WASHINGTON — The reality is political violence is a real threat facing our country.

The Department of Homeland Security has issued bulletins and so has the FBI. Examples have even emerged in recent weeks of the threats officials of both political parties are facing.

This summer, after the Supreme Court decision on abortion, a man was arrested with a gun and charged with attempting to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh near the justice's home.

In July, Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY) was attacked by a man at a political rally.

This past week, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal revealed to the Washington Post that an armed man yelled outside her home in Seattle for over an hour.

Also, there was the FBI raid at former President Donald Trump's residence at Mar-a-lago, and the FBI office in Cincinnati was attacked by a Navy veteran, who police say had extremist ties.

On Capitol Hill in 2017, there were around 3,900 threats against members of Congress, according to Capitol Police records.

Last year, there were over 9,600.

OPENING UP

One Member of Congress has been especially forthcoming about the threats he is facing. Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), one of only two Republicans on the January 6th committee, posted on Twitter audio of some of the threatening voicemails his office has received.

"I pray that it be God's will that you suffer," one caller said.

"We know where you live," another called threatened.

INCREASED SECURITY

Those threats, as well as others, have resulted in taxpayers footing the bill for more security for members of Congress. Typically, only those in senior leadership positions, like the Speaker of the House or the minority leader, are given protection.

In recent weeks, security officials at the capitol have approved $10,000 worth of security upgrades for the homes of members of Congress to pay for things like new alarms, doors or lighting.

ISSUE FOR VOTERS

Voters are beginning to take these threats seriously and some recent polls are showing the threat of political violence driving some voters this election.

In fact, a CBS/Yougov poll from late August shows that 64% of Americans believe political violence will increase from here.

In January of 2021, after the January 6th attack, only 51% of Americans thought that.

A recent NBC poll identified the threat of political violence as a driving force among voters this election.

For more updates on outstanding races across the country, click here.Control of the Senate hinged on a series of tight races Wednesday after a midterm election that defied expectations of sweeping conservative victories driven by frustration over inflation and President Joe Biden’s leadership.Either party could secure a Senate majority with wins in both Nevada and Arizona — where the races were too early to call. But there was a strong possibility that, for the second time in two years, the Senate majority could come down to a runoff in Georgia next month, with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker failing to earn enough votes to win outright.In Pennsylvania, Democrats won the governorship and Senate in the key battleground state. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke five months ago, flipped a Republican-controlled Senate seat, topping Trump-endorsed Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz. In the governor’s race Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro beat Republican Doug Mastriano, an election denier who some feared would not certify a Democratic presidential win in the state in 2024.Georgia, meanwhile, was set for yet another runoff on Dec. 6. In 2021, Warnock used a runoff to win his seat as did Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff — which gave Democrats control of the Senate. Both Warnock and Walker were already fundraising off the race stretching into a second round.Both Republicans and Democratic incumbents maintained key Senate seats. In Wisconsin, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson prevailed over Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, while in New Hampshire, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassen beat Don Bolduc, a retired Army general who had initially promoted Trump’s lies about the 2020 election but tried to shift away those views closer to Election Day.

WASHINGTON —

Republicans inched closer to a narrow House majority Wednesday, while control of the Senate hinged on a few tight races in a midterm election that defied expectations of sweeping conservative victories driven by frustration over inflation and President Joe Biden’s leadership.

Here's the latest on key races as of 3 a.m. EST:

Either party could secure a Senate majority with wins in both Nevada and Arizona — where the races were too early to call. But there was a strong possibility that, for the second time in two years, the Senate majority could come down to a runoff in Georgia next month, with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker failing to earn enough votes to win outright.

In the House, Republicans on Wednesday night were within a dozen seats of the 218 needed to take control, while Democrats kept seats in districts from Virginia to Pennsylvania to Kansas and many West Coast contests were still too early to call. In a particularly symbolic victory for the GOP, Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, the House Democratic campaign chief, lost his bid for a sixth term.

Control of Congress will decide how the next two years of Biden's term play out, and whether he is able to achieve more of his agenda or will see it blocked by a new GOP majority. Republicans are likely to launch a spate of investigations into Biden, his family and his administration if they take power, while a GOP takeover of the Senate would hobble the president’s ability to appoint judges.

Video above: Fetterman wins Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race against Mehmet Oz

“Regardless of what the final tally of these elections show, and there's still some counting going on, I'm prepared to work with my Republican colleagues," Biden said Wednesday in his first public remarks since the polls closed. “The American people have made clear, I think, that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well.”

Democrats did better than history suggested they would. The party in power almost always suffers losses in the president’s first midterm elections, though even if the GOP ultimately wins the House, it won't be by a margin as large as during other midterm cycles. Democrats gained a net of 41 House seats under then-President Donald Trump in 2018, President Barack Obama saw the GOP gain 63 in 2010 and Republicans gained 54 seats during President Bill Clinton's first midterm.

A small majority in the House would pose a great challenge for the GOP and especially California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who is in line to be House speaker and would have little room for error in navigating a chamber of members eager to leverage their votes to advance their own agenda.

In the fight for Senate control, Pennsylvania was a bright spot for Democrats. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke five months ago, flipped a Republican-controlled Senate seat, topping Trump-endorsed Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Georgia, meanwhile, was set for yet another runoff on Dec. 6. In 2021, Warnock used a runoff to win his seat, as did Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff — which gave Democrats control of the Senate. Both Warnock and Walker were already fundraising off the race stretching into a second round.

Both Republican and Democratic incumbents maintained key Senate seats. In Wisconsin, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson prevailed over Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, while in New Hampshire, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan beat Don Bolduc, a retired Army general who had initially promoted Trump’s lies about the 2020 election but tried to shift away those views closer to Election Day.

AP VoteCast, a broad survey of the national electorate, showed that high inflation and concerns about the fragility of democracy were heavily influencing voters. Half of voters said inflation factored significantly, with groceries, gasoline, housing and other costs that have shot up in the past year. Slightly fewer — 44% — said the future of democracy was their primary consideration.

Biden didn’t entirely shoulder the blame for inflation, with close to half of voters saying the higher-than-usual prices were more because of factors outside of his control. And despite the president bearing criticism from a pessimistic electorate, some of those voters backed Democratic candidates.

Democrats counted on a midterm boost from the Supreme Court’s decision to gut abortion rights, which they thought might energize their voters, and the bet paid off. In four states where the issue was on the ballot, voters backed abortion rights. VoteCast showed that 7 in 10 national voters said overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was an important factor in their midterm decisions. It also showed the reversal was broadly unpopular. And roughly 6 in 10 said they favor a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide.

In the first national election since the Jan. 6 insurrection, some who participated in or were in the vicinity of the attack on the U.S. Capitol were poised to win elected office. One of those Republican candidates, Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin — who was outside the Capitol during the deadly riot — won a House seat. Another, J.R. Majewski, lost to Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur.

Video above: Inflation, democracy top of mind as America votes

Republicans had sought to make inroads in liberal New England but were shut out of House contests, with one Maine race still set to be determined by ranked choice voting.

Governors' races took on outsized significance this year, particularly in battleground states that could help decide the results of the 2024 presidential election. Democrats held on to governors' mansions in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, defeating Republicans who promoted Trump's lies about a stolen 2020 election. Republicans held on to governors’ mansions in Florida, Texas and Georgia, another battleground state Biden narrowly won two years ago.

Trump found some success as well. He lifted Republican Senate candidates to victory in Ohio and North Carolina. JD Vance, the bestselling author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” defeated 10-term congressman Tim Ryan, while Rep. Ted Budd beat Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the state Supreme Court.

Video above: Healey declares victory, Diehl concedes in governor's race

Trump had endorsed more than 300 candidates across the country, hoping the night would end in a red wave he could ride to the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. After summoning reporters and his most loyal supporters to a watch party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Tuesday, he ended the night without a triumphant speech.

Still, the former president insisted on social media that he’d had “A GREAT EVENING.” Hours later, Palm Beach County issued an evacuation order for an area that included Trump's club with Hurricane Nicole approaching.

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Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut contributed.

Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker are trying to get out the vote ahead of Tuesday's runoff election.

More than 1.8 million people voted early, according to the Georgia secretary of state.

Females account for 56% of the vote. The Black vote stands at 31% while the White vote is at 55%.

Warnock believes he has the momentum going into Tuesday.

"We are on the verge of victory, but I don’t want us to do the victory dance before we get into the end zone," the Democratic senator told supporters.

Republicans tend to have the advantage on Election Day. Walker encouraged his supporters this weekend to get others to vote.

"If you don’t have a friend, go make a friend and get them out to vote," he said.

The runoff election was triggered after no candidate received at least 50% of the vote in November as required by state law.

Warnock earned 49% of the vote while Walker received 48%.

A win for Warnock would give Democrats a 51-49 advantage in the Senate. Democrats would still control a 50-50 Senate if Walker wins. However, they would need Vice President Kamala Harris to break any tie.

Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected House speaker on a historic post-midnight 15th ballot early Saturday, overcoming holdouts from his own ranks and floor tensions boiling over after a chaotic week that tested the new GOP majority’s ability to govern.

After four days of grueling ballots, McCarthy flipped more than a dozen conservative holdouts to become supporters, including the chairman of the chamber’s Freedom Caucus, leaving him just a few shy of seizing the gavel for the new Congress.

As the House resumed for the late night session McCarthy had been on the cusp of victory in the 14th round but he fell one vote short.

He strode to the back of the chamber to confront Matt Gaetz, sitting with Lauren Boebert and other holdouts. Fingers were pointed, words exchanged and violence apparently just averted.

At one point, Republican Mike Rogers of Alabama started to charge toward Gaetz before another Republican, Richard Hudson, physically pulled him back.

“Stay civil!” someone shouted.

Republicans quickly moved to adjourn, but then McCarthy rushed forward to switch his vote to remain in session as colleagues chanted “One more time!”

The few Republican holdouts began voting present as well, dropping the tally he needed to finally seize the gavel in what was heading toward a dramatic finish on the fourth long day of a grueling standoff that has shown the strengths and fragility American democracy.

McCarthy had declared to reporters earlier in the day that he believed “we’ll have the votes to finish this once and for all.”

The day's stunning turn of events came after McCarthy agreed to many of the detractors' demands -- including the reinstatement of a longstanding House rule that would allow any single member to call a vote to oust him from office.

Even if McCarthy is able to secure the votes he needs, he will emerge as a weakened speaker, having given away some powers and constantly under the threat of being booted by his detractors.

But he could also be emboldened as a survivor of one of the more brutal fights for the gavel in U.S. history. Not since the Civil War era has a speaker's vote dragged through so many rounds of voting.

The showdown that has stymied the new Congress came against the backdrop of the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which shook the country when a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters tried to stop Congress from certifying the Republican’s 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.

At a Capitol event on Friday, some lawmakers, mostly Democrats, observed a moment of silence and praised officers who helped protect Congress on that day. And at the White House, Biden handed out medals to officers and others who fought the attackers.

“America is a land of laws, not chaos,” he said.

At the afternoon speaker's vote, a number of Republicans tiring of the spectacle temporarily walked out when one of McCarthy's most ardent challengers railed against the GOP leader.

Contours of a deal with conservative holdouts who have been blocking McCarthy's rise emerged after three dismal days and 11 failed votes in an intraparty standoff unseen in modern times.

And an upbeat McCarthy told reporters as he arrived at the Capitol, “We’re going to make progress. We’re going to shock you.”

One significant former holdout, Republican Scott Perry, chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus who had been a leader of Trump's efforts to challenge the 2020 election, tweeted after his switched vote for McCarthy: “We're at a turning point.”

Another Republican holdout, Byron Donalds of Florida, who was repeatedly nominated as an alternative candidate for speaker, switched on Friday, too, voting for McCarthy.

Trump may have played a role in swaying the holdouts. Donalds said he had spoken to the former president who had been urging Republicans to wrap up their public dispute the day before.

As Rep. Mike Garcia nominated McCarthy for Friday, he also thanked the U.S. Capitol Police who were given a standing ovation for protecting lawmakers and the legislative seat of democracy on Jan. 6.

But in nominating the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat Jim Clyburn recalled the horror of that day and told his colleagues: “The eyes of the country are on us today,” he said.

Without a speaker, the chamber is unable swear in members and begin its 2023-24 session, a sign of the difficulty ahead for the new Republican majority as it tries to govern.

Electing a speaker is normally an easy, joyous task for a party that has just won majority control. But not this time: About 200 Republicans have been stymied by 20 far-right colleagues who said he’s not conservative enough.

The disorganized start to the new Congress pointed to difficulties ahead with Republicans now in control of the House, much the way that some past Republican speakers, including John Boehner, had trouble leading a rebellious right flank. The result: government shutdowns, standoffs and Boehner’s early retirement when conservatives threatened to oust him.

The agreement McCarthy presented to the holdouts from the Freedom Caucus and others centers around rules changes they have been seeking for months. Those changes would shrink the power of the speaker’s office and give rank-and-file lawmakers more influence in drafting and passing legislation.

At the core of the emerging deal is the reinstatement of a House rule that would allow a single lawmaker to make a motion to “vacate the chair,” essentially calling a vote to oust the speaker. McCarthy had resisted allowing a return to the longstanding rule that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had done away with, because it had been held over the head of past Republican Speaker Boehner. But it appears McCarthy had no other choice.

Other wins for the holdouts are more obscure and include provisions in the proposed deal to expand the number of seats available on the House Rules Committee, to mandate 72 hours for bills to be posted before votes and to promise to try for a constitutional amendment that would impose federal limits on the number of terms a person could serve in the House and Senate.

What started as a political novelty, the first time since 1923 a nominee had not won the gavel on the first vote, has devolved into a bitter Republican Party feud and deepening potential crisis.

Before Friday's ballots, Democratic leader Jeffries of New York had won the most votes on every ballot but also remained short of a majority. McCarthy ran second, gaining no ground.

The longest fight for the gavel started in late 1855 and dragged on for two months, with 133 ballots, during debates over slavery in the run-up to the Civil War.

___

AP writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Kevin Freking and video journalists Nathan Ellgren and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.

The House Committee investigating the attacks on the U.S. Capitol is in talks with former Vice President Mike Pence's counsel, according to Rep. Liz Cheney.

The congresswoman told ABC News that she hopes Pence will testify.

"He played a critical role on January 6. If he had succumbed to the pressure that Donald Trump was putting on him, we would have had a much worst constitutional crisis," Cheney told ABC News correspondent Jon Karl.

Pence said earlier this week that he would consider testifying before the committee. However, he noted that it would be unusual for a vice president to testify in this type of investigation.

"Under the Constitution, we have three coequal branches of government," Pence said. "Any invitation directed at me, I’d have to reflect on the unique role I was serving in as vice president. It would be unprecedented in history for a vice president to be summoned to testify on Capitol Hill."

Former President Donald Trump has railed against the committee, claiming the investigation is a "witch hunt."

Public testimony has shown Trump launched an intense pressure campaign to try to get the results of the 2020 presidential election overturned. When those efforts failed, hundreds of his supporters stormed the Capitol.

Once the Capitol was eventually cleared of the rioters, Congress returned to certify the Electoral College results and declare Joe Biden the winner.

SALT LAKE CITY — Messages obtained by CNN show texts between Utah Sen. Mike Lee and President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows in which the two discuss the administration's attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

On Dec. 8, 2020, Lee floated the idea of some states sending Electoral College delegates contrary to the verified ballot counts.

"If a very small handful of states were to have their legislatures appoint alternative slates of delegates, there could be a path," Lee wrote.

But almost a month later on Jan. 3, 2021, Lee expressed frustration with the president.

"I don’t think the president is grasping the distinction between what we can do and what he would like us to do," expressed Lee, who also sent the following message:

"Again, all of this could change if the states in question certified Trump electors pursuant to state law. But in the absence of that, this effort is destined not only to fail, but to hurt DJT in the process."

The very next day, Trump seemingly responded to Lee's texts at a rally the two attended in Georgia.

“Mike Lee is here too, but I am a little angry at him today,” the former president said.

Trump's comment drew a text response to Meadows from Lee.

"I’ve been spending 14 hours a day for the last week trying to unravel this for him. To have him take a shot at me like that in such a public setting without even asking me about it is pretty discouraging," messaged Lee. "It’s not your fault. But I’ve been calling state legislators for hours today, and am going to spend hours doing the same tomorrow. I’m trying to figure out a path that I can persuasively defend, and this won’t make it any easier."

Lee, who faces reelection this year, did not personally respond to the texts, but his office sent a statement.

"The text messages tell the same story Sen. Lee told from the floor of the senate the day he voted to certify the election results of each and every state in the nation. They tell the story of a U.S. senator fulfilling his duty to Utah and the American people by following the Constitution," his office said.

The main candidates running against Lee reacted to the story.

"It's sad to read that. I want senators from either party to put country ahead of partisan divides and in this case, it looks like he literally wants to be Trump's lawyer," said Kael Weston. "It's sad. It's not right."

In a tweet, challenger Evan McMullen called Lee’s actions a spurious legal effort to overturn the 2020 election.

This article was written by John Franchi for KSTU.

RALEIGH, North Carolina — Once every ten years, the map of America turns into a board game.

"The party that has the most seats has the power of the pen. They get to draw the maps," said Bill Phillips, the executive director of Common Cause North Carolina.

What he's talking about is redistricting – when state congressional districts are redrawn to reflect the population gain or decline. Some states lose seats, others gain seats, all based on the census count.

In some states, a nonpartisan panel draws the districts, but in 39 states, the lawmakers choose their own district borders.

"I think most people are stunned to learn that. And I hate to use the word. Our elections are rigged. We live in a democracy, but because of the way the districts are drawn, we know who is going to win by and large," he said.

Common Cause is a non-partisan group whose mission is to protect fair elections. Something Phillips doesn’t believe can happen with how the system is set up.

"Out of the 435 congressional contests that will be up in November. Maybe 40 of them at most are actually competitive. That's just not healthy," he said.

You can see what he’s talking about by looking at the shapes in some of these districts. Take Illinois’ newly drawn 17^thdistrict. We all can agree that this… as far as shapes go… is an odd one. People like Phillips say it looks this way because of the party in power.

In this case, democrats want to include as many democratic voters as possible.

In Lousiana, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, despite being more than an hour away are in one blue district together in a sea of red. This pattern repeats across the country in states where lawmakers map the maps.

"Voting and redistricting is a part of the game of chess. So what is happening is that you have a group a party that looks to a stack the chips, or it looks to dilute the vote of others and it looks to draw lies in their favor," said Eric Claville, a political and legal analyst.

The practice of drawing lines in favor of political parties is called gerrymandering. Both Claville and Philips say gerrymandering has been one of the many ways politicians have tried to silence the voice of disenfranchised groups, like African Americans.

"We still see redistricting done that will often be discriminatory to Black voters, and by that, I mean districts are drawn that might pack Black voters or crack, and that is diluting, the actual vote of an African American voter," said Phillips.

Ohio, New York, Mississippi, Texas and North Carolina are some of the states with ongoing contentious maps battles. Political parties are suing over maps drawn by opposing parties.

"To protect the rights of all, to be able to vote and not just be able to vote, but also to vote in districts that are fair, that are equitable and that are challenging and not those districts that are going to disenfranchise the power of the voter," said Claville.

Learning about this issue can make voters feel powerless. Advocates say that is not the case. If these practices concern you, you still have a voice and you can use it to rallying change for non-partisan redistricting practices.

"No matter how much money is spent, no matter what happens in the media, it boils down to this one point: one person, one vote. So if you could engage, if you could bring together a mass of votes, then you have the power in order to dictate the conversation and ultimately the outcome," said Claville.

The district attorney investigating former President Donald Trump's conduct after the 2020 presidential election has requested security assistance from the FBI.

On Sunday, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis sent a letter to J.C. Hacker, the head of the bureau's Atlanta field office.

"I am asking that you immediately conduct a risk assessment of the Fulton County Courthouse and Government Center, and that you provide protective resources to include intelligence and federal agents," the letter states.

Willis noted Trump's rhetoric at a rally in Texas over the weekend. She said the president called the prosecutors investigating him "vicious," "racist" and "radical." Willis said he also encouraged his followers to protest if the prosecutors do anything "wrong or illegal."

Last week, a judge signed off on an order to allow Willis to impanel a special grand jury in the investigation.

In the letter to the FBI, Willis said the grand jury will convene on May 2.

A leftist millennial who rose to prominence during anti-government protests was elected Chile’s next president Sunday after a bruising campaign against a free-market firebrand likened to Donald Trump.

With almost 99% of polling stations reporting, Gabriel Boric won 56% of the votes, compared to 44% for his opponent, lawmaker José Antonio Kast.

Video above: The challenges Chile faces ahead of Sunday's presidential vote

In a model of civility that broke from the polarizing rhetoric of the campaign, Kast immediately recognized defeat, tweeting a photo of himself on the phone with his opponent congratulating him on his “grand triumph.” Meanwhile outgoing President Sebastian Pinera — a conservative billionaire — held a video conference with Boric to offer his government's full support during the three-month transition.

“I am going to be the president of all Chileans,” Boric said in the brief televised appearance with Pinera.

Boric's victory is likely to be felt throughout Latin America, where ideological divisions have been on the rise amid the coronavirus pandemic, which reversed a decade of economic gains, exposed longstanding deficiencies in health care and deepened inequality.

At 35, Boric will become Chile's youngest modern president when he takes office in March and only the second millennial to lead in Latin America, after El Salvador's Nayib Bukele.

He was among several activists elected to Congress in 2014 after leading protests for higher quality education. On the stump, he vowed to “bury” the neoliberal economic model left by Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s 1973-1990 dictatorship and raise taxes on the “super rich” to expand social services, fight inequality and boost protections of the environment.

Kast, who has a history of defending Chile’s past military dictatorship, finished ahead of Boric by two points in the first round of voting last month but failed to secure a majority of votes. That set up a head-to-head runoff against Boric.

Boric was able to reverse the difference by a larger margin than pre-election opinion polls forecast by expanding beyond his base in the capital, Santiago, and attracting voters in rural areas who don't side with political extremes. For example, in the northern region of Antofagasta, where he finished third in the first round of voting, he trounced Kast by almost 20 points.

An additional 1.2 million Chileans cast ballots Sunday compared to the first round, raising turnout to 55%, the highest since voting stopped being mandatory in 2012.

Kast, 55, a devout Roman Catholic and father of nine, emerged from the far-right fringe after having won less than 8% of the vote in 2017. An admirer of Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, he rose steadily in the polls this time with a divisive discourse emphasizing conservative family values and playing on Chileans' fears that a surge in migration — from Haiti and Venezuela — is driving crime.

As a lawmaker, he has a record of attacking Chile's LGBTQ community and advocating more restrictive abortion laws. He also accused outgoing President Sebastian Pinera, a fellow conservative, of betraying the economic legacy of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the country’s former military leader. Kast's brother, Miguel, was one of Pinochet's top advisers.

“I’m very relieved,” said Mónica Salinero, a teacher who joined in the celebration of Boric's victory at the Plaza Italia in Santiago, the site of protests in 2019.

In recent days, both candidates tried to veer toward the center.

“I'm not an extremist. ... I don't feel far right,” Kast proclaimed in the final stretch even as he was dogged by revelations that his German-born father had been a card-carrying member of Adolf Hitler's Nazi party.

Boric, who is backed by a coalition of leftist parties that includes Chile's Communist Party, brought more centrist advisers onto his team and promised that any changes would be gradual and fiscally responsible.

“On both sides, people are voting out of fear,” Robert Funk, a political scientist at the University of Chile, said before the vote count. “Neither side is particularly enthused with their candidate but they are voting out of fear that, if Kast wins, there will an authoritarian regression or because they fear Boric is too young, inexperienced and aligned with the communists.”

Boric's victory is likely to be tempered by a divided congress.

In addition, the political rules could soon change because a newly elected convention is rewriting the country's Pinochet-era constitution. The convention — the nation's most powerful elected institution — could in theory call for new presidential elections when it concludes its work next year and if the new charter is ratified in a plebiscite.

___

Associated Press writer Patricia Luna reported in Santiago and AP writer Joshua Goodman reported from Miami.

Tuesday, Nov. 2, is Election Day in Ohio. Polls will open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. For the latest 2021 local election news and results, click here.

Where do I vote? Find your local polling place:

What is on my local ballot? Find local ballots at your local county Board of Elections website:

To read the voter ID requirements in Ohio, visit the Ohio Secretary of State website.

Being an off-year election, almost all races are local. The exception is the Ohio 15th Congressional District special election between Democratic State Rep. Allison Russo against Republican Mike Carey. This seat was formerly held by Steve Stivers. Part of the 15th Congressional District is in Clinton County.

The Cincinnati mayor's race is between Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval and Cincinnati City Councilman David Mann. They are running to replace John Cranley, who is finishing his second term after being elected in 2013.

The Cincinnati City Council race had 43 potential candidates file in August. City council candidates are non-partisan, but some are endorsed. Every council seat is up for election this year and only one incumbent is running (Greg Landsman). This is the list of endorsed candidates:

• Charter Committee: Kevin Flynn, Jackie Frondorf, Bill Frost, Steve Goodin, Galen Gordon, Liz Keating, Jim Tarbell, John J. William
• Tom Brinkman Jr., Jeff Cramerding, Steve Goodin, Reggie Harris, Mark Jeffreys, Scotty Johnson, Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, Liz Keating, Greg Landsman, Phillip O’Neal, Meeka Owens, Victoria Parks, Betsy Sundermann.

Hamilton County saw over 23,000 early votes. Board of Elections Director Sherry Poland says this year's ballot items are similar to 2017, when Hamilton County had 31% turnout.

"We're expecting a similar turnout. We hope for a higher turnout. We're prepared and ready if it is a little bit higher of a turnout," Poland said.

In less than one week, Cincinnati will know who its next mayor will be. One of the key issues in the race is violence in the city, particularly among young people.

One day after Mayor John Cranley gave his final state of the city address, WLWT asked the two mayoral candidates looking to replace him to give their own thoughts on the current state of Cincinnati.

"I agree with him. We have made a lot of progress in the last eight years and happily, I've been a part of that. For the first time in decades, the city's population has grown. We have created in the last eight years 29,000 additional jobs. We've done a lot to reduce poverty. We've done a lot to engage with neighborhoods," David Mann said. "I think we're on track so the issue and the challenge is continuing that and making sure that the benefits of what's happening are spread to as many of our citizens as possible."

"There's no doubt that we have seen incredible progress over the last 20 years, but unfortunately the pandemic, the challenges of gun violence, the economic downturn because of the pandemic and then obviously the several indictments on city council has unfortunately blemished some of that progress," Aftab Pureval said. "So while I think the state of the city is strong, I believe we need new leadership to turn the page on that ugly chapter."

Both candidates said addressing violence would be among their first priorities if elected.

"Number one, we support our police and we celebrate the fact that our police have evolved so positively in the last 20 years," Mann said. "We have to ask ourselves why young people ages 13, 14, 15 have illegal guns and why are they apparently lost souls without hope."

"No one of us has a magic wand to fix this issue overnight, but what I'm committed to doing is working with law enforcement, working with community stakeholders to get around the table and come up with the most innovative ideas that we can," Pureval said.

When asked about the keys to economic success following the pandemic, both candidates said growth is important.

"Creating a vibrant economy that increases jobs, supporting our neighborhoods and continuing some of the wonderful renaissance that's taken place in the last eight years," Mann said. "If I'm elected, I will concentrate very highly on making sure that we are as inclusive and equitable a community as possible."

"I firmly believe that cities that innovate, that are flexible, that are nimble will be the ones that grow and succeed over the next 10 years. The pandemic has completely changed the way that we work, the way that we live, the way that we play and Cincinnati is well-poised to take advantage of that future," Pureval said.

Mann said restoring trust in government is another one of his top priorities, while Pureval said affordable housing is another one of his.

The Virginia Democratic Party filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service on Friday, alleging local branches failed to deliver and process election-related material ahead of its high stakes gubernatorial race, thereby "threatening to disenfranchise thousands of Virginia voters."

The organization says delays in election-related mail across Albemarle County, which includes the city of Charlottesville, James City County, which is adjacent to Williamsburg, and the area of Portsmouth near Norfolk, are "particularly egregious," according to the lawsuit.

Friday's lawsuit was filed less than two weeks before the closely watched governor's race between Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin. Democrats are hoping to hold onto the governor's mansion and maintain control of the state legislature, while Youngkin seeks to be Virginia's first Republican to win a statewide election since 2009.

"Thousands of ballots delivered to postal facilities by the general registrars weeks ago are still outstanding and, weeks later, have not yet even been scanned into USPS's system. Even if these voters do eventually receive their ballots before Election Day, the slowdowns promise that they will not have sufficient time to send them back with assurance that they will arrive in time to be counted," the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court says.

"And even if a ballot reaches the appropriate election official before the receipt deadline, if the official identifies any issues with it that require remediation before it may be counted, the voter will have run out of time to rectify the problem."

Voters across Virginia had until 5 p.m, ET, Friday to request a mail-in ballot to be sent to them to cast a vote in the Nov. 2 election, according to the state's Department of Elections.

The USPS on Saturday morning confirmed receipt of CNN's request for comment.

CNN has requested data from the Virginia Department of Elections as well as comment from the Republican Party of Virginia.

USPS, under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's leadership, recently implemented new service standards that include longer first-class mail delivery times and cuts to post office hours. The changes were part of DeJoy's 10-year plan to help the embattled agency be more competitive and improve its financial situation.

Virginia joined 20 other states in suing USPS last year, pushing back on the agency's changes that disrupted mail delivery across the country and triggered accusations that former President Donald Trump and his appointees were trying to undermine mail-in voting.

In its lawsuit, the Virginia Democratic Party said the thousands of unscanned ballots in the three counties as of Tuesday make up more than a quarter of all ballots voters requested, based on Virginia Department of Elections data.

The lawsuit also said that the average percentage of unscanned ballots across the state was 10% — more than 25,000 ballots issued to voters — as of Tuesday.

In the last Virginia governor race in 2017, Albemarle County and Portsmouth went to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, while his GOP opponent Ed Gillespie narrowly won James City County.

The three counties, which the Virginia Democratic Party allege are experiencing significant delays, all voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, with a slim victory for Biden in James City County.

Florida is known by many for its beaches. But in politics, it sometimes is known for being the butt of a joke.

With many counties in Florida reporting record number of vote-by-mail requests, some are wondering will more controversy emerge in 2020? Tuesday's primary may provide clues.

TUESDAY'S PRIMARY

While Tuesday's primary does not involve presidential politics in Florida, a number of races impacting the state legislature, Congress and local governments are taking place.

HISTORY OF ISSUES

Florida's issues with elections goes all the way back to 1876. The presidential election was still undecided with Florida being unsure how to award its 4 Electoral College votes.

Florida wasn't alone. South Carolina and Louisiana were also unsure.

As a result, Congress had to step in and resolve the issue with Rutherford B. Hayes eventually becoming President.

Most Americans know Florida because of the issues in 2000. With another presidential election hanging in the balance, Al Gore and George W. Bush battled for votes during a 36-day recount.

Palm Beach County's butterfly ballot, with confusing placement of names for some voters, likely resulted in 2,800 votes for Pat Buchanan instead of Gore.

"Hanging Chads" in the state became a household phrase nationwide to describe ballots with paper fragments still hanging from them. Ballots that year were hole punch style for many voters.

Like in 2000 and 2016, Florida has long been an important state for nominees to win. It has helped choose the winning presidential candidate every election since 1992.

RECENT ISSUES

Issues in Florida's Elections have continued in recent years. In Broward County, nearly 1,000 uncounted ballots were found in a warehouse in 2012. In 2018, 22 ballots were counted that were supposed to be rejected.

THIS YEAR

Election officials have recommitted themselves to making sure Florida controversy is limited this year. However, time will tell. Stay tuned.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Protests are being planned for Jan. 6 in support of President Donald Trump and his continued attempts to overturn the election results.

Trump tweeted Friday that “The BIG Protest Rally” will take place in Washington D.C. starting at 11 a.m. EST on Wednesday, the day Congress will convene to certify the Electoral College votes and solidify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

Trump has continued to spread his false claims that the presidential election was stolen from him, alleging mass voter fraud without providing proof. Nearly all of his legal actions attempting to sway the results have failed.

The BIG Protest Rally in Washington, D.C., will take place at 11.00 A.M. on January 6th. Locational details to follow. StopTheSteal!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2021

The Washington Post reports that four different rallies are scheduled so far, and they’ll reportedly be headlined by some of Trump’s most fervent supporters, like George Papadopoulous and Roger Stone, who were recently pardoned by the president.

According to USA Today, federal and local law enforcement are bracing for the protests, which The Post says could turn violent. In online chats, the newspaper reports supporters have described smuggling guns into D.C. and setting up a possible “army encampment.”

Several different far-right groups have said they will attend these demonstrations, including the Proud Boys and white supremacist organizations, The Post reports.

The effort to overturn the Electoral College votes is far-fetched though.

Congress will likely vote on the matter, since GOP lawmakers in both the House and Senate plan to object to the certification. However, both chambers must agree, which is unlikely to happen, since the House is controlled by the Democrats and multiple Republicans in the Senate have acknowledged Biden’s win.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, one of the most powerful Republicans on Capitol Hill, denounced Republican efforts to use the tallying of Electoral College votes as a last-ditch effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

During a speech from the Senate floor, McConnell told his colleagues that his vote on Wednesday would be "the most important vote I have ever cast," adding that if Trump’s allies were successful in overturning the results of the election, “it would damage our republic forever.”

"If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral,” McConnell said. “We'd never see our country accept an election again."

McConnell added President Donald Trump had exhausted his path to victory.

“But over and over, the courts rejected these claims — including all-star judges whom the President himself nominated," he said. "...we cannot simply declare ourselves a national board of elections on steroids. The voters, the courts and the states have all spoken."

McConnell also criticized Democrats, who raised similar objections when Congress tallied Electoral College wins George W. Bush and in President Donald Trump’s first term. He also chastised the media for attempting to “de-legitimize” Trump’s presidency throughout his first term.

McConnell declined to recognize Joe Biden as president-elect after media outlets projected him the winner of the 2020 election, saying that President Donald Trump had the right to challenge the results. It wasn't until states certified results and the Electoral College cast its votes on Dec. 14 that McConnell recognized Biden as president-elect.

However, since the Electoral College vote, McConnell has cautioned Republicans against using today's vote tallying session as an opportunity to overturn the election results.

McConnell's speech Wednesday came after several Republican lawmakers objected to the Electoral College votes in Arizona, which prompted two hours of debate. Trump's allies have also promised to raise objections in other swing states, like Michigan and Pennsylvania.

However, the push to overturn the election will more than likely fail.

A majority of lawmakers in both chambers of Congress must approve the objections in order to throw out a state's Electoral Count. Democrats control the House of Representatives, and many Republican Senators have said they do not support the effort.

Vice President Mike Pence also said Wednesday that he will not reject the Electoral College results in his role of presiding over the session.

Some of America's biggest companies are suspending donations to Republican Congress members who objected to the Electoral College's votes.

The growing list of those corporations, including American Express, BlueCross BlueShield, Commerce Bank, Dow and Marriott, comes after a pro-Trump mob breached the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday to fight against the ceremonial counting of electoral votes that confirmed President-elect Joe Biden's win.

147 Republicans voted against certification of the electoral votes in a joint session of Congress last Wednesday evening. They included Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, among hundreds other congress members.

Airbnb: The home-rental company is "withholding" its PAC donations to all of the legislators involved in contesting certification of the electoral results.

"Airbnb strongly condemns last week's attack on the US Capitol and the efforts to undermine our democratic process," the company said in a statement. "We will continue to uphold our community policies by banning violent hate group members when we learn of such memberships, and the Airbnb PAC will update its framework and withhold support from those who voted against the certification of the presidential election results."

American Express: American Express said its political action committee would no longer make contributions to those 147 Republicans who voted to challenge the election results.

"Last week's attempts by some congressional members to subvert the presidential election results and disrupt the peaceful transition of power do not align with our American Express Blue Box values; therefore, the AXP PAC will not support them," the company said in a statement.

AT&T: AT&T released a statement Monday afternoon via its Public Policy Twitter account: "Employees on our Federal PAC Board convened a call today and decided to suspend contributions to members of Congress who voted to object to the certification of Electoral College votes last week."

CNN's parent company, WarnerMedia, is owned by AT&T.

Blue Cross Blue Shield: "At the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, we continuously evaluate our political contributions to ensure that those we support share our values and goals," said Kim Keck, BlueCross BlueShield's president and CEO, in a statement. "In light of this week's violent, shocking assault on the United States Capitol, and the votes of some members of Congress to subvert the results of November's election by challenging Electoral College results, BCBSA will suspend contributions to those lawmakers who voted to undermine our democracy."

The health insurance company's BLUEPAC political action committee -- supported only by employee contributions — donated $246,750 to Republican lawmakers during the 2020 cycle. That included $10,000 to Sen. Tuberville, $1,000 to Sen. Marshall and $500 to Sen. Hawley.

BlueCross BlueShield said it's stopping donations to all Republicans who challenged the Electoral College results.

Commerce Bank: Commerce Bank said it, too, is halting its PAC contributions to officials it says "have impeded the peaceful transfer of power." The bank donated a total of $49,750 to Republicans during the 2020 cycle, which included $2,500 to Sen. Marshall.

"Commerce Bank condemns violence in any form and believes the actions witnessed this week are abhorrent, anti-democratic and entirely contrary to supporting goodwill for Americans and businesses.

Dow Chemical: Dow said in an emailed statement that it is immediately suspending all corporate and employee political action committee contributions to any member of Congress who voted to object to the certification of the presidential election.

Dow said its suspension will last for one election cycle — two years for House members and up to six years for Senators — which specifically includes donations to candidates' re-election committees and affiliated PACs.

Marriott: Marriott is following suit by suspending its PAC donations to lawmakers who opposed election results.

"We have taken the destructive events at the Capitol to undermine a legitimate and fair election into consideration and will be pausing political giving from our Political Action Committee to those who voted against certification of the election," the company said in a statement.

In an internal memo to employees on Friday, Citigroup said it would temporarily suspend all political giving from its PAC in the first quarter, referred to as the Citi PAC. The company also denounced candidates "who do not respect the rule of the law."

Suspending all donations

Some companies have opted to suspend donations to all politicians, regardless of whether or not they voted against upholding the Electoral College results.

Charles Schwab: Schwab is discontinuing its financial contributions from its PAC to all lawmakers for the remainder of the year.

"This pause will give the firm an opportunity to evaluate the best path forward to fulfill our long-standing commitment to advocate on behalf of individual investors and those who serve them," said the company in statement.

Citigroup: Citi noted that of the legislators who contested the electoral college vote certification, Citigroup's PAC had given $1,000 to Sen. Hawley in 2019.

"We intend to pause our contributions during the quarter as the country goes through the Presidential transition and hopefully emerges from these events stronger and more united," said Candi Wolff, managing director and head of global government affairs, in the memo.

Coca-Cola: The beverage company has "suspended political giving."

"We were all stunned by the unlawful and violent events that unfolded in our nation's capital on Jan. 6, and we are grateful that Democracy prevailed with the subsequent certification of the election results," the company said. "The current events will long be remembered and will factor into our future contribution decisions."

Facebook: Facebook said it will suspend all donations from its political action committee through the first quarter, in light of last week's Capitol violence.

"Following last week's awful violence in DC, we are pausing all of our PAC contributions for at least the current quarter, while we review our policies," Facebook spokesman Andy Stone told CNN in a statement.

JPMorgan: JPMorgan said it will pause all political donations from the bank's PAC for six months.

"The country is facing unprecedented health, economic and political crises," said Peter Scher, head of corporate responsibility for JPMorgan. "The focus of business leaders, political leaders, civic leaders right now should be on governing and getting help to those who desperately need it most right now. There will be plenty of time for campaigning later."

Visa: The credit card company has temporarily suspended all of its PAC contributions as it reviews its "candidate contribution guidelines."

Since the Capitol riots, a large number of companies and business leaders have come forward to condemn the violence that ensued in Washington, with some calling for Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have banned President Trump from posting to his accounts for at least the remainder of his term in office -- or indefinitely. Twitter has permanently banned Trump from from its platform.

CNN's Alison Kosik contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON —

Never did Karlin Younger expect an everyday chore to spark a federal investigation. But the lunch break she decided to use to do laundry on Jan. 6 did just that in our nation's Capitol.

"I was doing a now infamous load of laundry, just changing it over from the washer to the dryer," she recalled.

It was that load, the Wisconsin native who now lives and works in D.C., was taking back to her building when she looked down and saw something odd.

"My first reaction was, 'This has got to be trash,' until I kind of leaned closer and saw that it was, in fact, something that looked like a bomb.

She noticed the piping, wires and a timer pointed to the number 20.

"You're on that edge of, 'I don't want to bother anybody, I want to make sure this is real,'" she recalled from her home in Washington. "You don't want to go down as the person who evacuates a city block for a hoax. But at the same time, there was just enough of that gut instinct that said, 'This isn't a place you put a hoax, I have to have somebody check this out.'"

She decided to alert a security guard nearby. The bomb had been placed next to the headquarters of the Republican National Committee.

Younger would later learn it was the first of two pipe bombs discovered that day, the same day a mob attacked the United States Capitol in support of President Donald Trump and his false claims alleging the election was "stolen."

Investigators found the other potentially deadly device near the Democratic headquarters about a quarter-mile south of Younger's building.

Federal investigators published a wanted poster with an image of the person they believe planted both bombs. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward to find the person.

For younger, the personal reward was knowing she was in a position to help.

"I mostly say I just got really lucky," she said. "The lesson I've learned is really to just trust your gut and if you see something, say something."

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris weren't the only ones in their families to receive new titles on Wednesday after the Inauguration Day ceremonies.

There were several young faces on the U.S. Capitol platform where Biden and Harris took their respective oaths of office, and later accompanied them as they walked onto the White House grounds — the children of the new first and second families.

The president's grandchildren and the children in Harris' family played a special role in their campaigns. Biden's grandchildren were the ones who informed him that the presidential race had been called in his favor, a source on the campaign told CNN. And during the Democratic National Convention, Harris was officially nominated to the Democratic presidential ticket by her sister Maya, niece Meena and stepdaughter Ella Emhoff.

Biden and Harris were flanked by their large families Wednesday for much of the day, and the president's family will have a presence inside the Oval Office — a table behind the Resolute Desk was filled with photos of Biden's adult children and grandchildren, including a prominent photo showing a much younger Biden holding his son Beau, who died in 2015 at the age of 46.

Related video: Biden sworn in as 46th U.S. president

This is who's who among Biden's grandchildren and Harris' stepchildren, niece and great-nieces:

Naomi Biden

Hunter Biden's daughter Naomi Biden, 27, is named after her late aunt, President Biden's late daughter. During her grandfather's campaign, she developed a presence on Twitter, sharing her thoughts on politics and offering an inside look into the life of her "pop." The president's eldest grandchild, she graduated from Columbia Law School in May 2020.

Finnegan Biden

Finnegan Biden, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, often joined her grandfather on the campaign trail, particularly during the primaries. She was named after the president's mother.

Maisy Biden

Naomi and Finnegan's younger sister, Maisy Biden, 20, is fairly active on the social media app TikTok. As the president has shared, she is good friends with former President Barack Obama's daughter Sasha, who is the same age.

Natalie Biden

The late Beau Biden's daughter, Natalie Biden garnered social media praise for her pink coat on Inauguration Day. She also has an avid TikTok following, and in a video during the DNC, she spoke about her grandfather's habit of eating ice cream "in the freezer so my grandma doesn't see."

Robert Hunter Biden

Robert Hunter Biden is President Biden's oldest grandson and the late Beau Biden's son. He appeared in a DNC video with his sister and cousins giving the Pledge of Allegiance.

Beau Biden

Beau Biden, the son of Hunter and his second wife, Melissa Cohen, was born in early spring 2020. He is named after Biden's late son.

Ella Emhoff

Ella Emhoff is Harris' stepdaughter from Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff's prior marriage. A student at Parsons School of Design and a fashion designer, she drew praise on social media for the rhinestone-studded plaid coat she wore on Inauguration Day.

Cole Emhoff

Harris' stepson Cole Emhoff, as well as Ella Emhoff, affectionately call the vice president "Momala." He is based in Los Angeles and works as an executive assistant at an entertainment company.

Meena Harris

Meena Harris, a lawyer and CEO of the lifestyle brand Phenomenal, is the daughter of Kamala Harris' sister, Maya. The sisters inspired Meena Harris to write the children's book "Kamala and Maya's Big Idea," in which two sisters work with the community to effect change, she told CNN earlier this year.

Amara Ajagu

Amara Ajagu is Meena Harris' elder daughter with husband Nikolas Ajagu and the vice president's great-niece, born in 2016. Amara was excited to attend the inauguration and has discussed her future dreams of being president and an astronaut with the vice president, as seen in Meena Harris' Instagram videos.

Leela Ajagu

The vice president's younger great-niece, Leela Ajagu was born in 2018, and she and Amara wore matching coats in honor of Kamala Harris, who had worn a similar coat as a child. Leela enjoys her mother Meena Harris' new children's book, titled "Ambitious Girl."

They were there to "Stop the Steal" and to keep the president they revered in office, yet records show that some of the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol did not vote in the very election they were protesting.

One was Donovan Crowl, an ex-Marine who charged toward a Capitol entrance in paramilitary garb on Jan. 6 as the Pro-Trump crowd chanted "who's our president?"

Federal authorities later identified Crowl, 50, as a member of a self-styled militia organization in his home state of Ohio and affiliated with the extremist group the Oath Keepers. His mother told CNN that he previously told her "they were going to overtake the government if they...tried to take Trump's presidency from him." She said he had become increasingly angry during the Obama administration and that she was aware of his support for former President Donald Trump.

Despite these apparent pro-Trump views, a county election official in Ohio told CNN that he registered in 2013 but "never voted nor responded to any of our confirmation notices to keep him registered," so he was remov ed from the voter rolls at the end of 2020 and the state said he was not registered in Ohio. A county clerk in Illinois, where Crowl was once registered, also confirmed he was not an active voter anywhere in the state.

Crowl was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of destruction of government property and conspiracy for allegedly coordinating with others to plan their attack. He remains in custody after a judge said, "The suggestion to release him to a residence with nine firearms is a non-starter." In an interview cited by the government, Crowl told the New Yorker that he had peaceful intentions and claimed he had protected the police. Crowl's attorney did not provide a comment about his client's voting record.

Many involved in the insurrection professed to be motivated by patriotism, falsely declaring that Trump was the rightful winner of the election. Yet at least eight of the people who are now facing criminal charges for their involvement in the events at the Capitol did not vote in the November 2020 presidential election, according to an analysis of voting records from the states where protestors were arrested and those states where public records show they have lived. They came from states around the country and ranged in age from 21 to 65.

To determine who voted in November, CNN obtained voting records for more than 80 of the initial arrestees. Most voted in the presidential election, and while many were registered Republicans, a handful were registered as Democrats in those jurisdictions that provided party information — though who someone votes for is not publicly disclosed. Public access to voter history records varies by state, and CNN was unable to view the records of some of those charged.

Among those who didn't vote were a 65-year-old Georgia man who, according to government documents, was found in his van with a fully-loaded pistol and ammunition, and a Louisiana man who publicly bragged about spending nearly two hours inside the Capitol after attending Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally. Another was a 21-year-old woman from Missouri who prosecutors say shared a video on Snapchat that showed her parading around with a piece of a wooden sign from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. And a Florida man previously convicted of attempted murder who was accused by the government of refusing to leave the Capitol likely did not have the option to cast a ballot because of his unpaid court fines.

Jessica Stern, a Boston University professor who has spent around 30 years researching extremists, said that while she hasn't spoken with the individuals involved in the events at the Capitol, from her interviews with other violent extremists, she believes a number of factors could have been at play. They could have believed the system was rigged, as the "Stop the Steal" movement claims, in which case there would be no point in voting. They could be more attracted to the theater, violence or attention they would get from a demonstration like the one at the Capitol than to actually achieving their purported goal — in this case, different election results.

Stern speculated that it was a combination of these reasons, adding that feelings of anger and humiliation often draw people to extremist groups and violence. She said that for someone to actually cast a vote, "you would have to believe in the ethic of voting more than you thought it was a waste of time...and see it as a moral imperative. You have to believe the system works for everyone, that it's for the good of the country."

Jack Griffith, a 25-year-old from Tennessee, trumpeted his arrival in Washington DC with a Facebook post saying, "THE CAVALRY IS COMING!!!!," using the hashtag "#MAGA," according to court documents. Shortly after leaving the Capitol on Jan. 6, he posted a message of disappointment. "I hate to be that guy, but The New World Order beat us," he wrote. "Trump was our greatest champion, and it still wasn't enough. He tried his very best. He did so much, but he's only one man...I even helped stormed(sic) the capitol today, but it only made things worse...Why, God? Why? WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN US? Unless...Trump still has a plan?"

These online missives describing his participation in the Capitol siege were later used by the Department of Justice to build a criminal case against him. Griffith faces a number of charges, including violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Election data from Tennessee and Alabama, where public records show Griffith had lived, showed that he had voted in the 2016 and 2018 elections but not the 2020 presidential election. The public defender who initially represented him declined to comment. Another attorney listed as representing him now did not respond to requests for comment.

Court records detail how University of Kentucky senior Gracyn Courtright posted a series of images on Instagram showing herself marching with a large American flag and another with her arms raised in triumph outside the Capitol, with the caption, "can't wait to tell my grandkids I was here." Later, she posted a photo of herself in a belly baring shirt with the caption, "Infamy is just as good as fame. Either way I end up more known. XOXO."

Courtright, who was charged with crimes including knowingly entering a restricted building, was also identified on surveillance footage lugging a congressional "Members Only" sign around the Capitol, according to court records. "idk what treason is," she wrote in a conversation shared with the FBI by a tipster, who had confronted the college student in a series of Instagram messages. Courtright is not registered in Kentucky, where she attends school, according to election officials. She is registered in her home state of West Virginia, but records show she did not vote in the 2020 election. Her attorney told CNN that Courtright did not dispute the fact that she did not vote in the election but declined further comment.

In a string of social media posts he shared straight from the Capitol, Edward Jacob Lang of New York portrayed himself as ready for a revolution. "1776 has commenced," he wrote in one that was cited by the government, showing him standing on the steps of the Capitol. "I was the leader of Liberty today. Arrest me. You are on the wrong side of history," read another. After leaving the Capitol, he continued to encourage followers to join the "patriot movement" with him. "GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH," he posted.

Federal prosecutors said that video footage from Jan. 6 shows Lang attempting to attack police officers with a baseball bat, donning a gas mask and riot shield. He now faces a variety of federal charges, including assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees, civil disorder and violent entry. A recent ProPublica story also revealed how Lang had used the online messaging app Telegram in an attempt to radicalize "normies" and convince them to join local militia groups — encouraging people in the days after the Capitol riot to stock up on guns and prepare for war.

Though state records show that Lang is registered to vote and had participated in a couple of past elections, county and state officials confirmed to CNN that he did not vote in the November election. Lang's attorney said in a statement that Lang claimed from jail that he submitted an absentee ballot, saying, "Mr. Lang has always represented himself as a Libertarian...He is not a devout Trump supporter, but believes that those taking office will not uphold citizens' First and Second Amendment rights."

New York law requires absentee ballots to be postmarked by election day and received within the following week in order to be counted. When asked about Lang's claim that he sent in an absentee ballot, the Sullivan County Board of Elections directed CNN to file an open records request in order to receive any information. The request had not been responded to before the time of publishing.

Lang's attorney also said the 25-year-old was a "naive, impressionable young man" who had been provoked by Trump's rhetoric. He cited Sen. Mitch McConnell's statement that "the mob was fed lies" and said he hoped that Lang and others would not be considered guilty "due solely to their associations, beliefs and presence."

Related video: McConnell points finger at President Trump in Capitol riot

A man who identified himself with the name of Lang's father refused to talk with a reporter, saying, "We hate CNN. We're pro-Trump, goodbye." In a statement to a local newspaper, Lang's father attributed his son's actions at the Capitol to "a substance abuse problem."

Arie Perliger, a professor at University of Massachusetts Lowell who specializes in right-wing domestic terror, said that he was not surprised to hear some of the rioters had not voted, particularly militia members like Crowl, since militia membership is often rooted in a distrust of government. Still, he said he was concerned that it could reflect a growing erosion of faith in the American democratic process, which is a "risk we need to think about."

"When we see that significant ideological groups are stopping participating in the Democratic process, that may mean they are looking for other ways to participate, and those other ways could be more violent," said Perliger, who oversees a database of right-wing extremist acts of violence in the United States. "We should be concerned if we see a growing number of ideological groups are reducing their involvement in electoral politics."