VOTE 2020

Changes to the law will also create more accessibility for people of different needs.

There’s no doubt that Election Day this year was one for the books. After record-setting early voting, people still showed up in droves on Election Day to cast their ballot. Below are 10 photos -- all from Getty Images -- that give an indication of how different this Election Day looked. (2020 Getty Images)Protesters march through the streets around Black Lives Matter Plaza on Nov. 3 in Washington DC. (2020 Getty Images)Did you feel things were different this year?

Celebrities -- they’re just like us. Well, not really, but they definitely vote, and they definitely post selfies on Election Day with their “I Voted” sticker. Here are a few celebs who have let social media know they are exercising their constitutional right to have their voice heard. Laura DernSnoop DoggJessica AlbaNatalie PortmanJennifer LopezCharlize TheronBlake Lively and Ryan ReynoldsDemi LovatoDrew BarrymoreLizzoMariah CareyKerry WashingtonAshlee Simpson RossReese WitherspoonHalle BerryNick JonasSelena GomezBrittany SnowJimmy FallonJoe Jonas

The former vice president is competitive in all the battleground states Trump carried in 2016, and has put a handful of traditional Republican states, including Georgia and Arizona, in play. Grab the binoculars and focus on these 10 states as election returns start rolling in:Florida: 29 electoral votesAll eyes are on Florida, a swing state known for razor-thin election tallies. If Trump doesn’t win Florida, he’s going to have a rough time capturing enough states to stay in office. As early voting began in the state, Biden expanded his ad buys into every corner of Ohio. Trump won Arizona in 2016, but it is no longer an ironclad GOP stalwart.

Here’s what voting across the nation looks like today -- one of the most historic election days in recent history. (2020 Getty Images)Would-be voters learn they are not registered at their precinct at the O.P. (2020 Getty Images)Voters cast their ballot at The Orpheum Theater on Nov. 3 in Madison, Wisconsin. (2020 Getty Images)Voters stand in ballot boxes at the Kentucky Exposition Center on Nov. 3 in Louisville, Kentucky. (2020 Getty Images)

We understand documenting that you’ve voted is important to a lot of people — especially when you get that “I Voted” sticker. You should be proud of yourself for casting your vote. While there are strict rules in some places when it comes to taking pictures at polling places, Virginia has some of the more lenient rules. Voters should always practice courtesy and common sense, and you can always ask a poll worker to specify what the rules are. When in doubt, just wait until you’re back in your car to snap that “I Voted” sticker selfie.

Is there a racial divide when it comes to voting wait times at precincts? In 2016, white voters waited an average of 10 minutes, according to a survey of voters conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In comparison, Black voters waited an average of 16 minutes and Latino voters were in line an average of 13 minutes, according to the survey. During the 2018 election, Black voters waited an average of 11.5 minutes, Latino voters an average of 11.7 minutes and white voters an average of 8.8 minutes, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. In precincts with 90% or more non-white voters, the average wait time was 32.4 minutes and the median was 13.3 minutes.

In Virginia, the state primarily uses optical ballot scanning machines, according to this elections website. Here’s how it works: An optical ballot scanning machine counts marks made on paper by the voter. For people with disabilities who wish to vote privately and independently, a Ballot Marking Device and System would be used. Want to know more about these optical ballot scanning machines that we do use in Virginia? A polling place typically only needs one machine, with certain exceptions: For example, in a presidential election, a precinct with more than 4,000 registered voters will be required to have two ballot scanning machines.

That is going to produce results coming in at very different times -- perhaps days or even weeks after Election Day. Processing early ballotsIn some places, election officials can begin processing ballots weeks before Election Day. So on Nov. 3, Election Day, officials will have to run an in-person election while also working through the unprecedented number of mail-in votes. Republicans, including Trump's campaign, have been filing lawsuits to stop election officials from counting ballots that are delivered after Election Day. Also, Pennsylvania doesn’t allow early processing of mail-in ballots, further complicating matters.

Since the Electoral College was established as the means of electing a president, it hasn’t been often when a president won the election without winning the popular vote. Despite the fact that Jackson had more electoral votes and won the popular vote, the House voted Adams as President. Cleveland ended up winning the popular vote by more than 90,000 votes, but Harrison won the electoral vote, 233-168. That gave Bush a 271-266 win in the electoral vote, even though Gore won the popular vote by roughly 500,000 more votes. But the electoral vote was a completely different matter, with Trump earning 304 votes to Clinton’s 227.

We don’t need to tell you that 2020 has been an epic election year. If you’ve kept an eye on social media to stay up to date on all the election happenings, you’ve likely been watching the feeds of President Donald Trump and Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden. They both address issues, as well as, at times, take jabs at one another. Regardless, it’s one of the best ways to stay up to date on what’s happening with both nominees. If you want to keep an eye on the latest tweets from both Trump and Biden, we’ve got them for you right here.

With less than two weeks before one of the biggest Election Days in history, Republican incumbent nominee, President Donald Trump, and Democratic nominee and former vice president Joe Biden met at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, for the second and final presidential debate. The debate, which appeared to be a little more constructive than the last, was moderated by Kristen Welker of NBC News. What did you think of responses and ideas presented by Biden and Trump? Let us know your reaction by clicking on an emoji below each statement that was made.

Have you ever wondered why is it that one candidate can win the popular vote but another wins the electoral vote, and thus, the presidency? Four candidates in history have won a majority of the popular vote only to be denied the presidency by the Electoral College. That includes Hillary Clinton, who had the largest popular vote margin of any losing presidential candidate in U.S. history. Graphic shows scenario in which a presidential candidate can win the popular vote but lose the election. It would take a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College -- an unlikely move because of how difficult it is to pass and ratify constitutional changes.

In the 1992 presidential election, independent candidate Ross Perot had what at the time was deemed an unusual selection for his running mate, retired Navy Admiral James Stockdale. Bush, who served as Reagan’s vice president, easily won the 1988 presidential election over Michael Dukakis. “I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy,” Bentsen said.

Hollywood star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to Twitter Sunday morning to endorse Democratic candidate Joe Biden as the “best choice” for the 2020 Presidential Election. “As a political independent & centrist, I’ve voted for both parties in the past. In this critical presidential election, I’m endorsing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” tweeted Johnson. As a political independent & centrist, I’ve voted for both parties in the past. Johnson personally spoke with Biden and Harris on Zoom about how they will lead once they’re inside the White House, which is included in the Twitter video.

And just like every election year, it’s of the utmost importance that citizens cast their ballot in this year’s election. If you’ve registered but are already concerned about how you will make it to a polling station, the ride-sharing company Uber wants to step in and lend a hand. As Election Day approaches, and as part of its “Get Out the Vote” campaign, the company aims to help people find their polling location, as well as offer discounted rides to and from the poll during early voting. “As we look ahead to this year’s election, we are committed to doing our part to make sure every citizen has access to vote,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said. Uber officials said as Election Day nears, people will begin to have access to important information in the app.

Copyright 2020 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved. He is set to speak at 2:00 p.m.PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will speak in Philadelphia, Pa. Sunday afternoon. If you need help with the Public File, call 540-512-1554.

All rights reserved)FAIRFAX, Va. – Lines of voters stretched hundreds deep in northern Virginia and other parts of the state on the first day of early voting in the 2020 presidential election. Friday marked the first day of early voting across the commonwealth. In past presidential elections, Virginia voters needed a reason to cast an early ballot. Long lines were also evident in Virginia Beach, where voters waited in the rain. Early in-person voting continues through Oct. 31.

Women wearing masks pose behind a voter registration table in Union Square as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on August 09, 2020 in New York City. Photo by Alexi RosenfeldAug. 18 marked the 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment being ratified, which changed elections forever. The 19th Amendment prohibits the state and federal government from denying the right of citizens to vote based on sex -- meaning, women became eligible to vote after previous years of discrimination at the polls. Since 1980, more women have voted in each presidential election than men, according to Statista. So, how much of a gap has there been between women and men voters in each presidential election of the century?

ROANOKE, Va. – 2020 is the year of the mail-in ballot, according to Roanoke City election director Andrew Cochran. “We have already received 5,000 absentee applications, and most of those came by mail,” Cochran said. However, the optional switch to mailed ballots has confused some voters in both Roanoke City and Roanoke County. “So many people say, ‘Why don’t I have my ballot?’” said Roanoke County election director Anna Cloeter. “‘I know who I want to vote for, why can’t I vote?’”The ballots don’t technically exist yet.