished, what his agenda might be. it's really a perfect political storm that the president and democrats are facing. first of all, he's not on the ballot, and yet this is to a certain degree a referendum on his policies. even president obama said that in his approval ratings right now across the board over all are reaching nixonian lows. the control of the senate is going to be decided in red states. there are historical trends at work here as well. look, it's not president obama, but every president in a six year of his term, it's called the six-year itch, and republicans historically over the past couple of cycles in midterm elections have fielded pretty unstable, shall we say candidates. candidates that are not as vinyl--i should not have said

unstable, but certainly not as viable and appealing to the tea party bases. nevada, delaware, no such candidates. a solid slate up and down across the country putting them in a much better position to really knock the democrats and president obama back on their heels tonight. >> i'm reminded by david shuster and michael shure that president clinton lost a lot of seats in his presidential cycle. what could it mean for the final two years of president obama's term? >> well, first of all if you see mitch mcconnell surviving in kentucky and republicans take control of the senate michigan mcconnell might be like the dog who caught the car. there will be a lot of pressure on him. to make moves that the republicans and tea party have wanted to see the republican establishment in washington who say look, we don't control the senate or the white house, but we cannot repeal obamacare, probably their most cherished ideal. that's not going to happen. it takes 60 votes to do anything

in the senate no matter how you slice this republicans are not going to get to that tonight or tomorrow. when all of this is he solved judicial nominations that is one key issue here remember now it only takes 50 to confirm someone when democrats are controlling it, judicial nominations and cabinet nominations. the president was able to get through a lot of federal bench nominations with republicans not so much. also, they will chair the committees, they'll have the power of the purse. they'll try to get to the president's program and roll back a lot of what he has done through the spending bills. >> mike, the thoughts there in washington on the number of democrats who avoided campaigning with the president. because of his low approval ratings. >> right, well, they only loved him for his money this cycle. they wanted him to come and do fundraisers. he did any number of fundraisers over the course of the last month. he did not appear side by side with a whole lot of candidates. you can see the strategy that

the white house is trying to employ. they sent michelle obama out and joe biden to help where they could. but look at what the president is doing today. four radio interferes in major metropolitan areas trying to boost turn out. this is a major problem. the democrats far lessen news was tick in term of republican voters when you compare the two groups. the president speaking oh to a radio host. so concentrating on the governor races. this could be the one bright spot for democrats as they try to move in to governor's mansions across the country. >> mike viqueira for us. thank you so much. a local npr radio station in hartford, connecticut, got a bit of a surprise caller on this election day. president obama. there were problems with the voter rolls in hartford this morning, so many people could not vote. the president urged people to go back to the polls.

>> obviously for somebody who is planning to vote before they go to work and they get there, and they're unable to do it, that's frustrating, but the main thing i just want to emphasize is that we've got to make sure that those pokes have the chance to vote, and i want to encourage everybody who is living to not be deterred by what was obviously an inconvenience. >> well, one of the hottest races in the country is in kentucky. roughly $80 million has been spent on that senate race. senate minority leader mitch mcconnell is running against democratic challenger allison grimes. libby casey joins us from louisville, kentucky. first of all, where are you, and how would you describe the race you've been covering the last few months? >> tony, good evening. we're at the election night headquarters of senator mitch mcconnell. this has been a tough and bitter race. a hotly contested seat. allison grimes half his age.

secretary of state of kentucky giving mitch mcconnell a really tough challenge. mitch mcconnell has been in office 30 years and he opens to go back. senator mcconnell has said that victory is in the air, and allison grams is predicting a photo finish tonight. you have to be at the polls now in kentucky in order to still cast your vote. we should be getting those election results early in the evening tonight. and this could be a real sent of how things are to go, but also mitch mcconnell is going to be watching here not just whether he wins re-election but if he could become majority leader in the senate. >> what issues have the candidates focused on in time around? >> they're talking about the jobs and economy. as i talk to voters today at a voting place, this were talking about president obama, gridlock in washington. people who are supporting of

mitch mcconnell are not fans of the president. he has low voter rates here in kentucky. but those who are voting for allison grimes, they don't want to send mitch mcconnell back to what they see as a dysfunctional town. everyone is looking for change. a lot of people are casting ballots against someone. many are saying i'm intentional casting a ballot that is against president obama. and others are telling me i'm ready to ditch mitch. polls are an issue in kentucky but in louisville, it's really jobs and the economy, and what the future holds. healthcare is on the radar as well, but i got to tell you, tony, people are looking at big picture. they want to see something different. >> appreciate it. libby casey for us in louisville, kentucky. we'll closely be watching the results in kansas where pat roberts stands to lose his seat

to greg orman who has not said which party he'll align himself with if he wins. vice president joe biden said that greg orman will caucus with the democrats if he wins the seat. has or rman responded to that? >> yes, the orman campaign sent out a message saying that greg has never spoken to the vice president in his life, and he's not going to washington to represent the democrats or the republicans. he's going to represent the people of kansas. it does seem like somewhat of a self-inflicted wound by vice president joe biden that probably won't help greg orman. the turn out here in kansas is high. reports from johnson county, the most populous part of kansas saying people are waiting in line up to 30 minutes to vote.

polls close in two hours, then we'll start to get results. this race could, as some have said, hold the key to who controls the u.s. senate for the next several years. >> rob, how has orman been able to manage his efforts without getting much support from either party in get out the vote efforts? >> well, he's rich, which always helps, if you want to run a campaign. he spent a lot of his own money, and he doesn't really have an elaborate ground game, if you will, get out the vote sort of operation. but there is another race here for governor. >> yes. >> and the democrats are pouring a lot of resources into the ground game trying to get their democratic candidate up to defeat the republican incumbent and governor of kansas and democrats are hoping that those people who go out to vote against the republican governor will also at least some of them

vote for greg orman. we'll see. >> rob reynolds for us from overland park, kansas. let's dig deeper in today's races with david shuster and michael shure. georgia, fresh off of your 5:30 p.m. show which will provide a great lead in for this broadcast. >> it's hard not to have an opinion one way or another. >> what are you thinking about in terms of, we looked at georgia, kentucky a bit. i want to get back to the photo

bomb in just a minute, but what are your thoughts on the north carolina race? we didn't talk much about that? >> north carolina, we were speaking with ray suarez about how much money has been spent in north carolina. the most expensive race senate race in the united states history. it's been about even. the democrats, this is one of the states in which--or maybe the only state in which the battleground states where they spent more money. the fact in a north carolina is a state that the republicans were not able to make a stand, it really, like iowa for the democrats, it was a question of the wrong candidates. >> what are the issues there? i know education fund something big. and ray suarez pointed out, the democrats and kay hagin have to thank their lucky stars that it is thom till circumstance. if it was someone who was not involved in cutting $500,000 from the education budget, this

would be different. republicans have tried to make it a referendum on her and president obama. >> how closely are you watching the colorado senate race and for what reasons? >> colorado has been a trending state. i don't know a republican has won in colorado in something like 40 years. if cory gardner is able to pull this out and throw the democratic playbook out of the wound, that will change the political dynamics. >> one racer and another reason why you watch colorado tonight. in 2010 the polling in that state is a little odd. democrats are under polled. the president. polled in colorado was down, yet he ended up winning.

>> has there this race been nationalized in any significant way? he we haven't been talking about immigration, healthcare. >> maybe to an certain extent it has been nationalized as they try to paint udall as an obama clone. but there are national implications, a number of states are looking at the male voting in colorado. everybody can send in their ballots by mail. and it's not clear which party it may help but we'll get results on that tonight. >> i like outdoing david shuster, because wayne allard, the republican senator from colorado. that's all i need to say. >> we'll see you later in the broadcast. african-american voters are turning up at the polls in near-record numbers this year, and democrats are hoping that's good news for their party. that's nexts our special coverage as america votes continues.

>> you will voters turn out in large numbers, and turn out efforts may be working in one key state. 29% of african-american voters in georgia cast their ballots early in 2012. now this year the progressive advocass sit organization better georgia said that number rose to 31%. here with us to talk about this is ben jealous, former president and ceo of what explains th naacp. >> you have the moral mundane movement. >> better in north korea. >> and reverend has been falling in the tradition. you also have the new georgia project. you need, to put it in church terms, you need a holy ghost

presence to put out the presence, and then you need to build. saysy abraha abram has been targeting which households, which folks tend not to turn out and may not have turned out in 2012, getting them to sign up to vote often for the very first time. now they're turning out in huge numbers. and early voting was a major project. >> what are your feelings about the fact that a number of democratic candidates in this midterm cycle seem to do everything possible to distance themselves from president obama. and the thought that perhaps african-americans feeling a sense of pride after the first african-american president in this country might punishic some of these democrats for doing so? >> you know, i'm not so worried about people punishing politicians for being politicians. >> yes. >> all of us are prepared to believe that the average politician is not the most occ

courages person. but we'll see whether they profit or if they lose. if they lose it will be hard to say it will be hard to say that it was because they weren't focused on the future. they'll say you were focusing on the voting populous that was current 10 or 20 years ago. when you look at the state of georgia, 10,000 blacks have moved in the state. more latinos have moved in to the state. there is a new georgia. you have 800,000 unregistered blacks, latinos in georgia right now. and the average margin of victory is 2,000 votes. you would be much better off, for instance, in a state like georgia trying to do what the new georgia project is doing. >> fighting for what issues at this point? as i look at, i know that

unemployment and the economy are huge issues for voters of all tribes in this election cycle. >> sure. >> when you look at african-americans, and other minority groups, particularly african-americans, the numbers are above the national average. 5.5% for the country, arkansas, black unemployment, 16%. >> those are folks who are still looking for jobs. it does not include the jobless or discouraged. >> yes. >> absolutely. >> so what is it? african-americans are then again in position of voting and hoping for improved conditions and it just doesn't seem to be coming. >> well look, that's when you get to the georgia project. it's actually focused on transforming the region. we could see a region with much more potent policies for deali dealing with healthcare, for dealing with unemployment, for dealing with mass incarceration

very quickly if we could convince our community that we have more power than we're actually using. if you look at the folks who are still pressing--think about it for a second. the far white wing, mississippi, north carolina, south carolina, georgia, states that have control. why would you focus on suppressing the vote when you control the state unless you're afraid that you're about to lose power very soon. when you look at the trends in these states. >> you're talking about demographics. >> demographic changes. those who would benefit, those who would benefit--how shall i say this. those of us who make up the demographic changes, the one that they're so afraid of, would significantly benefit if we own the power that we already have. >> are you disappointed. so much of this election, and i hear it day in and day out, it's an expression of people's disappoint not only in congress and it's inability to get

meaningful work done, but also in this president. are you disappointed in the president? and in what areas? >> this president has a major opportunity coming out of this race no matter who is in control to push forward on criminal justice reform. >> you wish he had done more to this point? >> there is a lot that we wish, but this president inherited two wars, a recession and just a whole mess, right? the biggest lost opportunity i place right at the foot of the congress and the senate. the republicans have come in and frankly refused to do their job. the do-nothing congress that we heard about was called do-not-guilty plea because they passed less than a thousand bills. the last congress was 220. you have harry reid in the senate, it's no nuclear option to change the rules at the beginning back to the ones that mr. smith knew when mr. smith went to washington, but he has refused. i'm disappointed in washington,

absolutely. and the president has real opportunities that we need him to get to shortly like driving down mass incarceration. >> thank you. >> scott walker faces a tough challenge from democratic business woman mary burke. burke claims walker broke his promise to voters to change the wisconsin job outlook. diane estherbrook has our report. >> reporter: the line for a job fair wraps around this banquet hall. 57-year-old cynthia davis joins the back of the line and unemployed factory worker davis and 200 other job seekers file in. >> do you have a v.i.p. pass you go through these doors. >> hand over resumés and hope the to land one of the 1700 jobs employers at this fair are trying to fill. >> i have a really good resumé,

and hopefully that will get me a job. and something decent. >> the recession hit workers here hard. 160,000 lost jobs between 2008 and 2010. about 120 jobs have been added back but that's only about half of what walker promised when elected. his opponent, burke, argues the government's tax cuts and incentives to businesses aren't working. >> we have people that are young and they know the cnc training. >> but factory owner said that they are. he employs 48 workers now. he eventually wants to double his workforce from 48 employees. he thinks the incentives that walker has in place could help him. >> there has been corporation from our government officials to get out into businesses, learn what is out here for families, but likes to sustain the job. >> back at the job fair cynthia

davis tries to stay upbeat. she admits its hard not to get discouraged plus the wages that assume firms are offering. diane estherbrook, al jazeera, milwaukee. >> even after all the votes are counted we may have to wait. another month to find out who wins the senate race in louisiana. a live report from new orleans is coming up next. plus experts who warn that millions of americans could lose right to votes because of controversial new laws. our election day coverage continues next.

>> voters in virginia has trouble casting their ballots today and their problems were caught on camera. a voting. fantastic elected a democratic candidate when the voter picked a republican candidate. the glitches reported in virginia beach and newport news.

officials say that the problem was related to a calibration issue with the machine's touch screens. the faulty machines were taken out of service. several parishes in louisiana are also experiencing trouble with voting. randall pinkston is here with us. what can you tell us about those problems. there were several calls that have been coming in throughout the day from different parises parishes, and their' having problems with the machines. the officials from the louisiana state elections office have been very cooperative in trying to address the issue. what has happened it has created long lines. people who line up to vote would get a chance to do that. they've also been keeping watch

on two other states in the area. i haven't heard anything about arkansas, but mississippi, no calls into that vote or monitoring group. there may be other voter monitoring groups but several from here in louisiana about voter machine problems. >> so randall, the big race to watch in louisiana is the senate race between democratic senator mary landrieu. president obama has come up a lot in this race. >> he certainly has. it's almost as if he's running for semi re-election, although he isn't. landrieu's principle opponent has been running and saying that landrieu votes with president obama 97% of the time. she does not represent louisiana. she represents washington, and that's the reason to turn her out of office.

that's her fourth election and third re-election bid. she is running on her record. she has a record of accomplishment, but there are a lot of people who voted for her in the past say they're not doing to. when you look at the registration roles rolls, it appears it would be a wash for landrieu because there are more democrats an on the rolls than washington. but there are reagan democrats. people who are vegetablesterred democrat but tend to vote republican. african-americans and combination of others have been able to provide what has always been close races. this time, however, even some democrats are saying it's going to be very difficult for her to come up with that 50 plus one percent to avoid a run off. >> randall pinkston for us in new orleans. let's bring in our panel david

shuster and michael shure is back with us. along with ray suarez. the host of al jazeera america's inside story, and tara, van del. >> here we are. oh my gosh. let's start--we were starting to get some reports of some problems at polling places. >> in louisiana of all places. >> surprise, surprise there. shock, shock. any thoughts from anyone on the panel on voter i.d. laws and whether they're starting to prove to be difficult in some places where people are starting or trying to cast a vote today? any thoughts? >> there are already signs that the measures that have been voted in by state legislationtures around the country are starting to depress the vote. >> yes. >> you're seeing it in early voting numbers. you're seeing it in mail-in voting numbers. you're seeing it in fewer

registrations close in to election day. >> right, which was one of the reforms that came in during the earliest decade of this century to try to make it easier to vote, and then in the big waive election of 2010 legislatures that flipped started to turn that around to try to make it more difficult. >> any question, in anyone's minds that these issues, the voter i.d. laws, the other laws put on the looks have been overwhelmingly partisan in nature? >> absolutely. >> no question. >> the voter fraud, a couple of cases involving a couple of votes, there is nothing orchestrated. this is something of a canard, this is to help people certain people away from polls, people who tend to vote democrat. >> from alabama all the way to wisconsin back down to arizona, every time it's been brought up, it's been brought up by one party. >> the issue here that the

groups disproportionately--if you can layout for us--which groups have been disproportionately affected by these laws? >> there is no doubt in my mind that these laws are by design, and they're strategic in nature. if you look at--and al jazeera did great reporting on this, a six-month investigative study that found that they weren't looking at 6.9 million voters that they wanted to remove from 27 different states from the rolls. the last names tagged from dollars y jackson, kim, and patel, targeting voters who historically have voted democratic, and voted in 2012. >> i see ray smiling. >> voting in record numbers for president barack obama. so you can't deny that. georgia, which you mentioned earlier, georgia, 40,000 new registration forms are missing. they disappeared in thin air. >> how does that happen? >> how does that happen.

>> it under scores why these gubernatorial races are important. when people say the governor race doesn't matter, it does matter. ray, you were smiling a moment ago. what ha was that about? >> it's denied in every court case that has come tocal cheese new laws of who it is that is heavily effected by this. some federal level appeals court have sided with those who say it's meant to shake the electorate and exclude certain voters, others have not. eventually this will come back before the supreme court again. they tried it once on the indiana law, and they sided with indiana and let those me restrictions on voting stand. i think there will be new appellate cases, and the supreme court is going to get another bite on the able.

>> marijuana is on the ballot on a few states, and district attorney. so washington dc, florida, oregon and alaska. and i remember you saying something to me over the weekend, michael shure, that you believe this is one of those issues that has the potential to drive maybe some new voters to the polls here. >> well, unlike some of the other ballot initiative we're looking at minute wage and some of the gun law ballot measures especially in washington where they're competing. marijuana they have sown and in washington and specifically in colorado, it increased the electorate, and it's too early to tell. those are the first two cases but certainly people who are not as inclined to vote, the study showed, came out to vote in that election because of that. and those people tended to vote for the democrats. >> how ironic is that, marijuana. make people laser would drive out the vote. there's a little irony there.

>> the senate race there, there is a third party running on legalized platform and the theory that the conservatives put them up to it to siphon votes way from hay hagin. it could cut a couple of different ways. >> if it passes in washington, d.c. what can happen to nullify the vote. >> the house and senate has oversight committees that pass judgment, a second level of judgment on laws that the people of district attorney pass for themselves. even though the dc marijuana law is a fairly conservative law, you might say, it seeks to treat weed like alcohol. >> yes. >> sets a 21-year-old age limit. limitations on how much you can share with other people. whether or not you can sell, whether or not you can grow at home. 28 be electors, members of the house and senate who are voted on by other americans who get to pass final judgment on the

people. >> i'm just reporting this fact. next to ray suarez is a bag of potato ships. i'm not making it up. i'm not making it up. >> do tattle. >> all evening for coverage you won't want to miss. >> today's elections. thank you very much. it will have a big impact on policy. nick schifrin joins us live from istanbul, that's next with the potential effects in the battle against isles. we're covering other news. a mayor and his wife is arrested in mexico weeks after a dozens of college students disappear. why this could be a big break in the case.

>> you know, midterm elections are usually not about foreign

policy, but many may be judging president obama's administrati administration's various challenges overseas. syria is the most pressing. we're live in istanbul. nick, good to see you. there are plenty of questions about whether the united states has best strategy in syria. tell us about that. >> there are not only questions but a lot of criticism by the very people that the u.s. need to fight isil in syria that is moderate syrian rebels. they criticize the training program that has been developed. it has not been fast enough or large enough, and they criticize the airstrikes, which has worked in some areas. these people are saying that the u.s. priorities when it comes to those airstrikes are all wrong. >> on the syrian turkish border, the funeral line stretches a mile long.

these syrian kurds fight isil. they receive american help and flash "v" for victory. they die proudly and the commanders thank the u.s. for saving their city. 80 miles away emergency crews rush to the scene of a massacre. on most days they arrive too late. the men who call themselves syria's civil defense accuse the world of neglect. >> when you saw human suffering, you should do something. >> the u.s. policy in syria is a tale of two cities, kobane, and aleppo. the man in charge of the syrian opposition said that the u.s. strategy is backward.

>> do you care about this issue now in aleppo. >> today they focus on kobane. on one side kurds fight with assault rifles. some are women. all are outmanned. on the other side isil fighters use american-bought tanks as cover. to save kobane the u.s. has launched more than hundred airstrikes that has killed more than 500 isil fighters. that's allowed u.s. back front line commanders to hold their ground. kobane is their last stand. >> would kobane fall to isil if not for the u.s. airstrikes? >> if it wasn't for the

airstrike it would be very hard. we combat compete. how can you compare kalishnikov to a tank? >> we can stand here freely. which means that the media has been able to report here during the entire fight. iowa sad regime has been focused on the largest city in syria, aleppo. >> how much suffering is there i in aleppo right now? >> everything, everything. >> in kobane despite the u.s. support the city's defenders suffer heavy losses. here they still believe in the possibility of victory. it's not clear whether the u.s. strategy can achieve it. >> things in aleppo have gotten so bad the coalition, the opposition, the u.s. allies

inside syria are warning that the syrian government could actually really surround all of aleppo and even get inside the city. tony. just to give you a sense of what the syrian regime has done, 2010 bombs dropped over 36 hours. that is the same number the u.s. launched in a month. that will give a sense of how much the syrian regime has been using the u.s. and media's focus on isil and kobane in order to attack aleppo. >> are there any other reasonable dare i say good options if the current strategy isn't working? does it work? the overt program, $500 million for that raining won't really

credited grate a single fighter for eight months. >> i'm wondering how the election outcomes could impact foreign policy? it. >> it may become more kept absolutely and if it becomes more republican it may push the deal away deal with iran. it depends on the details if the u.s. is able to get a good deal, it should not worry about congress at all. if it's seen as a bad deal. that's when wrong will really try t--congress will trying to going to the white house. >> with $4 billion spent on campaigning, much of that money

has been used on campaign ads. roxana saberi has more. >> spending on tv ads alone has topped more than $1.5 billion. many of those ads try to attract voters by playing on their anger and their fears. >> the first obligation of government is to keep us safe. >> this message from florida republican steve sutherland say the democrats are mishandling the threat of isil and ebola. >> the stakes are high. >> ads like this have run on tv sets across the country, a total of 3 million times. in all the cost was $1.7 billion. >> i'm not barack obama. i disagree with him on guns. >> hoping to make this midterm the price iest yet. >> many appeal to people's anger and fear. >> you can have a discussion about complex issues such as job creation or the healthcare system or immigration reform and those two sides of those issues.

there's only one side. something scary is going to kill you and your family, and i'm the politician who can save. >> you many are concerned about security. 75% said that they're concerned about terrorism. that's up. this flier from georgia's democratic party invoked racial injustice saying if you want to prevent another ferguson, don't shoot. the next page reads, vote. it's up to you to make change happen. >> consider thom tillis's record. >> and this ad tied the death of trayvon martin to thom tillis.

>> stand your ground laws caused the death of trayvon martin. >> bringing the african-american vote to come out. without that they're going lose badly in these midterm elections. >> a lot of spending on campaign ads come from groups who don't have to disclose their donors. they're playing a growing roll. they dropped hundreds of millions of dollars in races without having to be transparent. >> roxana saberi, appreciate it. >> there are other stories making headlines around the world. ines is follow those for us. >> a russian man who fought with the taliban made his appearance in the court today.

>> students were abducted in september. police have arrested a mayor and his wife today. they have reportedly have ties to drug gangs. there is report of shooting in a mosque in saudi arabia but left five people dead. it happened during the holidays of ashoura. the move to hand power to civilians follows deadly protest over the past week that left the parliament building in flames. malcolm weapon reports. >> the current military rule of colonel zida promised a quick hand over transition. people are waiting to find out if that will be civilian rule or more soldiers in power.

many are likely to hit the streets again if power is handed over. people will be angry if they think that people's revolution has been taken over by the military. they're calling for a swift hand over. >> they're also saying that the hand over to civilian rule should be quick. and those influential figures, if the civilian rule does not come back promptly those people can call people to go back to the streets again. >> that was malcolm webb reporting. a russian man allegedly involved in a computer hacking incident will be extradited to the usa. 61million credit and debit card numbers were stolen. he and four others were indicted last year. he was arrested in the nedde

netherlands, and today a judge approved the extradition. >> you'll have a look at celebrities trying to reach young voters. the polls are closing in six states. we'll have the first result at the top of the hour. we're revolutionary because we're going back to doing best of storytelling. we have an ouportunity to really reach out and really talk to voices that we haven't heard before... i think al jazeera america is a watershed moment for american journalism

>> the death toll could be much higher than anyone known. >> posing as a buyer... >> ...people ready then... >> mr. president

>> who should answer for those people >> big name celebrities are in the push the vote. >> celebrities are telling people to go vote. it's all part of the head count campaign that encourages americans to vote. you'll recognize some of the faces. >> that's what we'll here. >> russell simmons. rob lowe. also comedian lewis plaque. singer fergie. it's not just celebrities getting outs the vote. some voters have been up loading video urging americans to vote. >> vote for your values. photo for you who think ought to be the, oh, let's say mayor,

governor, senator, whatever it might be. but get out and vote. >> this is an important election. to me get out to vote. people have died for the right. >> it's worth it to learn it and put your vote in because it's better to have your vote than not to vote. >> you go and make your voice heard. that's all you got to do. it takes five minutes to push the button. where you get out of school, not your school, you college kids, go push the button. when go to the nail salon, take your pretty nail and push, push, push. >> one vote-- >> come on, you have to laugh at that. that was good. >> just hilarious. people are posting selfies with their i-voted stickers. >> we're just a few minutes away from polls closing in six days we're talking about indiana, kentucky, georgia, south carolina, virginia and vermont all about to wrap up. we'll take a short break and

then john seigenthaler joins our election night here on al jazeera america. part. >> al jazeera america presents the best documentaries >> i felt like i was just nothing >> for this young girl, times were hard >> doris had a racist, impoverished setting had a major impact >> but with looks charm.... >> i just wanted to take care of my momma... >> and no remorse... >> she giggles everytime she steps into the revolving door of justice >> she became legendary... >> the finer the store, the bigger the challenge >> al jazeera america presents the life and crimes of doris payne

>> saturday on tech know. a brutal killing. a thorough investigation. >> we're pushing the envelope. >> but this is no ordinary c.s.i. >> what went on right before that animal died? >> hunting the hunter. >> we're gonna take down the bad guys. >> solving the crime. >> we can save species. >> tech know's team of experts

show you how the miracles of science. >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> tech know, where technology meets humanity. saturday at 7:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. >> good evening, everyone, welcome to our midterm election coverage, i'm john seigenthaler, it's going to be a big night and likely a long night. we'll be with you late until the evening. it is seven on the east coast. polls closed in six states, including kentucky and georgia. senate races could help to determine the balance of power in congress. tonight is more about the horse race - not as much about the horse race as the issues. we'll talk about the results and what they mean for ordinary americans and the issues driving the votes. stephanie sy will be with me in the studio following the