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this is washington journal for saturdbe26. election day is 10 days away but millions of voters have already heirallot. to start the program we wayour expience and why didhat you to te early? was this the first time? did you do it by mail or in person, how long did you wait in line. those are some of th questions early voters only. here are the lin. republicans, 202-748-8001. democrat 2-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. you can text your comments to 202-748-8003. be sure to include your name and city. you can also post a question or comment at facebook.com/cspan or

on x @cpanwj. thank you for being with us. people heading to the polls or dropping the ballot in the mail already. this headline from cbs news with more, early voting for the 2020 election underway in dozens of states with millions of ballots cast so far. with early voting underway in all seven battleground states and another three dozen states. millions of americans have cast their ballot already. more than 32 million people have voted early according to data from the university of florida " election lab with the most voting by mail. democrats are out posting republicans. more republicans have cast roughly 452,000 more ballots in

person so far while democrats have returned 1.3 million more mail ballots then registered gop voters according to the election lab. that is from cbs news coming out yesterday just before 1:00 p.m. eastern. and, since then the data has been updated. it was updated last night at just before midnight eastern time with total early votes now at more than 36 million. people have early voted. again we are talking to those who have already voted early about their experience. we will start with ellis in georgia, on the line for democrats. good morning. caller: how are you doing? host: well. caller: i enjoy c-span. anyway. i voted for harris because i

just cannot understand the people that would vote for anyone that is a convicted felon , that is a pathological liar. and is a sex offender. and this is something that is proven in the court of law. host: let's talk about how you cast your ballot. did you go to the polls or did you vote by mail? caller: i went to the polls. i did. matter-of-fact, and i am sorry if what i said was inappropriate. but, anyway. i went to the polls the second day. and it was quite quick. and i did not have any problems. host: was it the first time you voted early? caller: no. i have been voting here since i was 18 years old and i'm sitting

in retirement right now. so i was able to vote. and i went to the polls. my mother wanted us to go to the polls to vote because our ancestors could not vote. for anyone who vote -- you does not vote in say my vote does not count i would say that is ludicrous. host: ron in san clemente, california. the line for republicans. caller: good morning and thank you for taking the call. just a point to public service. i have been a poll worker since 1994. and one of the biggest questions that gets asked every time when i work the polls is does my vote count or is this going to count? i would advise everyone that wants to do mail-in ballots, as my wife and i have done for many years is to make sure that you

fill out everything on the back of the mail-in ballot properly and sign it, date it and fill out the information required. if you do that, there is a better chance your vote will be tabulated properly and expedited into the voting system. that is all i have to say. host: have you and your wife already done that? caller: we have. host: and then you drop them in the mail? caller: put them in the u.s. postal service and pray that it will go good for us. host: andrew. sterling, virginia. line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning, good to see you. my wife and i voted early. one of the reasons that we voted early for kamala harris and mr. walz, was because that we felt it was important that we vote and vote early to make sure or a statement that never again

should this country ever elect a degenerate like donald trump again. another reason was we had a trip planned to go to normandy, france, to visit the gravestones of all of those brave american soldiers who died during the normandy, omaha invasion. we stood there at that gravesite and saw hundreds of tombstones lying there one after another. it brought tears to our eyes. the fact that this donald trump has said that any american soldier who gave up his life in battle or lost a limb is a sucker and a loser is incredible. the fact that it was revealed that he made the comment that yes, hitler did some good things. he admired hitler's generals are

so disgusting. anybody who votes for trust -- for drum has to be the most unpatriotic american ever. host: ed in ohio. line for republicans. caller: i am a 30 year veteran for the navy. it amazes me like your last caller. these democrat voters, those things that he said were proven false. look, hang up on me. did you? host: i am listening. caller: i am listening to these democrats every day, they are my neighbors. i have every crack -- democrat sign in the world around my yard. they complained all four years and they blame it on trump. it amazes me. it is called low information voters like the laptop proven true 100% six years ago. they sat on it until after the lex -- the last election. the democrats live on fake news. host: ed you are on the line and

waiting to talk before you heard the last caller. let's talk about your experience doing early voting. how did you do it? caller: no one should vote for this incompetence -- host: kent in norfolk, virginia on the line for independents. caller: good to see you as always and good to listen and to be on c-span. voted early and i live by city hall so i went on my lunch break and it was in and out easy. we have numerous referendums on the ballot and all of those are prety. it took me about 10 to 15 mites. host:t the first time you d early? caller: it was not. i voted early in 2022 and 2020. host: why do you choose to vote early? caller: it is there and the opportunity is there to vote to avoid long lines on election day.

and usually it can be pretty ndonvenient. host: hugh in maryland. the line for democrats. go morning. hello. ca hello. my wife and i voted imm when the mail-in ballo arrived. that is about the 24th of september. fild them out immediately and i walked them down to th mailbox within an hour, k of the mail arriving. we did not have to thin hard about our choices, incl a motion to protect ilitfor women to get reprodeah care in maryland. so, we did not think it was very hard. i am a 30 year navy veteran who voted absentee many times. and i have voted early often hear inand here i

maryland because it is convenient. i sometimes ride myike to the ing station, and that gets me passed the canvassers who are 100 feet away from the polling station so i do not have to deal with them. host: that was hugh in maryland. the presidential candidates have been talking about early voting on the campaign trail in the past weeks. this is vice president kamala harris talking about it during a rally in atlanta last weekend. [video clip] >> and dating -- and the extraordinary great congressman john lewis reminded us that democracy is not a state, it is an act. it is an act. so georgette now, it is -- georgia, it is now time to act. the baton is in our hands. election day is in 17 days and

early voting has already started. you guys are setting some records, by the way. and so now, it is the time to make your plan to vote, go to iwillvote.com, and get all the information you need. and if you have received your ballot in the mail, please do not wait, fill it out and return it right away. you know that george or own -- georgia's own president, jimmy carter, voted early. bless him. just days after his 100th birthday. look, if jimmy carter can vote early, you can too. [cheers and applause] because, folks, the election is here. it is here. [end video clip] host: we are hearing from early

voters in this first hour, calls as well as social media. this coming from jim in illinois says "i voted on the first day of in person early voting in illinois. i waited about 20 minutes because there were many people who wanted to be among the first to vote also. the polling place was organized and ready r crowd. ." on facebook "flora is quick and ea. it is nice to see people supportinghe maga gear while voting. was surprised on the amount of compliments i received for my maga hat. this was in a blue voting area." carolyn says "i voted early for trump-vance ted republican down the ballot. i had to stand i for about 20 minutes but everything went smoothly and fast. an hour to vote republican for against the communist democrats. trump-vance to save our country."

phil in new hampshire. line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. i early voted. i live in a nursing home and they asked to you -- if you wanted to vote. so, i did not have to go to the polls. but, they did it in the primaries and two weeks ago for the general election. host: did everything go smoothly, no problems. caller: very smoothly, no problems. i thank god for that because i did not think i would have a chance to vote again. i cannot get to the polls now and less i take one of those ambulance things, which i do not have. so, but, i have always voted. i was never in the military but i have been a big supporter.

my father fought against the chinese and the japanese in world war ii. and i had heard and told somebody that a chinese woman and she said the americans are held in great reverence by the elderly, not the government. i very much appreciated that. host: that was phil. susan in massachusetts. line for republicans. caller: yes. i am republican but i voted for harris and tim walz. donald trump is ruined -- rude, impolite, disrespectful and has no character whatsoever. when he was president he did not do anything but give the top people big tax cuts. host: how did you vote? did you go in person or do it by the mail? caller: i went in person.

host: how did that go? caller: very good. host: did you have to wait in line? caller: yes. it was a big line. i waited for about an hour. and got in and out. host: was it the first time you voted early? caller: no. no. no. in 2020, i voted democrat too, i voted for biden. donald trump, he put us through hell. he inherited a perfect economy from obama. host: that was susan. matt in -- matlock in gary, indiana. line for democrats. caller: good morning. hello? host: you are on. caller: i am a democrat and i am voting for democracy. and i am voting for freedom.

and i am voting for choice, pro-choice. we cannot stand to go back or insurrection and we cannot stand for a republican president talking about -- host: when you are talking about voting and how you are going to vote, had you already cast your ballot? caller: i am going to vote -- i did vote in the primary but i have not voted. i voted for 60 years, i guess. i am a 77-year-old man and i have not missed one. host: when does early voting in indiana? caller: they are already early voting but i will vote on election day. host: harry in charleston, west virginia. line for republicans. good morning. caller: good morning, my parents were poll workers for 13 years.

and what they observed over that time was that it was a very slow process because there were huge books and you had to look up and verify the party and so, my point is, please be patient because these are volunteers and yet they get paid a pendant -- a pittance. it is not going to be a microwave voting process that you get in and out in a minute or two minutes. secondly, the grand old party, my grandfather was a democrat. host: i am sorry, i'm going to ask you a question. have you voted early?

caller: no. i do not vote early because things can change. host: that was harry. sherry in dallas, texas. line for democrats. er:re you doing today, thank you for taking my call. everybody needs to get to the polls and everybody needs e. host: have you already voted? ca yes i have, yes ma'am. i up there. i voted. host:n person? caller: yes ma'am. host: did you have to wai line? caller: no. they bring the machine to the car. they just come right on out the car. host:t pretty quick? caller: oh yes. it did not take me anytime at everybody needs and vote.

i mean that. i have nevn so much hatred. host: betty in california. li republicans. good morning. caller: hello. i would tell you a card that came in my mail with my ballot inside the envelope. it tells you in california that you can print your own ballot. you go on your computer and download your ballot onto your computer. you mark and print your ballot, and then you sign and return it. and in any old envelope that you can buy at the dollar store so there is nothing official about your ballot. it is legal. that is what they are doing in california. if you want to do that go ahead and do it. host: have you voted early? caller: no. host: charles, florida -- fort lauderdale, florida. good morning.

caller: hello. i had a long line to wait for in -- and they told me when i got to the polls, i voted for a blue line. and they told me i needed to sign a paper to vote because i am like -- i needed someone to help me. i said no. so they told me to sign a paper and i think everybody is worried about abortion and all of this. i am more worried about the world war. all of these people coming from these countries. i am worried that all of the cvs and walgreens are shutting down. this country is going to hell. host: that is charles. don. charleston, north carolina. line for democrats.

caller: good morning. this is charlotte. hello? host: your name is charlotte? caller: i am charlotte. thank you. but i want to first say thank you to the poll workers. i did vote early and i always vote early. i think it is the better way to go due to the factyou can go to any site to vote instead of going to your issued voting place. again, i always vote early. i vote harris andwn ballot. and we got this and we will win. obama was in the area yesterday and the crowd was on fire. host: that was donna. and this headline from usa today, republicans cut into democrat's early voting edge and what it means for the race. "republicans have cut into

democrats recent advantage in early voting including inky ballot -- battleground states putting president vice -- putting kamala harris behind where democrats were four years ago on the preliminary vote tally following a consorted effort by republican nominee donald trump's campaign to export -- to encourage voters to embrace early voting including voting by mail after the former president demonized the practice as a first year, 19 pandemic clashed with the -- covid-19 pandemic clashed with the 2020 election." former president trump was talking about early voting at an event. here is a clip. [video clip] >> the polls, despite everything, do you see what is happening? here, alabama, florida, south carolina, tennessee and georgia.

[cheering] the polls are through the roof. what is better than that, the early voting is -- people have never seen anything like it. [cheering] they have never seen anything like it because the american people are fed up with the people leading us down a road to disaster. so, the polls are open for early voting in georgia, every day from now until november 1. you have to get out there and vote, but more importantly just vote the way you want to do it. just get out and vote. be a little careful and make sure that you vote correctly. we are going to win georgia and defeat kamala harris and we are going to make america great

again. host: with 10 days until election day, c-span coverage of the race continues today starting with republican vice presidential nominee jd vance who wi speak to supporters and lantana at 11:00 a.m.. foowing that, donald trump be at a rally in novi, michigan, a suburb of detroit. later, vice presidential nominee tim walz will be in window ro, arizona, the capital of the navajo nation. andater vice president kamala harris will be joined by moechella obama in kalamazoo -- michelle obama in kalamazoo, michigan. all of the coverage can bfound on our free mobile video a, c-span now and online at c-span.org. back to your calls asking early

voters about their experience. paul in culpeper, virginia. line for republicans. caller: good morning how are you? host: well. caller: that is good. i did some early voting and i had a good experience. there is one question i am wondering about. why is it that some judge said it was all right for illegals to vote in virginia? what happened? host: connie in west virginia, line for independents. good morning. caller: hello? host: are you there? caller: yes. i am a democrat from west virginia. i told them i was from west virginia. host: ok. tell me about your voting experience. caller: sure. first of all, good saturday morning.

my favorite day of the week. yes. am i the only one who ever read barack obama's book called " dreams of my father's?" has anybody else read that. it was written in 2012. is anyone familiar? host: have you voted early? caller: yes. host: did you do it by mail or in person? caller: after reading that -- that book i voted republican. host: cheryl in new york, line for democrats. good morning. caller: hello and good morning. i usually go to the polls, but since my father had a stroke, it has been difficult for him to vote as well as myself in a different county on the day of. so, this year i planned to bring him on sunday in new york, and

then i will then vote monday early voting. so just the situations of life. he always encouraged us to vote, and i encourage all of the republican, democrat and independent will vote for kamala harris. have a lovely day. host: karen in connecticut. line for republicans. good morning. caller: good morning, how are you? host: connecticut-ist -- connecticut is starting to be more republican than democrats. i early voted and sent my whole family to do it. no, i do not like donald trump's demeanor but i know that i had a lot more money in my pocket four years ago. that is my vote. i am very excited. i think that he has a big jump on kamala harris because people are voting for things -- host: did you go to the polls or

mail in your ballot? caller: i go to the school. my son actually monitors the school. so -- host: is this the first year you have voted early? caller: yes. i'm a realtor so i have about 700 clients. that are on the republican ticket. you know, wanting to vote republican. host: why did you decide to vote early this year? caller: early because i have ankle surgery coming up, very small. but i did not want to miss it. my family did not want to either because they will have to wait on me when i am done. host: i hope it goes well. indiana. line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. host: go ahead. you are on. caller: yes. i am voting today.

we are having a caravan in gary, indiana. we are meeting up at the headquarters in the state of indiana and we are going down to get the vote out this morning. i am very exciting -- excited to be leading the charge. host: do you normally vote early? caller: i do and the reason why is because i am an advocate and this allows me to get others to vote. and not have to worry about longer lines and things like that. host: how many people are you planning on bringing down? caller: well, we registered a little over 40 cars, so i am not sure how many people will be in the cars. i imagine at least two per car if not more. and we have a little over 40. host: drive safe. steve in florida on the line for independents. good morning.

caller: i voted early and in florida i think the 21st was when it was open. i have a lot of medical problems. i am a veteran. when trump ran against hillary i did not like either of them and i put my own name in. and recently, 2019 or whatever, i have had a lot of medical bills and heart attacks and stuff. and, i was asking the v.a., when will you pay for this and i called them because i am getting a lot of questions and to make a long story story -- short the v.a. said it was a good thing because the v.a. won the presidency because he is paying for this and that. they opened up the doors for veterans a lot for medical and for the doctors. host: how did you vote, in person? caller: i went in person and i

continue to vote for trump. i want to make america great. i am a veteran and i appreciate him keeping us out of wars and sending the embassy to jerusalem. i am not a jew, but i back them 100%. i am very against abortion. host: james in st. louis, kentucky. on the line for republicans. in mornings. -- good morning. are you there? caller: yes. host: hello, good morning. caller: how are you doing? host: well. how did you vote early? caller: i did not vote at all, yet. host: are you planning to vote early? caller: i do not know. i'm just trying to figure out what to do. i have not voted since jimmy carter years ago. i want to be a republican instead of a democrat in a lot of ways. then again, there are a lot of

arguments, a lot of people. there is just always an argument. host: got your point. sharon in georgia, line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. hello. host: you are on. caller: i voted early a couple of days ago. it was a good experience. host: did you go in person? caller: yes i did. host: did you have to wait in line at all? caller: i really did not. i got there and went right in. host: was at the first time you voted early? caller: no. it is not the first time. but i usually do the mail in. host: why do you prefer to vote early? caller: well, you can avoid the

lines, for one thing. you know the weight is not as bad -- wait is not as bad when you do it early. so. host: that was sharon in georgia. the former president trump has been speaking out against his former chief of staff, john kelly, after interviews he has done. this headline from "the washington post," trump rages against john kelly, once his chief of staff and now harsh critic. "donald trump called his former chief of staff john f kelly a total whack job and a nut job to start out with, lashing out days after the retired four-star general said the former president fits the definition of a fascist and raise alarms about his fitness for office. callie is one of many's former senior trump aide's and cabinet members who are publicly traded -- criticizing their old boss ahead of the presidential election. trump responded at length during

a friday event in austin, focused on border policy, attacking kelly and denying new a reporting in the atlantic that he refused to pay for a dead soldier's funeral despite promising to do so." former president trump also talked about it during an interview on the joe rogan podcast and here's a clip from the interview. [video clip] >> so the one question that you will ask me that i think you will ask me that people seem to ask. i always come up with the same answer. i had a lot of success, great economy, everything was great. we rebuilt the military and the biggest tax cuts in history. we had a great presidency, three supreme court justices, most get none. you pick them young and keep them there for 50 years. you know, even if a president is there for eight years they never had a chance and i had three and it was the luck of the draw.

you know, i will say that it always comes back to the same answer. the biggest mistake i made was that i picked some great people, you know. but you do not think about that. i picked some people that i should not have picked. i picked a few people that i should not have. >> neo-cons? >> yes or disloyal people. >> org they gave batted -- or they gave bad advice. >> a guy like kelly who is a bully. [end video clip] host: about 25 minutes left, hearing from those who have already voted. let's hear from pamela and maryland on the line for democrats. good morning. caller: hello. how are you? host: good. how are you? caller: i voted already. i placed mine in the dropbox

about 10 days ago. i already got a notification that my ballot was counted. but, you know, i have a question regarding why does trump think that early voting is trustworthy now as opposed to during the pandemic when people were doing early voting? just for the listeners? i just wondered that. host: john in new york. the line for republicans. good morning. caller: good morning and how are you. i am voting over here for a man that has strength with all of these world leaders and out with all of the wars going on. joe biden was out with everybody out there, taking ice cream photo shoots and everyone else. and kamala harris is doing

doritos and photo shoots. host: have you already voted. caller: yes. absolutely. host: did you go to the polls? caller: yes. the local firehouse. host: did you have to wait in line, what was the experience? caller: it went perfectly smooth. host: have you early voted before? caller: i did. yes. host: how long have you been early voting? caller: i normally go on election day. host: why did you choose to early vote this year? caller: i feel it is going to be crowded on election day and a backlog and everything else so i want to get my vote in for donaldj. trump who will be a world leader with all of the wars going on. and i do not feel that she is qualified to run the country. host: jeanette in florida. line for independents. good morning. caller: good morning. host: hello.

caller: how are you? host: doing well. caller: i voted early. and i voted for trump. host: how did you vote? did you go by the mail or in person? caller: i went in person. host: is is -- is it the first time you voted early? caller: the first time i voted early. host: why did you choose to do early voting? caller: i had the time available and i did not want it to slip away from me and i thought it would be more crowded. i think we will have a lot of people out to vote on voting day. host: would you vote again early in the future elections? caller: i would. it was easy. host: it was not crowded at your polling place. did you wait in line? caller: i got there 15 minutes early and there was already a

line let it move smoothly. host: chris in pennsylvania, line for republicans. good morning. caller: good morning. yes, i have started the whole process of voting early. i never voted in my life. so, -- [distorted] host: you are breaking up. we cannot hear you. could you try that again? caller: can you hear me a little better. host: i think we are still having a problem. give us a call back when you have better reception. host: billy, texas. line for democrats. good morning. caller: i voted early. they were not many people there. but then the line got real big and i voted for harris because trump wants to -- good morning. host: go ahead. we are listening. caller: i wanted to -- i voted

for harris because he wants to send a lot of the people back to mexico. a lot of the people who are in mexico were from mexico the farmers have them working in jobs that nobody else will work. and he is going to be a disaster to the american people. host: teddy in california, line for republican. good morning. caller: good morning, how are you doing? host: well. how did you vote early? caller: while i did the dropbox at pomona. and are we so fortunate and blessed that we can vote in so many different ways, the day of the election, before, and all of these different things.

i am hoping for the best for our country. we are so fortunate to be in a great country and we just need to continued the role of that. host: is this the first election that you have voted early? caller: correct. host: would you do it again in the future? caller: to be honest, it is such a weight lifted off my shoulders you know? and i got to where my i voted sticker all day. it is a privilege and a blessing at the same time. host: that was teddy. gene, in virginia. line for independents. caller: good morning and what a fine day to be an american. yes i did. i am -- no doubt in my retired military mind that i would go and vote. i was so excited when i walked

in. i had on my retiree army hat and i was so proud to cast vote for kamala harris, and tim walz, yes indeed. i am tired of all of this i and me and my, i voted fore e people, for ouronstitution, soldiers, sailors, maresnd coast guard. i voted for our children and senior citizens. i am tired of an individual w has a family and history of children and has not served in our mili i am so tired of i, my. host: c y a question. you said you went to the polls and is this the first time you voted early? lewis and south river, new jersey. line for democrats. caller: how are you doing? host: well. caller: what is that? host: can you turn down your

ller: i can do that.ckground. there it is, i turned it down. host: tell me about your early voting experience. did you go into the polls or in person -- or by mail? caller: i go into the polls on november 5. host: s you have not voted caller: i did not. host:k. we are going to alan in connecticut on the line for republicans. good morning. caller: nice to meet you. thank yohosting this forum. i was just going to say it is relaxing experience, the people are cheerful, it is almost like be grade school again filling in little ovals. and hand it to the clerk and that is it. i gtry out my spanish.

and i just want to say i want to be an example to the christian community because we are being extorted on christian views that we do not register or vote much. and it is so easy. i feel such satisfaction. it is the first time i voted this way and i have missed before. and all of this grace period is pleasant. host: where there are a lot of people at your polling local -- polling location? caller: it was the first day of it and it was after hours of townhall and i got in about 5:30. there were only about two or three others besides me. host: brenda in new jersey. line for independents good morning. caller: can you hear me? host: yes. caller: thank you for taking my call. i am voting for kamala harris today.

mail in. i usually go to the courthouse box so we vote early. the reason why, because of you know strong economics, she is going to do -- she is a leader for strong and giving the working class and the middle class choices, freedom and also economics. also i want to say that everybody who is voting for trump, you know, obama was -- obama gave the economic -- trump did not have a strong economic plan. ok? and when he gave the stimulus checks out, ok, that is all he gave to the working class, and they were small and they were cuts. he mostly gave the big cuts to the billionaires and whatnot.

and he inherited obama's. if you are thinking he had a strong economic, that came from president obama. host: let me ask you a question about your ballot. how long did it take you to fill it out before you dropped it off? caller: it was so comfortable. i did it at my home. it is just so comfortable. i always mail in. i always just go and do it at my home, and it is convenient. i do not mail it and because all i have to do is write it out in my home. and all i have to do is drive to the courthouse which is the official box right in front of the courthouse. and all i have to do is just drop it right there inside. and and they pick it up the next day or today, saturday. so they will pick it up on monday. host: that was brenda. maynard in south carolina on the

line for democrats. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. this is the first time that we have voted early. i noticed that there were a lot more women than men. and we voted democrat. but, that is basically it. it was very well organized. we got there early enough that there were probably thousands of people that voted early in that place. host: why did you decide to vote early this year? caller: i just thought it was a good idea. just go ahead and get it done and see what happens. i mean, south carolina might generally go read. but we are voting. that is the way we feel about it, regardless. host: that was maynard in south carolina. this headline from "the

associated press," beyonce endorses kamala harris and a joseph -- joyful speech at a houston rally. the singer was at the event last night so here is a clip from the event. [video clip] >> i am not here is a celebrity or a politician. i am here as a mother. [cheering] a mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in. a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies. a world where we are not divided, our pasts, are present, our future emerged to meet us here. imagine our daughter -- a daughter growing up seeing what is possible with no ceiling, no limitations, imagine our grandmothers and imagine what they feel right now, those who

have lived to see this historic day. [applause] even those who are no longer physically with us. imagine all of their sacrifice, the sacrifices made so that we can witness the strength of a woman. [applause] standing, in her power. reimagining what leadership is. for all of the men and women in this room and watching around the country, we need you. host: just about 10 minutes left in this first hour, hearing from early voters about their experience. brad in texas. line for republicans. caller: good morning, everybody. i had a good experience. i live in a small town and it was out the door.

it never wrapped around the building, but it was. i expect that it is going to be worse on the day so i went early. host: how long did you have to wait? caller: probably just 10 minutes. it was really -- really easy when i got into vote. like i said, it was a different experience with all of the people moving to texas. our little town has really grown. host: is this the first election that you have voted early? caller: no. i vote every chance that i get. i voted for world peace, so of course i voted republican because democrats are warmongers and they want to flood our country with immigrants. so, they will be in charge forever. if kamala gets in there she will bring in another 20 million illegals and they will be made legal and they will vote democrat because they are giving all of our wealth away and our children's future to the

immigrants. host: brad in texas. a headline from the "texas tribune" talking about an election clerk that was assaulted during early voting in san antonio. the article says that the -- that there "-- deputies have responded to calls where people wearing clothing in support of political candidates at polling places although none of the others have resulted in violence or arrest. that is why the man was arrested. voters are not aware -- allowed to wear any type of clothing that show support for a political candidate or measure within 100 feet or -- of a polling place. bexar county -- election minister's -- administrator send a statement that she wants voters to remain calm and the majority of experiences have

been positive." let us hear from virginia in maryland. line for independents. caller: good morning. i voted early in southern maryland. the line was very long but very peaceful. it took about 40 minutes. host: was this the first time you voted early? caller: no. i usually do vote early. i was just surprised at the line, it was so long and it was at 9:00 or 9:30. host: is that normal when you voted early before to wait in line that long? caller: no. i think the turnout was phenomenal. there were a lot of representatives and it was very energizing. both sides, independents as well. it was a different experience this year. host: why did you choose to vote early? caller: i have always done it

because it is convenient for me at the time with working hours and different shifts. and they have a wider time range, i believe. and less people. mostly less people. host: that was virginia. marsha in florida. line for democrats. good morning. caller: i voted democrat and early by mail. i live in a republican county in florida. i have experienced in the past some problems when voting. so, i like getting my ballot, and i like to study the people that i am voting for. host: when you sit down and fill out your ballot, how long does it usually take you? caller: how long does it really take me? usually about an hour, because i

spend a lot of time seeing who i am voting for. i will not vote for anybody that i do not really know. so, and i am a democrat. so, i will be voting for kamala harris. host: what do you do with your ballot once you have it filled out. do you put it in the mail or a dropbox? caller: i mail it. from home. host: do you track your ballot to make sure it has been counted? caller: i usually do. i have not done it this year yet, but i will track it. host: rachel in florida. line for republicans. good morning. caller: yes. hello. yes, i voted hello. i voted early in person yesterday. and i voted for donald trump because i cannot vote for a

party that imports voters like they are doing in virginia, letting the illegals vote right off of the bat. host: how long did you wait in line? caller: about five minutes. host: was this the first time that you voted early? caller: no, i have before. like i said, i vote for donald trump because well, i cannot see a party importing voters. that is cheating. host: becky in wisconsin. line for democrats. good morning. caller: hello. host: hello. caller: hello. i voted thursday, early and in person. i have voted all the different ways you could vote, by mail, in person and at the polls. and it was about an hour and 45 minute wait. and i had to be outside waiting

and it was a good thing that we had a beautiful day because if it had been raining it would've been hard to wait that long. everyone was cheerful and friendly. no antagonism that i saw at all. i saw one person wearing a political shirt and i have no idea if they managed to get through the in person voting without getting spoken to about that. i thought you were not supposed aware political leaning things. anyhow. host: when you have gone in voted early in person before, has the weights been that long? caller: one time it was and i cannot remember which election it was for. i believe it was a presidential one. and they had it at the convention center. that took a long time. i do not remember why. and then i have gone through when they had it at city hall and got at -- got in and out. this is longer than i normally

would be but probably not much longer than it was the time in the convention sector -- center. i'm guessing it was one of the bushes. i have done them all of the different ways. host: that was becky in wisconsin. the last call for the hour, alan in mississippi. line for republicans. caller: good morning, c-span. i would just met -- i would just like to make a comment regarding the clip c-span made a few days ago of tim walz accusing president trump to be a nazi and racist. this is completely false. host: we were hearing from those who had voted early in the election so we will leave it there. that is it for this first hour.

still ahead, it is the final day of the battleground states series. this morning we are focusing on north carolina. next the wral state government reporter, will doran will discuss the state role in campaign 2024 and what the candidates are doing to appeal to north carolina vors. later, catba college politics and history prote -- professor michaelitzer will discuss the political geography of the state and issues motivating voters. we will be right back. ♪ >> american history tv, exploring the people and events that tell the american story. "the calculus of violence," about how the civil war could have been much worse. watch historic presidential

elections, exploring what made these elections historic, the pivotal issues of different eras and the lasting impact on the nation. this week, the election of 1968 where richard nixon defeated hubert humphrey and george wallace, running as the american independent party candidate. florida state university history professor paul renfro on the life and death of indiana teenager ryan white emerged as one of the faces of the aids epidemic in the 1980's. the great-grandchildren of herbert hoover gathered in his presidential library in iowa to talk about his life and legacy on the 150th anniversary of his birth. watch american history tv every weekend and find a whole schedule o program guide or watch online anytime at c-span.org/history.

>> book tv come every sunday on c-span2, features leading off these discussing their latest nonfiction books. glenn fine talked about corruption in the u.s. government and the role that inspectors general play in a democratic system in his book "watchdogs and former navy seal jack carr sharesis book targeting beirut where he and his co-author look back at that 1983 u.s. marine barracks bombing in beirut that took the lives of 241 serviceman. at 10:00 eastern, florida republican congressman talks about serving in afghanistan as a green beret and now his military career influences his decision-making. he's interviewed by political

reporter paul mccleary. watch book tv every sunday on c-span2, and finest full schedule on your program guide or watch online anytime at book tv.org. >> this election night, c-span delivers not just the presidential race but the state races that will decide the balance of power in congress feet -- congress. just the candidates, the results and you. follow c-span this election night beginning at 7:00 p.m. eastern live tuesday, november 5 on tv, online, or on the free c-span now video app. >> washington journal continues. all week on washington journal we have been focusing on baleground states that will decide this year's presidential

election. we are examini what has changed since 2 the issues and political trends, motivate voters on election day. this morning we are putting the blood of the spotlight on the state of north carolina.. will doran is a reporter for wral-tv in raleigh and joins us now. guest: thanks for having me, tammy. host: we know there's a lot going on down there. why don't we start with where the presidential race between vice president harris and former president trump currently stands. what is the polling looking like? guest: the polling has been remarkably stable in the race over the past week. we have seen four or five polls that all put it at a 50-48 advantage for donald trump. well within the margin of error but clearly a tight race. very few voters still undecided here in north carolina based on all the polling we have seen recently. host: there have been several

candidate visits in the past week. what type of events are they holding? who are they trying to reach? guest: both sides are just trying to rally the base and make sure the most reliable voters are going to continue to be the most reliable voters. the trump campaign has been sending people to more rural parts of the state. places like goldsboro, raeford where jd vance was yesterday outside of fayetteville. the harris campaign has been sending people to bigger cities. former president obama was in charlotte on friday. first lady jill biden was on the raleigh suburbs. she was in nashville surveying the recovery efforts --ashevil le surveying the recovery efforts in hurricane helene. it's been trying to buckle down on your areas where you know you will be strong and make sure you get as many votes out of those areas as possible. host: you said the polling's

neck and neck, very close. what are you hearing from voters? what issues are most important to them? how many are still undecided at this point? guest: the 50-48 split we have seen in the recent polls, that is the exact same margin that trump won north carolina by in 2020. it's about a 1.5 point win for trump. it looks like the same issues that were important and driving people in 2020 remain driving people in 2024. there has not been a lot of movement in the parties. the economy is a big issue. you hear about inflation anytime you talk to people. prices have gone down but prices for cars or groceries, plenty of other things are still pretty high. that is issue number one.

immigration is also a huge issue. we got some polling at my station. it found immigration is really driving a lot of republican voters. that's no surprise anybody. a lot of democrats also have concerns about immigration policy in the u.s. and they want to see politicians doing more on that. if there is one thing that could maybe flip voters on that side, i think that is one thing. if your going to flip from republican to democrat, abortion is a big issue we heard. democrats are in the suburbs with women, people who may have voted republican in the past but they think are gettable this year because of the messaging on women's rights. host: when it comes to women's rights and having vice president kamala harris as one of the nominees after president biden was the presumptive nominee for the democrats until about july,

what changed in the state? how did that play out for vice president harris? guest: the fact that the race is looking as can because it is was very much -- neck and neck as it is was very much not the case in the summer. trump was leading by 6, 7, 8 percentage points. switching to harris, it is only a two point race. that is made north carolina a competitive state once again. we have seen enthusiasm from black voters shoot up. also young voters. the harris campaign spent a ton of money get out the vote programs on college campuses all across the state. they are hoping they can resurrect that -- the obama coalition a lot of people talk about that helped president obama win the state in 2008.

that victory in 2008 was the only time since jimmy carter in a democrat has won north carolina. they help they will have a shot of finally getting back to that stage. host: we are talking with will doran, state government reporter with wral-tv about the battleground state of north carolina. if you have a question or comment for him, you can start calling in now. the breakdown for the segment is different. if you support trump-vance, you can call (202) 748-8001. if you support harris-walz, it is (202) 748-8000. if you're undecided or support others, the line for you is (202) 748-8002. if you are a north carolina resident, a special line for you, (202) 748-8003.

the presidential race is close they are but so is one of the races for the house, the first district between democratic incumbent representative don davis and republican challenger rory bookout. gives the latest on that race. guest: this is the first district stretching fr t outer banks to the middle part of the state near raleigh rye m. it's of rural district but is incredibly comtive. there are a lot of rural bck communities in the district. and for decades it has sent a black democratic congress. this is the first time since the 1990's that could change. republicans have a shot at winning.

the republican candidate is laurie buckhout. they are both former military officers. we have for liberty, camp lejeune, norfolk naval face just over the line. those issues are near and dear to the hearts of a lot of people there. economy and immigration obvious they are two of the main issues in this district. it is really close. i was crunching the numbers and the district voted something like nine points to the left of the state back in 2016. by 2020, it was about two or three points to the left of the state. in the 2020 midterms it was actually a couple of points to the right of the state. this is an area that has been shifting to the right. the big question for democrats and representative don davis are will they pull get back to where it was in 2022?

or, will continue the rightward trend and elect a republican for the first time since the early 1990's? host: we are talking with will doran out of raleigh, north carolina, about the battleground state. we will hear from francine in north carolina on the line for supporting harris-walz. good morning. caller: how are you? host: doing well. guest: good morning -- caller: good morning america. i am from harris-walz. i am tired of trump beating down america, saying this is a terrible country, a garbage can. he talks about immigrants as if they are not human. every time he says immigrant i know he is talking about brown and black people. i am tired of it. i'm in my 70's. i think we should all turn the

page. let's start a new life here, a multiracial, multiethnic country which we are supposed to be. i want to remind people why we fired trump. he choked when he was president when the pandemic hit. remember all the lies he told us? member how many times he said it will be gone in two weeks. remember all the people that died that were stacked up in refridgerated trucks where he couldn't handle things. remember how he help the ventilators when hospitals were begging for ventilators that held -- held the ventilators. don jr. said they had 900 ventilators stashed in washington somewhere. host: we will get a response from will. guest: to her point on a

multiethnic society, north carolina has been becoming incredibly diverse. that is giving democrats hope they are going to be able to break through in the state that has been pretty consistently republican leaning. it hasn't quite happened yet except as i mentioned earlier the 2008 win for barack obama. every year we are a booming state and is becoming more racially diverse here. democrats think it's a matter of time and maybe this is the year. host: sarah in conover, north carolina, on the line for undecided. good morning. caller: good morning. i have a problem that people are going around talking about women's rights. i've had my rights since 1970, since we burned the bra. i don't understand this abortion.

a woman wants to have it, let her pay for it. no taxpaying money should be taken. that is their decision. let them pay for it. you have a great day. guest: i think there is a long-standing federal law that seeks to ban taxpayer dollars from funding abortions. that is a big issue here in north carolina that has driven people for years on both sides of the aisle. we are part of the bible belt and people have strong opinions on abortion here. it is going to be a big issue. all the democratic candidates want to make abortion a key focus of their ads. for the first time in years it's an issue that republicans really don't want to talk about. host: another race in north carolina that has gotten some attention is the open seat for the governor's seat between

democrat josh stein and republican mark robinson. what can you tell us about the candidates and where the race stands? guest: the governor's race is going to make history in north carolina no matter what. if mark robinson wins, you will be the first ever black governor. if josh stein, the democrat wins, the first ever jewish governor. to the point i was making earlier, this is an increasingly diverse state that does not necessarily look like it did 30, 40 years ago. i think that is probably exhibit a, the governor's race. mark robinson is the state lieutenant governor. josh stein is the state attorney general. they both have experience in government. robinson is very much a newcomer to politics. he went viral in 2018 for a video when he was just a private citizen talking to his local city council meeting about gun rights. that has catapulted him into gop

fame. he's very much a fiery speaker. that has won him a ton of fans and also turned off people. people have heard about a cnn report about alleged comments he reportedly made using a pseudonym on a pornographic website. mark robinson denies that in assuming cnn. -- and is suing cnn. that has taken over the race. josh stein was already winning the race based on all the polls. he already had a pretty substantial lead. ever since that article about the comments came out about a month ago we have seen stein doing even better than he had been. you are setting up for a continuation of what we have done in north carolina for a long time of looking like the state may favor a republican for president but they also favor a democrat for governor in a state

for people like to be tickets witters, like the boat -- ticket splitters, like to vote on both sides of the aisle. north carolina voted for donald trump for president but also roy cooper for governor. he is term limited and cannot run so we have a race between robinson and stein to replace him. so far, based on polling, it is not looking as close as the presidency. host: to your point on ticket splitting, the headline from axios. trump unfamiliar with north carolina governor race despite mark robinson's endorsement, backing away after the reporting from cnn. how often from voters -- how often are voters from north carolina ticket splitting? guest: it is small but big enough number of people. in the polling it's been about 5% a percent of republicans --

to 8% of republicans or trump supporters are planning on supporting josh stein for governor. you could have some democrats who are supporting trump for president but probably the bigger number in that is republicans supporting josh stein for governor. it is something we do here in north carolina. it is a facet of the state where people -- a lot of times people say, oh, i think the national have gone to liberal. -- too liberal with the local democrats are ok. you see people vote for democrats, sometimes for the state legislator seats or the governorship even though they like trump as president. host: let's hear from anthony in maryland on the line for harris-walz. good morning, anthony. caller: good morning. i am part of a labor union. although i voted early in person yesterday for harris-walz, i've

been catching a bus with a bunch of other marylanders down to north carolina to support and canvas for harris-walz. my experience has been running into people in north carolina, i was in asheville the last time, who are enthusiastic supporters of harris-walz. my question is, how reliable are the polls you are looking at in north carolina? is there a chance they are undercounting support for harris-walz in north carolina? guest: that is a great question. i don't think there's any doubt polls are not perfect. we have seen that in the last several presidential elections. because of cell phones and a lot of other factors it is really hard to do polling accurately as you once could. absolutely. those polls could be off in either direction. it could be undercounting harris supporters. it could also be undercounting

trump supporters. what we look at is the trend. basically all the polls we have seen recently have trump vary slightly up. even if they don't agree on the exact numbers, it is what they show. even while trump is slightly up in the polls they are all within the margin of error. absolutely, you know, this race could go either way. in 2020, we were the closest red state in the country. we had five point 5 million people vote in north carolina. trump won by 75,000 votes, little over 1%. this is a really, really close state. it could come down to just, you know, a few thousand people here and there in a couple of different cities. do they decide to get out and vote this year or do they decide to stay home? host: william in north carolina on the line for support

trump-vance. caller: good morning. how are you? thanks for taking my call. i want to piggyback something he just spoke on. that was the fact that i used to be a straight line -- can you hearing? host: we can hear you. caller: i used to be a straight ticket, a straight line. now i find myself because of mark robinson deftly going to support josh stein. i'm deftly going to -- the rest of my ticket will be republican. my main focus as i grew up in california. i've only been in north carolina for four years. it amazes me how people here on the eastern seaboard, down south and up north in places, they latch on to a candidate. they know very little about whose background. no one fact-checks who brags on

prosecutor julio -- prosecutorial excellent but that's not the case. trump is off the mark when he accuses harris of being soft on crime. he is soft on crime from a class perspective. it amazes me how many blacks in north carolina and other places that don't know her record in the black community in california, how they seem to be playing the race game far more than they accuse donald trump of. it irks me as a christian to find one of the most important campaign issues in our nation at this point is something we should take for granted anyway, a woman's right to choose. i just don't see the issue. whether the state does it, the federal government does it, it just doesn't matter. for me the constitution is

bedrock. states rights trump almost everything. the federal government is an overseer. host: we will get a response from will. guest: yeah. what he mentioned about kamala harris's back on as a prosecutor is something that i have heard, before in -- come up before in conversation with organiz ers. one of the group that is a little skeptical of kamala harris's black men because of her record as a prosecutor. a lot of them, from what i've heard from organizers, they have questions on what executor role in the justice system was. was she perpetrating what a lot of people see as systemic racism in the system or was she trying to improve on that and make it better and fight against it? that has been a challenge for democrats when they have been canvassing in black communities.

trying to talk to people about harris's record as a prosecutor. maybe that is what the election comes down to. i don't know in north carolina but that has been something that democrats have told me has been an issue they needed to message harder with folks they are reaching out to who are skeptical. host: larry in gaetz, north carolina. good morning. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i'm trying to put the two things together. i have already done my early voting. as an independent i like to research all the candidates. i have some scenarios with mr. davis and ms. buckhout in our district. i was curious as to what will would like to say about the

differences between the two. i had done some research myself with the immigration scenario more than a year ago and called mr. davis's office, spoke to a nice young gentleman, a staffer. i just did not see him doing anything concerning the border. we have had a blitz in our area with placards coming in the mail saying basically numerous derogatory statements about ms. buckhout, who had believed was a colonel in the u.s. army and served in war. i would like to know the differences between esther davis and ms. buckhout for anybody out there that would be interested. -- mr. davis. guest: that is a great question.

laurie buckhout was an army officer and don davis was an air force officer. beyond that there are plenty of differences between the two candidates. the immigration issue is a huge thing that has come up. you have seen a lot of the ads in this district focus on immigration. don davis has been one of the most probably moderate democratic voices on immigration. he has voted with republicans, not on every single immigration bill but on quite a few, including one recently that harshly criticized, harris -- kamala harris as being the borders czar with failed policies. he was one of only three or four democrats in all of congress who voted for that. he has tried to change that messaging that democrats have not done enough on the border. he in particular has not done enough on the border. whether or not that's ways people is yet to be seen.

plenty of his ads are videos of him down at the southern border talking with were to patrol agents, things like that. he clearly sees that as a weakness for his campaign. something he needs to address. something that's a huge concern in that district. abortion has also been a huge issue he's tried to hit buckhout on. saying she is too extreme on abortion. she would back national restrictions on that. both campaigns have really been hitting the other one heart. we have seen a ton of national groups pouring millions and millions of dollars into this race as well. we are a key battleground state for statewide races, for the presidency, but when it comes to congress this is the only competitive congressional seat in north carolina. with republicans only having i think a two or three seat majority in congress now, you

know, if they can flip this district that would really help them hang onto power coming into 2025. they will be 20 or 30, maybe more millions of dollars spent on this one congressional district in north carolina. yes, immigration is a huge issue. abortion is a huge issue. i think in the end, come down to the presidents -- it might come down to the presidential race. if the district continues trending right, kamala harris will have to win the state by a large margin for don davis to hang on. on the other hand, if don davis can turn out a lot of the democrats in the district who have had lower voter turnout rates in the past, that could help harris over the top and north carolina -- in north carolina. host: let's talk about early voting in north carolina. according to the election lab, these numbers last updated yesterday.

almost 2.3 million early votes. how does that compare to previous elections? guest: we are setting records for early voting in north carolina. people are clearly interested in this race. we clearly want to go out, make their voice known ahead of time. make sure the vote counts. there were a lot of concerns because of hurricane helene about a month ago hitting western north carolina. it was the deadliest natural disaster in state history. it did tens of billions of dollars of damage. it devastated about a quarter of the state. there were serious questions about whether places out there would be able -- the people would be able to vote and get to the polling places. if the roads would exist to let them get out of their neighborhoods into the polling places. it has really been shocking for a lot of people. that area -- the voter turnout is above average compared to the state as a whole.

those folks, even though they have all this devastation in their communities they have been turning up to vote at a higher rate than the state as a whole. the state has been setting records. we are on pace for what looks like a record-setting year. we had 75% voter turnout in 2020. it looks like we could be right there if not above it this year. host: tim in charlotte, north carolina. good morning. caller: how are you? host: doing well, tim. caller: can you hear me? host: yes, we can. caller: i want to piggyback off of what you said. i'm an independent. i was born in charlotte but i have lived all over the country. i want to address the lady that made the first comment about how trump failed with all his policies with covid. what i wanted to say is the people of western north carolina ,