TOPEKA, Kan., (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly hoped to win a second term in Republican-leaning Kansas, with her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">close race</a>&nbsp;turning on how many independent and moderate GOP voters stayed with her after lifting her to victory four years ago.

Kelly was the only Democratic governor running for reelection this year in a state carried by former President Donald Trump in 2020. Republican challenger Derek Schmidt, the state's three-term attorney general, tied Kelly to President Joe Biden and blamed the two Democrats for high inflation.

Kelly held a narrow lead after 5 a.m. Wednesday, with votes still being counted.

During a speech to supporters in Topeka, she stopped short of declaring victory but said she was optimistic as she sent her backers home.

“We feel really good,” Kelly said. “There are just a few more votes that need to be counted.”

“Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a bit longer to get the final verdict,” Schmidt told a GOP gathering in Topeka.

Advance voting before Tuesday suggested that the turnout would exceed the unusually high number of ballots cast for the August election on the abortion question.

Democrats were energized in August by a statewide vote&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejecting</a>&nbsp;a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would have cleared the way for tighter restrictions on abortion or a ban of the procedure. Schmidt supported the measure while Kelly opposed it, but it wasn’t clear how much staying power the issue had as Kelly emphasized other issues.

Anne Melia, a 59-year-old Democrat who spent weeks in the summer going door to door in the Kansas City area to campaign against the abortion measure, said she knocked on more than 1,000 doors in the fall and found it harder to get out the vote for Kelly and other Democratic candidates.

“There just wasn't that same intensity,” she said Tuesday. “It's this partisan thing where people don't necessarily see the through line about their rights.”

Independent and moderate Republicans were key, having swung to Kelly in 2018 in her race against then-Kansas Secretary of State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">Kris Kobach,</a>&nbsp;a nationally known hardline provocateur on immigration and voter ID issues. Schmidt hoped to win them back, but his effort was complicated by a challenge from his right from an independent candidate,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-cabinet-kansas-topeka-derek-schmidt-aa0ee94c6c9264978e7b5be370564db2">state Sen. Dennis Pyle,</a>&nbsp;one of the Legislature's most conservative members.

Kelly's fundraising for her reelection campaign approached $8 million, while Schmidt raised about $4 million in cash contributions, though in late October the Kansas GOP was paying for mailings for him. Spending on television ads by the candidates and outside groups exceeded $40 million.

Schmidt echoed Republican candidates across the U.S. in trying to tie the Democratic incumbent to Biden. In their second and final debate, Kelly refused to answer when he asked whether she thought Kansans were better off than they were two years ago, adding, “I have stayed focused like a laser on Kansas, not on the federal government.”

Kelly also touted her efforts to lure new jobs to Kansas, suggesting that work helped the state weather national economic problems. Less than a week before Tuesday's election, she participated in a groundbreaking ceremony in the Kansas City area for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-legislature-oklahoma-kansas-topeka-a6a50dea941774e9a1f3bdba6c49df06">a multibillion-dollar mega-factory for electronics giant Panasonic Corp.</a>&nbsp;to build electric-vehicle batteries, attracted by taxpayer-funded incentives worth $829 million over 10 years, the largest package the state had ever offered a private business.

Kelly ran as the self-described “education governor,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-education-covid-kansas-1e5156ab2661470de4cbf77ab969e821">touting higher spending</a>&nbsp;on public schools, the state’s improved finances and efforts to lure businesses to the state. Democrats tried to link Schmidt to former GOP Gov. Sam Brownback, who launched a nationally notorious experiment in cutting income taxes in 2012 and 2013 that was followed by huge, persistent budget shortfalls.

Schmidt chided Kelly for what he called her “unhealthy obsession” with Brownback. He also sought to turn the issue of education against her by highlighting her March 2020 pandemic-related decision to close K-12 school buildings until the fall.

Mel Adams, an 80-year-old Republican from Topeka, said the economy was the key issue, adding that people are fed up with Democrats. He dismissed Kelly's attempts to link Schmidt to Brownback and didn't think much of her portraying herself as politically in the middle of the road.

“That's where roadkill happens,” he said.

Schmidt also painted Kelly as anti-police for calling systemic racism a problem following the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. And Republicans highlighted Kelly's vetoes of two proposals to ban transgender girls and women from girls' and women's school, club and college sports teams.

Republicans won three other statewide races. State Rep. Steven Johnson unseated Democratic State Treasurer Lynn Rogers, and Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt were reelected.

Kansans voted yes to keeping six justices on the state Supreme Court for another six years, even though five were targeted for removal by the state's most influential anti-abortion group. The court ruled in 2019 that access to abortion is protected by the Kansas Constitution.

Finally, voters approved a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution making it harder to remove county sheriffs from office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667964826864.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan., (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly hoped to win a second term in Republican-leaning Kansas, with her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">close race</a>&nbsp;turning on how many independent and moderate GOP voters stayed with her after lifting her to victory four years ago.Kelly was the only Democratic governor running for reelection this year in a state carried by former President Donald Trump in 2020. Republican challenger Derek Schmidt, the state's three-term attorney general, tied Kelly to President Joe Biden and blamed the two Democrats for high inflation.Kelly held a narrow lead after 5 a.m. Wednesday, with votes still being counted.During a speech to supporters in Topeka, she stopped short of declaring victory but said she was optimistic as she sent her backers home.“We feel really good,” Kelly said. “There are just a few more votes that need to be counted.”Schmidt also sent his supporters home.“Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a bit longer to get the final verdict,” Schmidt told a GOP gathering in Topeka.Advance voting before Tuesday suggested that the turnout would exceed the unusually high number of ballots cast for the August election on the abortion question.Democrats were energized in August by a statewide vote&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejecting</a>&nbsp;a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would have cleared the way for tighter restrictions on abortion or a ban of the procedure. Schmidt supported the measure while Kelly opposed it, but it wasn’t clear how much staying power the issue had as Kelly emphasized other issues.Anne Melia, a 59-year-old Democrat who spent weeks in the summer going door to door in the Kansas City area to campaign against the abortion measure, said she knocked on more than 1,000 doors in the fall and found it harder to get out the vote for Kelly and other Democratic candidates.“There just wasn't that same intensity,” she said Tuesday. “It's this partisan thing where people don't necessarily see the through line about their rights.”Independent and moderate Republicans were key, having swung to Kelly in 2018 in her race against then-Kansas Secretary of State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">Kris Kobach,</a>&nbsp;a nationally known hardline provocateur on immigration and voter ID issues. Schmidt hoped to win them back, but his effort was complicated by a challenge from his right from an independent candidate,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-cabinet-kansas-topeka-derek-schmidt-aa0ee94c6c9264978e7b5be370564db2">state Sen. Dennis Pyle,</a>&nbsp;one of the Legislature's most conservative members.Kelly's fundraising for her reelection campaign approached $8 million, while Schmidt raised about $4 million in cash contributions, though in late October the Kansas GOP was paying for mailings for him. Spending on television ads by the candidates and outside groups exceeded $40 million.Schmidt echoed Republican candidates across the U.S. in trying to tie the Democratic incumbent to Biden. In their second and final debate, Kelly refused to answer when he asked whether she thought Kansans were better off than they were two years ago, adding, “I have stayed focused like a laser on Kansas, not on the federal government.”Kelly also touted her efforts to lure new jobs to Kansas, suggesting that work helped the state weather national economic problems. Less than a week before Tuesday's election, she participated in a groundbreaking ceremony in the Kansas City area for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-legislature-oklahoma-kansas-topeka-a6a50dea941774e9a1f3bdba6c49df06">a multibillion-dollar mega-factory for electronics giant Panasonic Corp.</a>&nbsp;to build electric-vehicle batteries, attracted by taxpayer-funded incentives worth $829 million over 10 years, the largest package the state had ever offered a private business.Kelly ran as the self-described “education governor,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-education-covid-kansas-1e5156ab2661470de4cbf77ab969e821">touting higher spending</a>&nbsp;on public schools, the state’s improved finances and efforts to lure businesses to the state. Democrats tried to link Schmidt to former GOP Gov. Sam Brownback, who launched a nationally notorious experiment in cutting income taxes in 2012 and 2013 that was followed by huge, persistent budget shortfalls.Schmidt chided Kelly for what he called her “unhealthy obsession” with Brownback. He also sought to turn the issue of education against her by highlighting her March 2020 pandemic-related decision to close K-12 school buildings until the fall.Mel Adams, an 80-year-old Republican from Topeka, said the economy was the key issue, adding that people are fed up with Democrats. He dismissed Kelly's attempts to link Schmidt to Brownback and didn't think much of her portraying herself as politically in the middle of the road.“That's where roadkill happens,” he said.Schmidt also painted Kelly as anti-police for calling systemic racism a problem following the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. And Republicans highlighted Kelly's vetoes of two proposals to ban transgender girls and women from girls' and women's school, club and college sports teams.Republicans won three other statewide races. State Rep. Steven Johnson unseated Democratic State Treasurer Lynn Rogers, and Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt were reelected.Kansans voted yes to keeping six justices on the state Supreme Court for another six years, even though five were targeted for removal by the state's most influential anti-abortion group. The court ruled in 2019 that access to abortion is protected by the Kansas Constitution.Finally, voters approved a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution making it harder to remove county sheriffs from office.

Kelly has narrow lead over Schmidt in race for Kan. Governor 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Kris Kobach sought to win a comeback bid for Kansas attorney general after two big losses raised the question of whether he was electable in his home state.

With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">votes still being counted</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, Kobach, a former two-term Kansas secretary of state, had a small lead over Democrat Chris Mann, a former police officer and local prosecutor making his first run for elective office. Kobach said his team was confident of victory, telling supporters in Topeka, “You've got to love a comeback story.”

Mann’s spokesperson, Kelli Kee, said his campaign’s top priority is to make sure every vote is counted.

“We live in a democracy and in a democracy your vote is your voice, and we want to make sure that every Kansan has an opportunity to speak on this election," Kee said. "This is an unprecedented election, and we need to make sure we are protecting the democratic process.”

Kobach was coming off losses in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">Kansas governor's race in 2018</a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-top-news-religion-kansas-politics-6646c990bce8bd3d93e2722015de87f0">U.S. Senate primary in 2020</a>&nbsp;that Republicans chalked up to lackluster campaigns and political baggage that turned off independent and moderate GOP voters.

Many Republicans said that this year, they saw&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">a Kobach</a>&nbsp;who stayed more on message, had a better-organized campaign and came off as calmer and steadier than in the past. He talked less about illegal immigration and didn't use the signature prop of his 2018 run for governor, a Jeep painted in a flag design&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/618684029df54c9f8705a6b8ea08cbc5">with a replica machine gun</a>&nbsp;mounted on it.

But Kobach maintained a focus on tightening voting procedures in the absence of documented problems with fraud. In a mid-October debate, he said Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-kris-kobach-topeka-kansas-a34504e587cc5efcf7f01219b89f03e1">needed to rid itself of ballot drop boxes</a>&nbsp;and that people who questioned whether there is voter fraud are “ignoring reality.”

His position put him at odds with current Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who said the state's elections are secure and drop boxes safe.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-wisconsin-c61fa93a12a1a51d6d9f4e0a21fa3b75">An Associated Press survey</a>&nbsp;of state elections officials found no cases in 2020 of fraud, vandalism or theft involving drop boxes that could have affected the results.

Kobach built a national profile and created lasting political enemies before his election as Kansas secretary of state in 2010 by becoming the go-to adviser for state and local officials wanting to crack down on illegal immigration.

He also pushed the idea that lots of people could be voting illegally and championed a tough prove-your-citizenship rule for new Kansas voters, only to see the federal courts strike it down. An early Kansas supporter of Donald Trump’s presidential bid in 2016, he was co-chairman of Trump’s short-lived presidential advisory commission on voter fraud.

Kobach told Republicans during his successful primary race this year that he would consider each morning over breakfast how as attorney general he could sue President Joe Biden's administration. But during his fall campaign, he tempered that rhetoric, saying that he'd challenge Biden actions that appeared to violate federal law or the U.S. Constitution.

Mann suggested that Kobach still would be involving Kansas in frivolous and expensive lawsuits and promised to focus on the office's “everyday” work such as public safety and consumer protection.

Mann became a police officer in the late 1990s in the northeastern Kansas city of Lawrence, but an on-duty accident involving a drunken driver ended his career in uniform after only a few years. He then went to law school and worked as a prosecutor in Kansas City, Kansas, and as a state securities regulator before starting a private practice. He also served on the national board of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Kris Kobach sought to win a comeback bid for Kansas attorney general after two big losses raised the question of whether he was electable in his home state.With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">votes still being counted</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, Kobach, a former two-term Kansas secretary of state, had a small lead over Democrat Chris Mann, a former police officer and local prosecutor making his first run for elective office. Kobach said his team was confident of victory, telling supporters in Topeka, “You've got to love a comeback story.”Mann’s spokesperson, Kelli Kee, said his campaign’s top priority is to make sure every vote is counted.“We live in a democracy and in a democracy your vote is your voice, and we want to make sure that every Kansan has an opportunity to speak on this election," Kee said. "This is an unprecedented election, and we need to make sure we are protecting the democratic process.”Kobach was coming off losses in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">Kansas governor's race in 2018</a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-top-news-religion-kansas-politics-6646c990bce8bd3d93e2722015de87f0">U.S. Senate primary in 2020</a>&nbsp;that Republicans chalked up to lackluster campaigns and political baggage that turned off independent and moderate GOP voters.Many Republicans said that this year, they saw&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">a Kobach</a>&nbsp;who stayed more on message, had a better-organized campaign and came off as calmer and steadier than in the past. He talked less about illegal immigration and didn't use the signature prop of his 2018 run for governor, a Jeep painted in a flag design&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/618684029df54c9f8705a6b8ea08cbc5">with a replica machine gun</a>&nbsp;mounted on it.But Kobach maintained a focus on tightening voting procedures in the absence of documented problems with fraud. In a mid-October debate, he said Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-kris-kobach-topeka-kansas-a34504e587cc5efcf7f01219b89f03e1">needed to rid itself of ballot drop boxes</a>&nbsp;and that people who questioned whether there is voter fraud are “ignoring reality.”His position put him at odds with current Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who said the state's elections are secure and drop boxes safe.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-wisconsin-c61fa93a12a1a51d6d9f4e0a21fa3b75">An Associated Press survey</a>&nbsp;of state elections officials found no cases in 2020 of fraud, vandalism or theft involving drop boxes that could have affected the results.Kobach built a national profile and created lasting political enemies before his election as Kansas secretary of state in 2010 by becoming the go-to adviser for state and local officials wanting to crack down on illegal immigration.He also pushed the idea that lots of people could be voting illegally and championed a tough prove-your-citizenship rule for new Kansas voters, only to see the federal courts strike it down. An early Kansas supporter of Donald Trump’s presidential bid in 2016, he was co-chairman of Trump’s short-lived presidential advisory commission on voter fraud.Kobach told Republicans during his successful primary race this year that he would consider each morning over breakfast how as attorney general he could sue President Joe Biden's administration. But during his fall campaign, he tempered that rhetoric, saying that he'd challenge Biden actions that appeared to violate federal law or the U.S. Constitution.Mann suggested that Kobach still would be involving Kansas in frivolous and expensive lawsuits and promised to focus on the office's “everyday” work such as public safety and consumer protection.Mann became a police officer in the late 1990s in the northeastern Kansas city of Lawrence, but an on-duty accident involving a drunken driver ended his career in uniform after only a few years. He then went to law school and worked as a prosecutor in Kansas City, Kansas, and as a state securities regulator before starting a private practice. He also served on the national board of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Kobach has small lead over Mann in race for Kansas AG

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Voters approved recreational marijuana in Missouri and Maryland but rejected it in two other states, signaling support gradually growing for legalization even in conservative parts of the country.

The results mean that 21 states have now approved marijuana’s recreational use. Arkansas and North Dakota voters rejected legalization proposals in Tuesday's elections. A similar initiative went before voters in South Dakota, but early Wednesday it was too early to call.

Advocates said the results send a message to lawmakers in Washington about support around the country for legalization.

“A growing number of voters recognize that cannabis policy reform is in the best interest of public health and safety, criminal justice reform, social equity, and personal freedom,” Toi Hutchinson, president and CEO of the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a statement. “State-level legalization victories are what’s necessary to move the needle forward at the federal level."

The state voting follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-marijuana-government-and-politics-2d5e3d9e2cfbbbe3ee114536738894a8">moves by President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;toward decriminalizing marijuana. Biden last month announced he was pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law.

Advocates of the marijuana initiatives have said Biden's announcement could&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-health-donald-trump-arkansas-30242edb2600bf46ff404fc2c80862cd">give a boost</a>&nbsp;to their efforts.

Missouri’s measure will legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older and expunge records of past arrests and convictions for nonviolent marijuana offenses, except for selling to minors or driving under the influence.

“It just shows that this is not a partisan issue,” said John Payne, who led the Missouri campaign to legalize marijuana use. “This is something that transcends partisan divides.”

Payne said he expected recreational sales to start in Missouri early next year.

Opponents said they would be working to limit the implementation of Missouri's legalization, such as working with cities and towns to opt out of allowing dispensaries.

“The devil is in the details, and we will remain actively involved in Missouri implementation because we don’t need another Big Tobacco industry harming kids in Missouri," said Kevin Sabet, president of SAM Action, an anti-legalization group.

Maryland will also make changes in criminal law and create automatic expungements of past marijuana possession convictions.

Heading into the election, recreational marijuana was legal in 19 states, and polls have shown opposition to legalization softening. All of the states with recreational marijuana on the ballot, except for Maryland, voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

About 6 in 10 voters support legalizing the recreational use of marijuana nationwide, according to VoteCast, an extensive survey of more than 90,000 voters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.

“Support for ending marijuana prohibition in the states is spreading much like it did at the end of alcohol prohibition," said Mason Tvert, a partner at VS Strategies, a cannabis policy and public affairs firm. “

The five states that held votes on Tuesday have legal medical marijuana programs. That includes Arkansas, which in 2016 became the first Bible Belt state to approve medical marijuana. The state's dispensaries opened in 2019, and more than 91,000 patients have cards to legally buy marijuana for medical conditions.

The legalization campaigns&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-marijuana-industry-donors-d97a216994afd9933d0f733b3def6742">raised</a>&nbsp;about $23 million in the five states, with the vast majority in Arkansas and Missouri. More than 85% of contributions in those two states came from donors associated with companies holding medical marijuana licenses, according to an Associated Press analysis of the most recent campaign finance reports.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-arkansas-marijuana-recreational-supreme-court-bb2ec7c849bb46a793537ccfb9946420">Arkansas</a>, supporters ran upbeat ads touting the thousands of jobs they said would be created by the measure. Opponents ran more ominous spots, warning voters to “protect Arkansas from big marijuana.”

“The marijuana industry spent millions of dollars trying to write itself into the Arkansas Constitution," said Jerry Cox, executive director of the Family Council Action Committee, one of the groups opposing the measure. “Now they know that Arkansans do not support that kind of crony politics."

The initiative drew the criticism of traditional legalization opponents as well as some medical marijuana advocates, who said the Arkansas proposal placed too many limits and would only benefit a handful of dispensaries. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a former head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, also opposed the measure.

Supporters indicated they planned to try again in Arkansas.

“Tonight, we made history by putting adult-use cannabis on the ballot for the first time, Although we fell short, we look forward to continuing this effort to build this momentum to 2024," said Robert McLarty, campaign director for Responsible Growth Arkansas.

David Owen, who led North Dakota's legalization effort, said he wasn't sure another effort would be made after the proposal was rejected.

“Tonight was not what we wanted, but the people have spoken and we have to prepare for the next steps,” Owen said.

North Dakota's proposal would have allowed people 21 and older to legally use marijuana at home as well as possess and cultivate restricted amounts of cannabis. It also would have established policies to regulate retail stores, cultivators and other types of marijuana businesses.

“It’s pretty clear North Dakota families don’t want marijuana across the state,” said Luke Niforatos, executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a Virginia-based political organization against marijuana legalization, which helped fight the measure in North Dakota.

South Dakotans, including a sizable number of Republicans, voted to legalize marijuana possession in 2020, but that law was struck down by the state Supreme Court in part because the proposal was coupled with medical marijuana and hemp. This year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-sd-state-wire-south-dakota-marijuana-legalization-recreational-9426bf3208b9b53aa5804fb2b33b9bb9">recreational pot</a>&nbsp;stood by itself as it went before voters.

In Colorado, where recreational marijuana has been legal for nearly a decade, voters on Tuesday took up a proposal that would allow the use of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-veterans-denver-mental-f41ec8947ac4af17e6c51c84a1690727">certain psychedelic substances</a>. If approved, it would make Colorado the second state to take such a step. The vote was too early to call early Wednesday.

Melody Finley, a Republican in Little Rock, Arkansas, said she voted for the state's legalization measure because she thinks it can help some people for certain conditions.

“If you can buy alcohol, you can buy that, too," Finley, 47, a dance instructor, said.

But Rick Huffman, a voter in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, voted against that state's legalization proposal, two years after supporting recreational marijuana on South Dakota's ballot in 2020.

“I’ve got a kid that’s a teenager now,” he said. “So I think it’ll eventually happen, but maybe I’ll wait until my kids grow up.”

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Voters approved recreational marijuana in Missouri and Maryland but rejected it in two other states, signaling support gradually growing for legalization even in conservative parts of the country.The results mean that 21 states have now approved marijuana’s recreational use. Arkansas and North Dakota voters rejected legalization proposals in Tuesday's elections. A similar initiative went before voters in South Dakota, but early Wednesday it was too early to call.Advocates said the results send a message to lawmakers in Washington about support around the country for legalization.“A growing number of voters recognize that cannabis policy reform is in the best interest of public health and safety, criminal justice reform, social equity, and personal freedom,” Toi Hutchinson, president and CEO of the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a statement. “State-level legalization victories are what’s necessary to move the needle forward at the federal level."The state voting follows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-marijuana-government-and-politics-2d5e3d9e2cfbbbe3ee114536738894a8">moves by President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;toward decriminalizing marijuana. Biden last month announced he was pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law.Advocates of the marijuana initiatives have said Biden's announcement could&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-health-donald-trump-arkansas-30242edb2600bf46ff404fc2c80862cd">give a boost</a>&nbsp;to their efforts.Missouri’s measure will legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older and expunge records of past arrests and convictions for nonviolent marijuana offenses, except for selling to minors or driving under the influence.“It just shows that this is not a partisan issue,” said John Payne, who led the Missouri campaign to legalize marijuana use. “This is something that transcends partisan divides.”Payne said he expected recreational sales to start in Missouri early next year.Opponents said they would be working to limit the implementation of Missouri's legalization, such as working with cities and towns to opt out of allowing dispensaries.“The devil is in the details, and we will remain actively involved in Missouri implementation because we don’t need another Big Tobacco industry harming kids in Missouri," said Kevin Sabet, president of SAM Action, an anti-legalization group.Maryland will also make changes in criminal law and create automatic expungements of past marijuana possession convictions.Heading into the election, recreational marijuana was legal in 19 states, and polls have shown opposition to legalization softening. All of the states with recreational marijuana on the ballot, except for Maryland, voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.About 6 in 10 voters support legalizing the recreational use of marijuana nationwide, according to VoteCast, an extensive survey of more than 90,000 voters nationwide conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.“Support for ending marijuana prohibition in the states is spreading much like it did at the end of alcohol prohibition," said Mason Tvert, a partner at VS Strategies, a cannabis policy and public affairs firm. “The five states that held votes on Tuesday have legal medical marijuana programs. That includes Arkansas, which in 2016 became the first Bible Belt state to approve medical marijuana. The state's dispensaries opened in 2019, and more than 91,000 patients have cards to legally buy marijuana for medical conditions.The legalization campaigns&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-marijuana-industry-donors-d97a216994afd9933d0f733b3def6742">raised</a>&nbsp;about $23 million in the five states, with the vast majority in Arkansas and Missouri. More than 85% of contributions in those two states came from donors associated with companies holding medical marijuana licenses, according to an Associated Press analysis of the most recent campaign finance reports.In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-arkansas-marijuana-recreational-supreme-court-bb2ec7c849bb46a793537ccfb9946420">Arkansas</a>, supporters ran upbeat ads touting the thousands of jobs they said would be created by the measure. Opponents ran more ominous spots, warning voters to “protect Arkansas from big marijuana.”“The marijuana industry spent millions of dollars trying to write itself into the Arkansas Constitution," said Jerry Cox, executive director of the Family Council Action Committee, one of the groups opposing the measure. “Now they know that Arkansans do not support that kind of crony politics."The initiative drew the criticism of traditional legalization opponents as well as some medical marijuana advocates, who said the Arkansas proposal placed too many limits and would only benefit a handful of dispensaries. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a former head of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, also opposed the measure.Supporters indicated they planned to try again in Arkansas.“Tonight, we made history by putting adult-use cannabis on the ballot for the first time, Although we fell short, we look forward to continuing this effort to build this momentum to 2024," said Robert McLarty, campaign director for Responsible Growth Arkansas.David Owen, who led North Dakota's legalization effort, said he wasn't sure another effort would be made after the proposal was rejected.“Tonight was not what we wanted, but the people have spoken and we have to prepare for the next steps,” Owen said.North Dakota's proposal would have allowed people 21 and older to legally use marijuana at home as well as possess and cultivate restricted amounts of cannabis. It also would have established policies to regulate retail stores, cultivators and other types of marijuana businesses.“It’s pretty clear North Dakota families don’t want marijuana across the state,” said Luke Niforatos, executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a Virginia-based political organization against marijuana legalization, which helped fight the measure in North Dakota.South Dakotans, including a sizable number of Republicans, voted to legalize marijuana possession in 2020, but that law was struck down by the state Supreme Court in part because the proposal was coupled with medical marijuana and hemp. This year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-sd-state-wire-south-dakota-marijuana-legalization-recreational-9426bf3208b9b53aa5804fb2b33b9bb9">recreational pot</a>&nbsp;stood by itself as it went before voters.In Colorado, where recreational marijuana has been legal for nearly a decade, voters on Tuesday took up a proposal that would allow the use of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-veterans-denver-mental-f41ec8947ac4af17e6c51c84a1690727">certain psychedelic substances</a>. If approved, it would make Colorado the second state to take such a step. The vote was too early to call early Wednesday.Melody Finley, a Republican in Little Rock, Arkansas, said she voted for the state's legalization measure because she thinks it can help some people for certain conditions.“If you can buy alcohol, you can buy that, too," Finley, 47, a dance instructor, said.But Rick Huffman, a voter in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, voted against that state's legalization proposal, two years after supporting recreational marijuana on South Dakota's ballot in 2020.“I’ve got a kid that’s a teenager now,” he said. “So I think it’ll eventually happen, but maybe I’ll wait until my kids grow up.”

Voters approve recreational marijuana in Missouri

MOSCOW (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/brittney-griner">American basketball star Brittney Griner</a>&nbsp;has been sent to a penal colony in Russia to serve her sentence for drug possession, her legal team said Wednesday.

A Russian court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-russia-prison-appeal-denied-0baf45ba608ec4231642c3d0fe3d1522#:~:text=MOSCOW%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20A%20Russian,swap%20between%20Moscow%20and%20Washington.">rejected an appeal of her nine-year sentence</a>&nbsp;last month. The eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/40eccfc427da65b3c02eeabc8a7410ff">was convicted Aug. 4</a>&nbsp;after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

Her arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia sent troops into Ukraine</a>, and the politically charged case could lead to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-prisoner-exchange-explainer-e5321a583bed0fd3f2311616161d8d3a">high-stakes prisoner exchange</a>&nbsp;between Washington and Moscow.

Griner's legal team said she left a detention center on Nov. 4 for a penal colony — a common type of Russian prison where detainees work for minimal pay. Her lawyers said Wednesday that they did not know exactly where she was or where she would end up — but that they expected to be notified when she reached her final destination. Such transfers can take days.

The 32-year-old star athlete, who was detained while returning to play for a Russian team during the WNBA’s offseason, has admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage. But she testified that she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.

“Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “As we have said before, the U.S. Government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens.”

The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Paul Whelan — an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage — for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/054f3cc0a8895e1ce1d7c632b46f2fe9">Viktor Bout</a>. Bout is a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the “merchant of death.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646510097872.png" alt="-Griner, 31, is one of the most recognizable players in women’s basketball, has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S., a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury and a national championship at Baylor. She is a seven-time All-Star and three-time Big 12 Player of the year at Baylor-photo courtesy Phoenix Mercury" />
 <figcaption>-Griner, 31, is one of the most recognizable players in women’s basketball, has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S., a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury and a national championship at Baylor. She is a seven-time All-Star and three-time Big 12 Player of the year at Baylor-photo courtesy Phoenix Mercury</figcaption>
 </figure>MOSCOW (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/brittney-griner">American basketball star Brittney Griner</a>&nbsp;has been sent to a penal colony in Russia to serve her sentence for drug possession, her legal team said Wednesday.A Russian court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-russia-prison-appeal-denied-0baf45ba608ec4231642c3d0fe3d1522#:~:text=MOSCOW%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20A%20Russian,swap%20between%20Moscow%20and%20Washington.">rejected an appeal of her nine-year sentence</a>&nbsp;last month. The eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/40eccfc427da65b3c02eeabc8a7410ff">was convicted Aug. 4</a>&nbsp;after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.Her arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia sent troops into Ukraine</a>, and the politically charged case could lead to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-prisoner-exchange-explainer-e5321a583bed0fd3f2311616161d8d3a">high-stakes prisoner exchange</a>&nbsp;between Washington and Moscow.Griner's legal team said she left a detention center on Nov. 4 for a penal colony — a common type of Russian prison where detainees work for minimal pay. Her lawyers said Wednesday that they did not know exactly where she was or where she would end up — but that they expected to be notified when she reached her final destination. Such transfers can take days.The 32-year-old star athlete, who was detained while returning to play for a Russian team during the WNBA’s offseason, has admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage. But she testified that she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.“Every minute that Brittney Griner must endure wrongful detention in Russia is a minute too long," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “As we have said before, the U.S. Government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens.”The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Paul Whelan — an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage — for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/054f3cc0a8895e1ce1d7c632b46f2fe9">Viktor Bout</a>. Bout is a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the “merchant of death.”

Griner sent to Russian penal colony to serve sentence

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Democrat Sharice Davids held on to her Kansas City-area congressional seat in Tuesday’s election, overcoming Republican attacks over crime and the economy and new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-elections-legislature-kansas-topeka-e6e6dfe3cfc63ddae5492980e04a0329">GOP-drawn boundaries</a>&nbsp;designed to make her district harder for her to win.

Davids, the only Democrat representing the state in Congress, defeated Republican challenger Amanda Adkins in a rematch of their 2020 race for the 3rd District seat. Like other GOP candidates, Adkins focused on high inflation and other pocketbook issues, trying to link the Democratic incumbent to President Joe Biden. While Davids highlighted federal funding for local projects and efforts to lower prescription drug costs, she and fellow Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-donald-trump-49ab209fceda7313471b6f3de82563ec">aggressively attacked Adkins on abortion.</a>&nbsp;Adkins supported a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">voters statewide decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;in August, while Davids opposed it.

Davids was the first lesbian Native American in Congress and is a lawyer and former mixed martial arts fighter. She ousted four-term GOP incumbent Kevin Yoder in the 2018 midterm as suburban voters turned against then-President Donald Trump. Her measured persona has frustrated GOP efforts to portray her as a radical liberal.

Adkins is a former executive with health care technology's Cerner Corp. and a former Kansas Republican Party chair.

The key to their race was the Kansas City suburbs in Johnson County, the state's most populous county. The county leans Republican in voter registration, but Davids carried it in 2020. Adkins was hoping to win back independent and moderate Republicans there upset over the economy.

Two retired Kansas City-area Catholic school teachers in their 70s, Jim and Eladia Gilbert, voted for Adkins. They strongly oppose abortion, side with conservative parents over what’s taught about sexuality and race in classrooms and see the U.S. border with Mexico as too open. But the economy was a key concern.

“We are watching our 401(k)s just go down the drain,” Jim Gilbert said.

The Republican-controlled state Legislature redrew congressional districts earlier this year to rebalance their populations after a decade of shifts and split the Kansas City, Kansas, area. Davids' district&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-kansas-kansas-city-topeka-elections-b660dba7114ca83eaa3d9e97604970c9">lost areas where she's performed best</a>&nbsp;and picked up heavily Republican areas in three northeastern Kansas counties.

Had the new lines been in place in 2020, both Davids' and Biden's 10-point margins of victory would have been cut in half. And Republicans counted on economic issues helping them bridge the gap this year.

But Democrats were energized by the state abortion vote in August. Adkins said abortion should be settled by the states and that she wouldn't support a federal abortion law. Adkins has not been specific about how far she thinks an abortion law should go in Kansas, which bans most abortions at the 22nd week, but said that she would favor any new, incremental state measures that would reduce the number of abortions.

For Kansas City-area retirees Elizabeth and Dave White, both in their 60s, preserving access to abortion was a crucial issue and both voted for Davids.

“I don’t believe other people should make decisions on a person’s body, whether you’re male or female,” Elizabeth Gilbert said.

Even with the 3rd District’s new, more Republican leanings, 67.5% of its voters opposed the anti-abortion measure in August.

The state’s three other incumbent U.S. House members, all Republicans, were expected to win reelection. They are Tracey Mann, in a 1st District redrawn so that it includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-donald-trump-85844d07388c25e71440059be29b7a6e">the liberal northeastern Kansas community of Lawrence</a>&nbsp;along with rural central and western Kansas; Jake LaTurner, in the 2nd District of eastern Kansas, and Ron Estes in the 4th District in the Wichita area.

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Democrat Sharice Davids held on to her Kansas City-area congressional seat in Tuesday’s election, overcoming Republican attacks over crime and the economy and new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-elections-legislature-kansas-topeka-e6e6dfe3cfc63ddae5492980e04a0329">GOP-drawn boundaries</a>&nbsp;designed to make her district harder for her to win.Davids, the only Democrat representing the state in Congress, defeated Republican challenger Amanda Adkins in a rematch of their 2020 race for the 3rd District seat. Like other GOP candidates, Adkins focused on high inflation and other pocketbook issues, trying to link the Democratic incumbent to President Joe Biden. While Davids highlighted federal funding for local projects and efforts to lower prescription drug costs, she and fellow Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-donald-trump-49ab209fceda7313471b6f3de82563ec">aggressively attacked Adkins on abortion.</a>&nbsp;Adkins supported a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">voters statewide decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;in August, while Davids opposed it.Davids was the first lesbian Native American in Congress and is a lawyer and former mixed martial arts fighter. She ousted four-term GOP incumbent Kevin Yoder in the 2018 midterm as suburban voters turned against then-President Donald Trump. Her measured persona has frustrated GOP efforts to portray her as a radical liberal.Adkins is a former executive with health care technology's Cerner Corp. and a former Kansas Republican Party chair.The key to their race was the Kansas City suburbs in Johnson County, the state's most populous county. The county leans Republican in voter registration, but Davids carried it in 2020. Adkins was hoping to win back independent and moderate Republicans there upset over the economy.Two retired Kansas City-area Catholic school teachers in their 70s, Jim and Eladia Gilbert, voted for Adkins. They strongly oppose abortion, side with conservative parents over what’s taught about sexuality and race in classrooms and see the U.S. border with Mexico as too open. But the economy was a key concern.“We are watching our 401(k)s just go down the drain,” Jim Gilbert said.The Republican-controlled state Legislature redrew congressional districts earlier this year to rebalance their populations after a decade of shifts and split the Kansas City, Kansas, area. Davids' district&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-kansas-kansas-city-topeka-elections-b660dba7114ca83eaa3d9e97604970c9">lost areas where she's performed best</a>&nbsp;and picked up heavily Republican areas in three northeastern Kansas counties.Had the new lines been in place in 2020, both Davids' and Biden's 10-point margins of victory would have been cut in half. And Republicans counted on economic issues helping them bridge the gap this year.But Democrats were energized by the state abortion vote in August. Adkins said abortion should be settled by the states and that she wouldn't support a federal abortion law. Adkins has not been specific about how far she thinks an abortion law should go in Kansas, which bans most abortions at the 22nd week, but said that she would favor any new, incremental state measures that would reduce the number of abortions.For Kansas City-area retirees Elizabeth and Dave White, both in their 60s, preserving access to abortion was a crucial issue and both voted for Davids.“I don’t believe other people should make decisions on a person’s body, whether you’re male or female,” Elizabeth Gilbert said.Even with the 3rd District’s new, more Republican leanings, 67.5% of its voters opposed the anti-abortion measure in August.The state’s three other incumbent U.S. House members, all Republicans, were expected to win reelection. They are Tracey Mann, in a 1st District redrawn so that it includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-donald-trump-85844d07388c25e71440059be29b7a6e">the liberal northeastern Kansas community of Lawrence</a>&nbsp;along with rural central and western Kansas; Jake LaTurner, in the 2nd District of eastern Kansas, and Ron Estes in the 4th District in the Wichita area.

Democratic Rep. Davids reelected in redrawn Kansas district

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis won reelection to a second term Tuesday in a victory over Democrat Charlie Crist, bolstering his rise as a prominent GOP star with potential White House ambitions.

Kansas junior Senator Roger Marshall was among the first to send his congratulations.&nbsp;

DeSantis’ win continues a rightward shift for what was once the nation’s largest swing state, as voters embraced a governor who reveled in culture war politics and framed his candidacy as a battle against the “woke agenda” of liberals.

In the lead-up to the election, DeSantis harnessed the power of incumbency to assemble media, often on short notice and far outside major markets, for news conferences where he would spend significant time honing critiques of Democratic President Joe Biden, liberal policies and the mainstream media, delivered before cheering crowds.

He gained significant national attention during the start of the coronavirus pandemic through his outspoken opposition to continued lockdowns and to mask and vaccine mandates, and eventually displayed an eagerness to wade into nearly any cultural divide, including immigration, gender, education and more.

His ceaseless combative posture, and ability to leverage the power of state government to his will, endeared DeSantis to major GOP donors and built him into a natural heir to former President Donald Trump in the minds of some Republican voters.

Weeks before the election, DeSantis directed the state to fly groups of migrants from Texas to the upscale liberal enclave of Martha’s Vineyard, as a protest over the federal government’s immigration policies at the southern border. DeSantis said the move was a way to make immigration a “front-burner issue” before the midterms, with his critics questioning the legality of the flights as they accused officials of lying to the passengers.

Election Day came as Florida continued to recover from the Category 4 Hurricane Ian, which slammed into the state in late September and killed more than 100 people and caused widespread damage.

Politically, the storm provided DeSantis a platform to project a unifying tone in the final stretch of the campaign, displaying his ability to set aside the culture warrior role and shift into a competent crisis manager. The response brought DeSantis and Biden together in southwest Florida as the pair surveyed damage, met with locals and briefed reporters, with DeSantis at one point saying “we appreciate the team effort.”

The victory is certain to further speculation of a potential DeSantis presidential run. DeSantis has so far dodged questions on his possible Washington aspirations, skirting the subject repeatedly during his only gubernatorial debate with Crist in late October. Trump, who credits himself for propelling DeSantis to a first term in the governor’s office, has grown frustrated with DeSantis’ refusal to rule out a 2024 run, according to people familiar with Trump’s thinking.

The governor was able to raise substantially more money than Crist, a 66-year-old Democrat who had previously served as a Republican governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011. Crist aimed his candidacy at moderate voters in Florida, criticizing DeSantis as a bully, as he sought to reverse a losing streak for Democrats in the state. Crist resigned a congressional seat to run for governor this year.

Democrats, the minority party in the state government, faced considerable challenges in a state recently considered to be a perennial political battleground but that has drifted rightward. Trump won the state twice and Republicans have been aggressive in organizing at the local level and made a sustained push on voter registration.

Last year, in a significant milestone, the GOP notched more registered voters in the state than Democrats for the first time in modern history, and then continued to widen the gap into November.

Some Democrats have admitted previous organizing and registration efforts in Florida had mostly centered around presidential races, and there were concerns that big donors and the national wing of the party might cede the state after recent losses and DeSantis’ growing popularity.

The Democratic Governors Association has bristled at that characterization and said it considers Florida a competitive battleground. The organization has spent $685,000 to help elect Crist, a spokesperson said.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis won reelection to a second term Tuesday in a victory over Democrat Charlie Crist, bolstering his rise as a prominent GOP star with potential White House ambitions.Kansas junior Senator Roger Marshall was among the first to send his congratulations.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Congrats <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantisFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonDeSantisFL</a> on a decisive victory!&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1590154267129958400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>DeSantis’ win continues a rightward shift for what was once the nation’s largest swing state, as voters embraced a governor who reveled in culture war politics and framed his candidacy as a battle against the “woke agenda” of liberals.In the lead-up to the election, DeSantis harnessed the power of incumbency to assemble media, often on short notice and far outside major markets, for news conferences where he would spend significant time honing critiques of Democratic President Joe Biden, liberal policies and the mainstream media, delivered before cheering crowds.He gained significant national attention during the start of the coronavirus pandemic through his outspoken opposition to continued lockdowns and to mask and vaccine mandates, and eventually displayed an eagerness to wade into nearly any cultural divide, including immigration, gender, education and more.His ceaseless combative posture, and ability to leverage the power of state government to his will, endeared DeSantis to major GOP donors and built him into a natural heir to former President Donald Trump in the minds of some Republican voters.Weeks before the election, DeSantis directed the state to fly groups of migrants from Texas to the upscale liberal enclave of Martha’s Vineyard, as a protest over the federal government’s immigration policies at the southern border. DeSantis said the move was a way to make immigration a “front-burner issue” before the midterms, with his critics questioning the legality of the flights as they accused officials of lying to the passengers.Election Day came as Florida continued to recover from the Category 4 Hurricane Ian, which slammed into the state in late September and killed more than 100 people and caused widespread damage.Politically, the storm provided DeSantis a platform to project a unifying tone in the final stretch of the campaign, displaying his ability to set aside the culture warrior role and shift into a competent crisis manager. The response brought DeSantis and Biden together in southwest Florida as the pair surveyed damage, met with locals and briefed reporters, with DeSantis at one point saying “we appreciate the team effort.”The victory is certain to further speculation of a potential DeSantis presidential run. DeSantis has so far dodged questions on his possible Washington aspirations, skirting the subject repeatedly during his only gubernatorial debate with Crist in late October. Trump, who credits himself for propelling DeSantis to a first term in the governor’s office, has grown frustrated with DeSantis’ refusal to rule out a 2024 run, according to people familiar with Trump’s thinking.The governor was able to raise substantially more money than Crist, a 66-year-old Democrat who had previously served as a Republican governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011. Crist aimed his candidacy at moderate voters in Florida, criticizing DeSantis as a bully, as he sought to reverse a losing streak for Democrats in the state. Crist resigned a congressional seat to run for governor this year.Democrats, the minority party in the state government, faced considerable challenges in a state recently considered to be a perennial political battleground but that has drifted rightward. Trump won the state twice and Republicans have been aggressive in organizing at the local level and made a sustained push on voter registration.Last year, in a significant milestone, the GOP notched more registered voters in the state than Democrats for the first time in modern history, and then continued to widen the gap into November.Some Democrats have admitted previous organizing and registration efforts in Florida had mostly centered around presidential races, and there were concerns that big donors and the national wing of the party might cede the state after recent losses and DeSantis’ growing popularity.The Democratic Governors Association has bristled at that characterization and said it considers Florida a competitive battleground. The organization has spent $685,000 to help elect Crist, a spokesperson said.

Marshall congratulates DeSantis for winning 2nd term as Fla. governor

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republican Jerry Moran on Tuesday won a third term in the U.S. Senate, defeating Democrat Mark Holland, former mayor of Kansas City, Kansas.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Moran early in 2021, insulating him from a serious Republican primary challenge, though Moran voted to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election the month before Trump’s endorsement. Holland won the Democratic primary in August against five other largely unknown candidates.

Moran’s career has been marked by his ability to retain the support of all factions of the Kansas Republican Party. He represented a western and central Kansas district in the House for 14 years before being elected to the Senate in 2010.

Moran has gained some visibility in Washington in recent years for his work on veterans issues. He is the top Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, after serving a year as chair when the GOP held a majority. He and Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, of Montana, led a successful effort this year in their chamber to pass improved health care and disability benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

Holland is a United Methodist pastor who was elected to local office in 2007, then Kansas City, Kansas, mayor in 2013. He served one term, losing his race for reelection in 2017.

It’s been 90 years since Kansas elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republican Jerry Moran on Tuesday won a third term in the U.S. Senate, defeating Democrat Mark Holland, former mayor of Kansas City, Kansas.Former President Donald Trump endorsed Moran early in 2021, insulating him from a serious Republican primary challenge, though Moran voted to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election the month before Trump’s endorsement. Holland won the Democratic primary in August against five other largely unknown candidates.Moran’s career has been marked by his ability to retain the support of all factions of the Kansas Republican Party. He represented a western and central Kansas district in the House for 14 years before being elected to the Senate in 2010.Moran has gained some visibility in Washington in recent years for his work on veterans issues. He is the top Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, after serving a year as chair when the GOP held a majority. He and Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, of Montana, led a successful effort this year in their chamber to pass improved health care and disability benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.Holland is a United Methodist pastor who was elected to local office in 2007, then Kansas City, Kansas, mayor in 2013. He served one term, losing his race for reelection in 2017.It’s been 90 years since Kansas elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.

Republican US Sen. Moran wins reelection in Kansas

NEW YORK (AP) — Guitarist Jeff Cook, who co-founded the country group Alabama and steered them up the charts with such hits as “Song of the South” and “Dixieland Delight,” has died. He was 73.

Cook had Parkinson's disease and disclosed his diagnosis in 2017. He died Tuesday at his home in Destin, Florida, said Don Murry Grubbs, a representative for the band.

Tributes poured in from country stars, including Travis Tritt who called Cook “a great guy and one heckuva bass fisherman,” and Jason Aldean, who tweeted: “ I got a chance to perform with him multiple times over the years and I will never forget it.” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, added: "Everything he did was rooted in his deep love of music, a love he shared with millions.”

As a guitarist, fiddle player and vocalist, Cook — alongside cousins Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry — landed eight No. 1 songs on the country charts between spring 1980 and summer 1982, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame. That run included the pop crossover hits “Love In The First Degree” and “Feels So Right,” as well as “Tennessee River” and “Mountain Music.”

“Jeff Cook, and all of the guys in Alabama, were so generous with wisdom and fun when I got to tour with them as a young artist,” Kenny Chesney said in a statement. “They showed a kid in a T-shirt that country music could be rock, could be real, could be someone who looked like me. Growing up in East Tennessee, that gave me the heart to chase this dream.”

The band had a three-year run as CMA Entertainer of the Year from 1982-1985 and earned five ACM Award Entertainer of the Year trophies from 1981-1985. He stopped touring with Alabama in 2018.

Cook released a handful of solo projects and toured with his Allstar Goodtime Band. He also released collaborations with Charlie Daniels and “Star Trek” star William Shatner. He entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005 as a member of Alabama.

A song he co-wrote in 2015, “No Bad Days,” took on new meaning after his diagnosis. “After I got the Parkinson’s diagnosis, people would quote the song to me and say, ‘No bad days,’” Cook told The Tennessean in 2019. “They write me letters, notes and emails and they sign ‘No Bad Days.’ I know the support is there."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667955795772.png" alt="Cook had Parkinson's disease and disclosed his diagnosis in 2017" />
 <figcaption>Cook had Parkinson's disease and disclosed his diagnosis in 2017</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Guitarist Jeff Cook, who co-founded the country group Alabama and steered them up the charts with such hits as “Song of the South” and “Dixieland Delight,” has died. He was 73.Cook had Parkinson's disease and disclosed his diagnosis in 2017. He died Tuesday at his home in Destin, Florida, said Don Murry Grubbs, a representative for the band.Tributes poured in from country stars, including Travis Tritt who called Cook “a great guy and one heckuva bass fisherman,” and Jason Aldean, who tweeted: “ I got a chance to perform with him multiple times over the years and I will never forget it.” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, added: "Everything he did was rooted in his deep love of music, a love he shared with millions.”As a guitarist, fiddle player and vocalist, Cook — alongside cousins Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry — landed eight No. 1 songs on the country charts between spring 1980 and summer 1982, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame. That run included the pop crossover hits “Love In The First Degree” and “Feels So Right,” as well as “Tennessee River” and “Mountain Music.”“Jeff Cook, and all of the guys in Alabama, were so generous with wisdom and fun when I got to tour with them as a young artist,” Kenny Chesney said in a statement. “They showed a kid in a T-shirt that country music could be rock, could be real, could be someone who looked like me. Growing up in East Tennessee, that gave me the heart to chase this dream.”The band had a three-year run as CMA Entertainer of the Year from 1982-1985 and earned five ACM Award Entertainer of the Year trophies from 1981-1985. He stopped touring with Alabama in 2018.Cook released a handful of solo projects and toured with his Allstar Goodtime Band. He also released collaborations with Charlie Daniels and “Star Trek” star William Shatner. He entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005 as a member of Alabama.A song he co-wrote in 2015, “No Bad Days,” took on new meaning after his diagnosis. “After I got the Parkinson’s diagnosis, people would quote the song to me and say, ‘No bad days,’” Cook told The Tennessean in 2019. “They write me letters, notes and emails and they sign ‘No Bad Days.’ I know the support is there."Survivors include his wife, Lisa.

Jeff Cook, co-founder of country band Alabama, dies at 73

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A former Kansas City police detective&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/933d3aba9b37c83145fba5818d557c02">convicted of shooting</a>&nbsp;and killing a Black man in 2019 is asking that his conviction be overturned or that he be given a new trial.

Jackson County Circuit Judge Dale Youngs convicted Eric DeValkenaere in March of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the death of 26-year-old Cameron Lamb on Dec. 3, 2019.

DeValkenaere, who is white, and his partner shot Lamb within seconds of arriving at a home where Lamb lived. They had followed him after reports of several traffic violations. Lamb was backing a pickup truck into a garage when he was shot.

In announcing the conviction, Youngs said the detectives violated Lamb’s constitutional rights because they had no probable cause to believe he had committed a crime, had no warrant for Lamb’s arrest and had no search warrant or consent to be on the property.

In a motion filed Oct. 27 with the Missouri Court of Appeals, DeValkenaere's attorneys argued that DeValkenaere and his partner had probable cause to be on Lamb's property and to arrest him for the traffic violations, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article268437077.html#storylink=cpy">reported</a>. They also argued that police did not trespass on private property, were not the “initial aggressors” and that Lamb's death was a lawful use of force by a police officer.

DeValkenaere testified that he shot Lamb to save his partner's life because he believed Lamb had a firearm. Lamb’s family has said he was not armed and that a gun found at the scene was planted.

DeValkenaere&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-police-shootings-kansas-city-kansas-5168b9935ec869fa74453228a87c166d">was sentenced</a>&nbsp;to three years for involuntary manslaughter and six years for armed criminal action, with the sentences to run consecutively. He has been allowed to remain free while his conviction is appealed.

DeValkenaere was suspended from the police force after his conviction and left the force in January. Police have not said if he was fired, resigned or retired.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592994941014.png" alt="DeValkenaere photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>DeValkenaere photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A former Kansas City police detective&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/933d3aba9b37c83145fba5818d557c02">convicted of shooting</a>&nbsp;and killing a Black man in 2019 is asking that his conviction be overturned or that he be given a new trial.Jackson County Circuit Judge Dale Youngs convicted Eric DeValkenaere in March of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the death of 26-year-old Cameron Lamb on Dec. 3, 2019.DeValkenaere, who is white, and his partner shot Lamb within seconds of arriving at a home where Lamb lived. They had followed him after reports of several traffic violations. Lamb was backing a pickup truck into a garage when he was shot.In announcing the conviction, Youngs said the detectives violated Lamb’s constitutional rights because they had no probable cause to believe he had committed a crime, had no warrant for Lamb’s arrest and had no search warrant or consent to be on the property.In a motion filed Oct. 27 with the Missouri Court of Appeals, DeValkenaere's attorneys argued that DeValkenaere and his partner had probable cause to be on Lamb's property and to arrest him for the traffic violations, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article268437077.html#storylink=cpy">reported</a>. They also argued that police did not trespass on private property, were not the “initial aggressors” and that Lamb's death was a lawful use of force by a police officer.DeValkenaere testified that he shot Lamb to save his partner's life because he believed Lamb had a firearm. Lamb’s family has said he was not armed and that a gun found at the scene was planted.DeValkenaere&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-police-shootings-kansas-city-kansas-5168b9935ec869fa74453228a87c166d">was sentenced</a>&nbsp;to three years for involuntary manslaughter and six years for armed criminal action, with the sentences to run consecutively. He has been allowed to remain free while his conviction is appealed.DeValkenaere was suspended from the police force after his conviction and left the force in January. Police have not said if he was fired, resigned or retired.

Kansas City officer appeals conviction in man's shooting death

WASHINGTON – A Kansas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election, according to the United State's Attorney.

Michael Eckerman, 38, of Wichita, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Eckerman illegally entered the Capitol grounds. At approximately 2 p.m., Eckerman observed rioters fighting with police officers outside the Capitol and began yelling at officers that they were “traitors to the country.” He and others then walked through scaffolding and up a set of steps leading to the Upper West Terrace. He entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Doors at approximately 2:24 p.m. He joined a crowd in pushing their collective bodies forward to breach a police line in the Crypt. Eckerman and others then surged forward and funneled toward the east side of the Capitol.

Near the Memorial Doors, he and others in the mob encountered another small group of officers who were trying to block access to nearby stairs leading to Statuary Hall and the area near the Speaker’s Lobby. Eckerman pushed his way to the front of the stand-off and once again used his body as part of a collective surge to get past the small line of law enforcement officers. At this moment, he was face to face with an officer with the U.S. Capitol Police, who put his hand on Eckerman’s shoulder. Eckerman moved his body forward to forcibly resist, impede, and interfere with the officer, which, along with the actions of others in the mob, caused the officer to stumble down some steps.

Eckerman continued moving through the building, and at one point entered the Rayburn Conference Room. He finally exited the Capitol at approximately 2:44 p.m.

&nbsp;Eckerman was arrested on Sept. 20, 2021. He is to be sentenced on Feb. 14, 2023. He faces a statutory maximum of eight years in prison for assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, as well as potential financial penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office, and its Wichita Resident Agency, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the FBI’s Boston Field Office and its Lowell, Massachusetts and Bedford, New Hampshire Resident Agencies. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

&nbsp;In the 22 months since Jan. 6, 2021, nearly 900 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 275 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1659042081555.png" alt="Photograph included in the FBI’s affidavit filed against Michael Eckerman" />
 <figcaption>Photograph included in the FBI’s affidavit filed against Michael Eckerman</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON – A Kansas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election, according to the United State's Attorney.Michael Eckerman, 38, of Wichita, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers.According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Eckerman illegally entered the Capitol grounds. At approximately 2 p.m., Eckerman observed rioters fighting with police officers outside the Capitol and began yelling at officers that they were “traitors to the country.” He and others then walked through scaffolding and up a set of steps leading to the Upper West Terrace. He entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Doors at approximately 2:24 p.m. He joined a crowd in pushing their collective bodies forward to breach a police line in the Crypt. Eckerman and others then surged forward and funneled toward the east side of the Capitol.Near the Memorial Doors, he and others in the mob encountered another small group of officers who were trying to block access to nearby stairs leading to Statuary Hall and the area near the Speaker’s Lobby. Eckerman pushed his way to the front of the stand-off and once again used his body as part of a collective surge to get past the small line of law enforcement officers. At this moment, he was face to face with an officer with the U.S. Capitol Police, who put his hand on Eckerman’s shoulder. Eckerman moved his body forward to forcibly resist, impede, and interfere with the officer, which, along with the actions of others in the mob, caused the officer to stumble down some steps.Eckerman continued moving through the building, and at one point entered the Rayburn Conference Room. He finally exited the Capitol at approximately 2:44 p.m.&nbsp;Eckerman was arrested on Sept. 20, 2021. He is to be sentenced on Feb. 14, 2023. He faces a statutory maximum of eight years in prison for assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, as well as potential financial penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office, and its Wichita Resident Agency, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the FBI’s Boston Field Office and its Lowell, Massachusetts and Bedford, New Hampshire Resident Agencies. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.&nbsp;In the 22 months since Jan. 6, 2021, nearly 900 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 275 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.&nbsp;

Kansas man pleads guilty to actions during Jan. 6 capitol breach

LYON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged illegal hunting and asking the public for help.

In the morning hours of Nov. 6, a deer was shot with a firearm in the area of road 70 and road X south of Hartford, Kansas in Lyon County, according to a social media report from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Game Wardens.

 Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lyon County Game Warden at (620) 431-9873.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667941977374.png" alt="Photo Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks Game Wardens" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks Game Wardens</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged illegal hunting and asking the public for help.In the morning hours of Nov. 6, a deer was shot with a firearm in the area of road 70 and road X south of Hartford, Kansas in Lyon County, according to a social media report from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Game Wardens. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lyon County Game Warden at (620) 431-9873.

Kansas game warden investigating deer poaching

DALLAS COUNTY, MO. —A Kansas City-area man drowned just before 9a.m. Monday in Dallas County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 75-year-old Dennis W. Steckline of Lee's Summitt drowned near the Barclay Spring Access of&nbsp; the Niangua River.&nbsp;

The circumstances of the drowning are&nbsp; unknown and there were no witnesses, according to MSHP.&nbsp; Steckline was transported to Cantlon Otterness and Viets Funeral Home in Buffalo.

DALLAS COUNTY, MO. —A Kansas City-area man drowned just before 9a.m. Monday in Dallas County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 75-year-old Dennis W. Steckline of Lee's Summitt drowned near the Barclay Spring Access of&nbsp; the Niangua River.&nbsp;The circumstances of the drowning are&nbsp; unknown and there were no witnesses, according to MSHP.&nbsp; Steckline was transported to Cantlon Otterness and Viets Funeral Home in Buffalo.

Kansas City-area man drowns on river in Missouri

WASHINGTON (AP) —Why won’t Americans know the winners of Tuesday's election for days?

(Click below to listen to White Press Secretary on the election results)

With polls open across the country, no big problems were reported early on, though there were hiccups in some places, which is typical on any Election Day.

For example, vote tabulators malfunctioned in a county in New Jersey and one in Arizona -- potentially requiring hand-counting instead; some voting sites in Pennsylvania were delayed in opening because workers showed up late, and others scrambled to replenish supplies of paper ballots that were running low.

In 2020, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the lack of final results on election night could be an indicator of something nefarious and used it to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">assert without evidence</a>&nbsp;that the election was stolen: “We don’t want them to find any more ballots at 4 o’clock in the morning and add them to the list,” he said.

In reality, however, results released on election night are unofficial and always incomplete. They&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/why-election-results-change-18343a391f9ccd143f4c0189d6bcd31e?utm_source=hubpage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">inevitably change</a>&nbsp;as more ballots are counted.

Unlike in many countries, elections in the U.S. are highly decentralized, complex and feature long lists of races, from president and Congress all the way down to local measures and town council seats. Some states give local election offices several weeks before Election Day to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-voter-registration-government-and-politics-609866267baef89dd1513e7c9e2f7509">process mailed ballots</a>, including checking signatures and verifying ID information. In other states, that process can't start until Election Day or shortly before, meaning those ballots might not get counted until the next day or even later.

Here’s why results are not always known the night of an election.

SHOULD WE KNOW THE WINNERS BEFORE GOING TO BED?

Republicans in particular have pointed to perceived delays in knowing results as a reason to be suspicious about the integrity of elections.

“We’ve got to get our elections reformed so that every Arizonan, whether they be Democrat, Independent, or Republican, when they go to bed on Election Night they know the winner and they’re satisfied that it was a fair election. We don’t have that right now,” Kari Lake, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for governor in Arizona, said in August on Twitter.

Not knowing the winner on election night says nothing about the fairness of an election or the accuracy of results. Under Arizona law, all ballots including those that were mailed must be returned by 7 p.m. on Election Day, but officials have 20 days to finalize their counts.

In Nevada, counties have four days to count late-arriving mailed ballots and give voters two more days to fix mailed ballots that arrive in envelopes with errors or missing information. This week, the elections official in the county that includes Reno reminded voters of that extended timeline and said final, official results are unlikely until the actual canvass of the vote on Nov. 18.

“It will definitely be more than the day after the election for final results of the election," said Jamie Rodriguez, Washoe County's interim registrar of voters.

A close Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania last May triggered comparisons to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-french-election-voting-results-f5b549e3b99930ee05bed17a9d3870b6">French presidential election</a>, which had been held a few weeks earlier.

Trump, in a social media post two days after the Pennsylvania primary, questioned why it was taking so long to find out the winner: “France, same day all paper, had VERIFIED numbers in evening,” Trump wrote. “U.S. is a laughing stock on Elections.”

But in France there was only one contest on the ballot. Presidential and parliamentary elections are held on separate dates. In Pennsylvania, the U.S. Senate GOP primary was just one of several contests being decided, including races for governor, attorney general, Congress and state legislature.

U.S. elections also are not nationalized, but rather overseen by states and run by local officials at the county or even township level. The U.S. has some 10,000 jurisdictions charged with overseeing the voting process.

For presidential elections in France, the Ministry of Interior distributes election-related materials, including ballots, while local officials coordinate staffing of polling places. France also has a Constitutional Council that decides election-related complaints and announces results.

Noah Praetz, the former elections clerk in Cook County, Illinois, said it’s possible to have quick results, but the U.S. has “decided to make voting accessible to everybody and let us vote on everything.” He noted that ballots in the U.S. typically include dozens of offices in contrast to some countries where voters might simply back a party whose leadership then fills many of those positions.

In France, voters choose from lists of local candidates usually associated with a party. The candidate list gaining the most support will receive the most seats in the city and regional councils.

“It’s a fundamentally different view of democracy,” Praetz said.

In addition, voters in France can vote by proxy — designating someone else to vote for them if they are unable to cast a ballot in person on Election Day, which is not allowed in the U.S.

DO MAIL BALLOTS AFFECT THE REPORTING OF RESULTS?

They can. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states were expanding the use of mail ballots and early in-person voting to reduce lines on Election Day and provide more flexibility to voters.

Mail ballots are subject to various security checks, varying by state. Some require voter signatures or ID information to match their registration files, while others require witnesses or notaries to affirm a voter’s identity.

In most states, including Florida and Georgia, the process of validating mail ballots begins well ahead of Election Day -- providing a huge advantage in reporting results quickly. That's not the case in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-pennsylvania-voting-donald-trump-wisconsin-3a6e3b0f16933d94bad59297d9912dee">a few political battleground states</a>. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin officials are not allowed to begin that work until Election Day, while Michigan officials can start just two days before. This means most results being reported from these states on election night will be from in-person voting on Election Day or during the early voting period.

“Counting votes and reporting the results take time,” said Leigh Chapman, acting secretary of state in Pennsylvania. “Election officials are focused on accuracy over speed.”

While most states require mail ballots to be received on or before Election Day, 19 states provide a grace period as long as ballots were sent through the mail by Election Day. Such ballots in California can be received up to seven days later.

Voters may not know the outcome of a close race for several days if a significant number of those ballots arrive at local election offices after Election Day.

This also can change results over time. If Democratic voters dominate mail voting while Republican voters largely cast ballots in person, this can mean that early results heavily favor a Republican candidate who then sees that lead slip away as the late-arriving mail ballots are counted.

WOULD HAND COUNTING HELP SPEED UP THE PROCESS?

No. Hand counting of all ballots happens primarily in small towns in the Northeast. For places with a lot of ballots, experts consider it to be more&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-voting-las-vegas-617fc7a37e9cd8d1a512e4fb7be77574">time-consuming</a>&nbsp;and susceptible to human error. Hand tallies are used in post-election reviews to ensure accuracy of tabulator machines, but that usually involves only a sample of ballots and is done without the time pressure of trying to report results quickly.

Republican activists and candidates have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-new-hampshire-nevada-donald-trump-elections-3f6785364fd52655cbd034f0708c6f0f">pushing for hand counts</a>, based largely on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-presidential-biden-cabinet-b4a3422d188fdd921d8e6f38f53ea0d0">conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;that voting systems were manipulated to steal the 2020 election. There is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-claims-biden-won-explained-bd53b14ce871412b462cb3fe2c563f18">no evidence</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voter-fraud-election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-7fcb6f134e528fee8237c7601db3328f">widespread fraud</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-capitol-siege-donald-trump-campaigns-presidential-070ced9a013c58cf001d6d4137e4abc0">tampering of machines</a>.

Also, hand counts would by themselves prolong the reporting of results, perhaps by several days.

Cobb County, Georgia, performed a hand tally ordered by the state after the 2020 election. It took hundreds of people five days to count just the votes for president on roughly 397,000 ballots. A county election official estimated it would have taken 100 days to count every race on each ballot using the same procedures.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667863478582.png" alt="White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reminded during her Monday press briefing "We may not know all the winners of elections for a few days."" />
 <figcaption>White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reminded during her Monday press briefing "We may not know all the winners of elections for a few days."</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Why won’t Americans know the winners of Tuesday's election for days?(Click below to listen to White Press Secretary on the election results)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/70L_3uqIgRw?start=478" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>With polls open across the country, no big problems were reported early on, though there were hiccups in some places, which is typical on any Election Day.For example, vote tabulators malfunctioned in a county in New Jersey and one in Arizona -- potentially requiring hand-counting instead; some voting sites in Pennsylvania were delayed in opening because workers showed up late, and others scrambled to replenish supplies of paper ballots that were running low.In 2020, President Donald Trump proclaimed that the lack of final results on election night could be an indicator of something nefarious and used it to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">assert without evidence</a>&nbsp;that the election was stolen: “We don’t want them to find any more ballots at 4 o’clock in the morning and add them to the list,” he said.In reality, however, results released on election night are unofficial and always incomplete. They&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/why-election-results-change-18343a391f9ccd143f4c0189d6bcd31e?utm_source=hubpage&amp;utm_medium=RelatedStories&amp;utm_campaign=position_01">inevitably change</a>&nbsp;as more ballots are counted.Unlike in many countries, elections in the U.S. are highly decentralized, complex and feature long lists of races, from president and Congress all the way down to local measures and town council seats. Some states give local election offices several weeks before Election Day to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-voter-registration-government-and-politics-609866267baef89dd1513e7c9e2f7509">process mailed ballots</a>, including checking signatures and verifying ID information. In other states, that process can't start until Election Day or shortly before, meaning those ballots might not get counted until the next day or even later.Here’s why results are not always known the night of an election.SHOULD WE KNOW THE WINNERS BEFORE GOING TO BED?Republicans in particular have pointed to perceived delays in knowing results as a reason to be suspicious about the integrity of elections.“We’ve got to get our elections reformed so that every Arizonan, whether they be Democrat, Independent, or Republican, when they go to bed on Election Night they know the winner and they’re satisfied that it was a fair election. We don’t have that right now,” Kari Lake, the Trump-endorsed Republican candidate for governor in Arizona, said in August on Twitter.Not knowing the winner on election night says nothing about the fairness of an election or the accuracy of results. Under Arizona law, all ballots including those that were mailed must be returned by 7 p.m. on Election Day, but officials have 20 days to finalize their counts.In Nevada, counties have four days to count late-arriving mailed ballots and give voters two more days to fix mailed ballots that arrive in envelopes with errors or missing information. This week, the elections official in the county that includes Reno reminded voters of that extended timeline and said final, official results are unlikely until the actual canvass of the vote on Nov. 18.“It will definitely be more than the day after the election for final results of the election," said Jamie Rodriguez, Washoe County's interim registrar of voters.WHY CAN'T WE BE LIKE FRANCE?A close Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania last May triggered comparisons to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-french-election-voting-results-f5b549e3b99930ee05bed17a9d3870b6">French presidential election</a>, which had been held a few weeks earlier.Trump, in a social media post two days after the Pennsylvania primary, questioned why it was taking so long to find out the winner: “France, same day all paper, had VERIFIED numbers in evening,” Trump wrote. “U.S. is a laughing stock on Elections.”But in France there was only one contest on the ballot. Presidential and parliamentary elections are held on separate dates. In Pennsylvania, the U.S. Senate GOP primary was just one of several contests being decided, including races for governor, attorney general, Congress and state legislature.U.S. elections also are not nationalized, but rather overseen by states and run by local officials at the county or even township level. The U.S. has some 10,000 jurisdictions charged with overseeing the voting process.For presidential elections in France, the Ministry of Interior distributes election-related materials, including ballots, while local officials coordinate staffing of polling places. France also has a Constitutional Council that decides election-related complaints and announces results.Noah Praetz, the former elections clerk in Cook County, Illinois, said it’s possible to have quick results, but the U.S. has “decided to make voting accessible to everybody and let us vote on everything.” He noted that ballots in the U.S. typically include dozens of offices in contrast to some countries where voters might simply back a party whose leadership then fills many of those positions.In France, voters choose from lists of local candidates usually associated with a party. The candidate list gaining the most support will receive the most seats in the city and regional councils.“It’s a fundamentally different view of democracy,” Praetz said.In addition, voters in France can vote by proxy — designating someone else to vote for them if they are unable to cast a ballot in person on Election Day, which is not allowed in the U.S.DO MAIL BALLOTS AFFECT THE REPORTING OF RESULTS?They can. Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states were expanding the use of mail ballots and early in-person voting to reduce lines on Election Day and provide more flexibility to voters.Mail ballots are subject to various security checks, varying by state. Some require voter signatures or ID information to match their registration files, while others require witnesses or notaries to affirm a voter’s identity.In most states, including Florida and Georgia, the process of validating mail ballots begins well ahead of Election Day -- providing a huge advantage in reporting results quickly. That's not the case in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-pennsylvania-voting-donald-trump-wisconsin-3a6e3b0f16933d94bad59297d9912dee">a few political battleground states</a>. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin officials are not allowed to begin that work until Election Day, while Michigan officials can start just two days before. This means most results being reported from these states on election night will be from in-person voting on Election Day or during the early voting period.“Counting votes and reporting the results take time,” said Leigh Chapman, acting secretary of state in Pennsylvania. “Election officials are focused on accuracy over speed.”WHAT OTHER FACTORS CAN SLOW RESULTS?While most states require mail ballots to be received on or before Election Day, 19 states provide a grace period as long as ballots were sent through the mail by Election Day. Such ballots in California can be received up to seven days later.Voters may not know the outcome of a close race for several days if a significant number of those ballots arrive at local election offices after Election Day.This also can change results over time. If Democratic voters dominate mail voting while Republican voters largely cast ballots in person, this can mean that early results heavily favor a Republican candidate who then sees that lead slip away as the late-arriving mail ballots are counted.WOULD HAND COUNTING HELP SPEED UP THE PROCESS?No. Hand counting of all ballots happens primarily in small towns in the Northeast. For places with a lot of ballots, experts consider it to be more&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-voting-las-vegas-617fc7a37e9cd8d1a512e4fb7be77574">time-consuming</a>&nbsp;and susceptible to human error. Hand tallies are used in post-election reviews to ensure accuracy of tabulator machines, but that usually involves only a sample of ballots and is done without the time pressure of trying to report results quickly.Republican activists and candidates have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-new-hampshire-nevada-donald-trump-elections-3f6785364fd52655cbd034f0708c6f0f">pushing for hand counts</a>, based largely on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-presidential-biden-cabinet-b4a3422d188fdd921d8e6f38f53ea0d0">conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;that voting systems were manipulated to steal the 2020 election. There is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-claims-biden-won-explained-bd53b14ce871412b462cb3fe2c563f18">no evidence</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voter-fraud-election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-7fcb6f134e528fee8237c7601db3328f">widespread fraud</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-capitol-siege-donald-trump-campaigns-presidential-070ced9a013c58cf001d6d4137e4abc0">tampering of machines</a>.Also, hand counts would by themselves prolong the reporting of results, perhaps by several days.Cobb County, Georgia, performed a hand tally ordered by the state after the 2020 election. It took hundreds of people five days to count just the votes for president on roughly 397,000 ballots. A county election official estimated it would have taken 100 days to count every race on each ballot using the same procedures.___