• With one week left until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris plans to deliver her closing arguments today with a speech at the Ellipse in Washington D.C. It’s the same place where nearly four years ago, then-President Trump incited a violent mob to march toward the Capitol in an attempt to steal the election. For Trump’s part, he’ll end his day with a rally in Allentown, Pa., a politically purple area in one of the most important swing states this election cycle. As we head into the final few days of the presidential race, both candidates will spend their time barnstorming the swing states, making their case to an electorate that appears as evenly divided as you can get. Tens of millions of Americans have already voted. Ashlyn Earnest, a poll manager in Georgia, another major swing state, talks about what it’s like to work the polls on Election Day.
• And in headlines: The Trump Campaign faces blowback over racist comments made during Sunday’s Madison Square Garden rally, ballot boxes in Washington and Oregon were set on fire, legal battles over voter suppression continue, and Brown University suspended a student-led pro-Palestine group on campus.

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TRANSCRIPT

Jane Coaston: It’s Tuesday, October 29th. I’m Jane Coaston and this is What a Day, the show where we honor the North Carolina man who when asked what he was going to do with his million dollar lottery winnings, replied that he was heading straight to Golden Corral to eat everything they’ve got. He gets it. He gets us. [music break] On today’s show, Donald Trump’s MSG experience gets actual backlash and someone is setting ballot boxes on fire. So let’s get into it. We are officially one week out, seven days from Election Day. I know, I am right there with you. So today, Vice President Kamala Harris is going to try and close the deal with a speech at the Ellipse in Washington, DC, the same place where nearly four years ago Trump got a violent mob to march towards the Capitol in an attempt to steal the election. For Trump’s part, he’s ending his day with a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania. As you might know, Pennsylvania is a major swing state this election. In fact, Harris and her team will be back in the Keystone State tomorrow. On Monday, both campaigns were in battleground states. Harris and her vice presidential pick, Tim Walz, were in Ann Arbor, Michigan, America’s greatest city, to get Michiganders hyped to vote. 

[clip of Vice President Kamala Harris] And so Michigan. I then ask you, are you ready to make your voices heard? [cheers] Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it? And when we fight, we win. 

Jane Coaston: And Trump was in Atlanta, Georgia, after an absolutely batshit rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. We’ll get to the fallout from that insanity in a little bit. But Trump did address one thing, repeated comparisons to Adolf Hitler and Nazi rallies. 

[clip of Donald Trump] They use a, he’s Hitler. And then they say he’s a Nazi. I’m not a Nazi. I’m the opposite of a Nazi. 

Jane Coaston: Personally, if this is something you have to say a week before Election Day, that seems like a problem. But yeah, the election is about as close as it gets. And the polling locations in every swing state and pretty much everywhere else are under a microscope. More than 2.8 million Georgians have already cast their ballots, a touch more than the 2020 election at the same time. We wanted to talk to someone who’s on the ground working the polls in one of the big swing states this election, Ashlyn Earnest is a poll manager in Rome, Georgia. She’s just 21 years old. But this is the second presidential election she’ll be working. Ashlyn stopped by the show to talk about what it’s like to work the polls on Election Day. Ashlyn, welcome to What a Day. 

Ashlyn Earnest: Hello. Thank you for having me. 

Ashlyn Earnest: So this is your second presidential election working the polls and your first as a poll manager. What got you started in doing this? 

Ashlyn Earnest: So I was 17 years old and my best friend in high school, who’s still one of my best friends, um she decided to be a poll worker. And so she worked the election in March of 2020. And she had such a great experience working that she encouraged a lot of her friends, including myself, to work the elections. And so my first election I worked was August 11th, 2020. And I basically worked every election since that. 

Jane Coaston: What do you like about being a poll worker and now being a poll manager? 

Ashlyn Earnest: There’s just so many things. The biggest thing I love about it is the community. Like, I love just helping my community and just the importance of voting. Like it feels very good to be a part of something so big and so important. Voting is literally the foundation of our democracy, and it could not happen without poll workers. 

Jane Coaston: This is also the first presidential election where you got to vote. 

Ashlyn Earnest: Yes. 

Jane Coaston: And you decided to early vote on Sunday. How did it feel? 

Ashlyn Earnest: It felt very good. I actually went with one of my friends and her family. So it was very fun to vote in this election, it’s such an important one as well. 

Jane Coaston: So I think for a lot of people, we don’t really know what a poll worker does beyond help people vote and be important. So what does an average day look like for you? 

Ashlyn Earnest: So you have to be there at 6 a.m. and right when you get there, it’s basically just setting up. So when you get there at 6 a.m., I am working on turning on all the machines, all the polling pads, the iPads for checking in people, and we’re putting up all the signs and making sure all our paperwork is in order. And the very last thing you do is open the polls at 7 a.m. Um. And then my job as manager, I’m just kind of overseeing everything and making sure, you know, everyone’s, you know, following the rules. Everything’s going smoothly and there’s no problems because when if a voter needs assistance and I’m the one who helps them um with whatever they need and then also a big majority of my day is doing the paperwork. So there’s lots of different paperworks to make sure that everything is in order. There’s a lot of like serial numbers that I have to record and make sure just everything’s lining up. And so that takes up a big part of my day. 

Jane Coaston: What about after polls close? 

Ashlyn Earnest: So the first thing that happens when polls close is that two poll workers will leave immediately and they will take like a copy of the like tape results and a memory card, and they will drive together to the election office. And so then the rest of us, um we stay back and we finish up the paperwork, make sure that’s filled out. We shut down everything. We clean up everything. Pack up everything. And then another two poll workers have to ride together. And then we take everything to the elections office and we have to be in the same car just for security and stuff. 

Jane Coaston: Right. 

Ashlyn Earnest: And then we drop off everything else at the elections office and then we’re done. 

Jane Coaston: You know, we saw a ton of crazy nonsense aimed at poll workers after the 2020 election. There were threats of violence, and there have been a lot of fears that that could happen again. Does that worry you or how are you thinking about that? 

Ashlyn Earnest: I’m honestly not too worried because I’ve never experienced or like felt in danger myself. When I first became manager, I was kind of scared because I’m so young, because I first became the polling manager when I was 19. I’m 21 now, but I was 19 when I became the manager and I was scared that people wouldn’t really take me seriously. But I didn’t even have anyone being rude to me at all. Um. And so I’ve never felt in danger. And also, every precinct has an officer there who he does not leave the building at all. And so I feel very safe knowing that there’s an officer there. But I’ve never run into any experience where I felt in danger or anything like that. 

Jane Coaston: I know we’re living at a time where even being like the weather person on the news is a politicized job, and poll workers are no exception. So what would you say to someone who is thinking or saying that poll workers are going to interfere in the results? 

Ashlyn Earnest: Every poll worker I’ve met is very just excited about voting and they’re very excited and happy to be there and happy to support their community. Um. But I think kind of this politicized role, I actually kind of help out my friends and family because they know I’m a poll worker. Like not many people know what actually goes behind the scenes and what poll workers actually do. So a lot of people will come to me with questions and they will say, oh I’ve heard this. Like, is this true? Like, how do you actually do this? Like, how does this stay secure? And so I’m able to explain to like, my parents, my friends, my other family members like what my job actually is. And the steps that are in place that poll workers do to make sure the elections are secure. 

Jane Coaston: So you’re basically like a poll working influencer [laughter] and have you gotten–

Ashlyn Earnest: I [?] that. 

Jane Coaston: –other people to sign up like your friends? 

Ashlyn Earnest: Yes. One of my best friends that I made at Georgia, she signed up to be a poll worker and it’ll be her first election that she’s working and I’m really excited for her and she’s really excited as well. And then I actually got my little sister to sign up. And so she’s 17 and she worked the last election, one of the primaries with me. And she’ll be working again with me. She’s actually in my precinct, um so she’ll be working with me on Tuesday. 

Jane Coaston: Oh that’s awesome. 

Ashlyn Earnest: Mm hmm. 

Jane Coaston: Well, Ashlyn, thank you so much for joining us. And thank you so much for your important work. 

Ashlyn Earnest: Of course. Thank you so much for having me. 

Jane Coaston: That was my conversation with Ashlyn Earnest, a poll worker in Rome, Georgia. We’ll get to the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts. Watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. [music break]

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Jane Coaston: And now the news. 

[sung] Headlines. 

[clip of Tony Hinchcliffe] I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah. I think it’s called Puerto Rico. 

Jane Coaston: That was comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, one of Donald Trump’s warm up acts at his Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday evening and one of his many, many, many, many not good, very bad jokes. And it didn’t go over well. And do you know how I know it didn’t go over well? Because for the first time in recorded history, or as long as I personally can remember, the Trump campaign backed away from a surrogate with a campaign adviser writing in a statement, this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign. I mean, it totally does, but whatever. Even Trump campaign adviser Peter Navarro, a guy who went to prison for Trump, tweeted that Hinchcliffe is, quote, “the biggest, stupidest asshole that ever came down the comedy pike.” Who says we can’t find common ground with Trump supporters? Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott, who’s in a tight race for reelection, tweeted, quote, “This joke bombed for a reason. It’s not funny and it’s not true.” Do you know how racist you have to be to bomb at a Trump rally? I didn’t think it could be done. It’s like when Icarus flew too close to the sun but racism. But J.D. Vance decided the real issue was not a series of racist jokes so gross that even the audience thought they were too much. No, the real issue for the vice presidential candidate is folks are too easily offended. 

[clip of J.D. Vance] Maybe it’s a stupid racist joke, as you said. Maybe it’s not. I haven’t seen it. I’m not going to comment on the specifics of the joke. But I think that we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America. I’m just I’m so over it. 

Jane Coaston: Haven’t seen the joke? Buddy, you were there. A ton of Puerto Rican celebrities quickly posted their support for Kamala Harris on social media. Ricky Martin, Luis Fonsi, Jennifer Lopez, and Bad Bunny. And co-host of The View, Sunny Hostin had a special message for Trump during Monday’s show. 

[clip of Sunny Hostin] This Puerto Rican has something to say about the island that I love, where my family is from. Puerto Rico is trash? We are Americans, Donald Trump. 

Jane Coaston: Harris responded to Trump’s hate rally on the tarmac before boarding a plane to Michigan for a rally on Monday. 

[clip of Vice President Kamala Harris] I’m very proud to have the support of folks like Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez and others who were supporting me before that nonsense last night at Madison Square Garden and are supporting me because they understand that they want a president of the United States who is about uplifting the people and not berating not calling America a garbage can, which is what Donald Trump those are the words he has used. 

[clip of unnamed news reporter] And an investigation is underway following the discovery of an incendiary device inside a ballot box in Portland. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah, so apparently someone is blowing up ballot boxes in the Pacific Northwest. At least three boxes were found burning in the Portland, Oregon, area while another was found in Vancouver, Washington. Some good news, all four boxes had fire suppressants inside them to keep their contents safe. Those came in handy in Portland when local officials reported just three burnt ballots. But the fire suppressant in the one Vancouver area box failed and hundreds of ballots were destroyed. Even worse, this box was in Washington’s third Congressional District, where a bananas tight house race is underway, one that could determine if Democrats can take back the majority in the chamber. If you live in Vancouver, Washington, here’s what you need to know. Local election officials are asking folks to contact them if they recently made drop offs in the affected areas and encouraging them to track the status of their ballot online. If you voted, you can make sure your vote counts. In more anxiety inducing election news, the state of Virginia asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to allow it to remove about 1600 voters from its rolls as part of an executive order from Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin aimed at preventing non-U.S. citizens from voting. On Sunday, a federal appeals court upheld an order from a federal judge to put those voters back on the rolls, stating that the executive order was illegal because it’s so close to the election. Here’s Brent Ferguson, senior legal counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan group that works against voter suppression at a press conference Friday reacting to the judge’s decision to block the executive order. 

[clip of Brent Ferguson] What the judge said is that Virginia has to stop this program of purging citizens from the rolls. And that’s a really important victory for all Virginians and for democracy. 

Jane Coaston: And in Nevada, the state Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee to prevent mail in ballots received after Election Day from being counted, even if they’re postmarked by Election Day. Brown University suspended a student led pro-Palestine group on campus, accusing its members of, quote, “alleged threatening, intimidating and harassing actions.” The Ivy League University’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine said on Monday that the university notified them of their suspension last week. The group insists that the move is in retaliation for their most recent protest calling for the university to divest its endowment from companies that support Israel. Members of the group have been told they’re not allowed to hold any activities, events, meetings or even post on social media. A member of Students for Justice in Palestine spoke anonymously with the local NBC affiliate. 

[clip of anonymous Brown student] The suspension is a clear move to debilitate one of the only organizations on campus that is actively making space for collective grief amidst the genocide in Gaza. 

Jane Coaston: The university argues that even though their policies do allow students to protest, demonstrations cannot interfere with the university’s day to day operations. And that’s the news. [music break]One more thing. The presidential race. It’s tight, but down ballot races that will determine where and how you live and work and go to school, a bunch of those are squeekers. So we want to lift up some hardworking Democrats standing up for the communities in races across the country. This time, we’re looking at Pennsylvania State House District 33 race, where incumbent Democratic Representative Mandy Steele is fighting to keep her seat blue. Pennsylvania has a divided legislature. Democrats have control of the governor’s mansion and the House. But Republicans have kept the Senate. Dems won their one seat majority in the House when Steele was elected during the 2022 midterms. That majority has given her and her party the power to counter the GOP’s majority in the Senate. Now, Steele will face off with Republican challenger Gary Lotz on Election Day. We called her up to talk about the work she and her fellow Democrats hope to continue in Pennsylvania if she’s reelected in November. Mandy, thanks for coming on What a Day. 

Mandy Steele: Aw, thanks so much for having me. I’m so excited to be here. 

Jane Coaston: Democrats have a one seat majority in your chamber. It’s 102 to 101, which is too close. 

Mandy Steele: [?].

Jane Coaston: During your term in office, what have you and your colleagues on the left done to advocate for your constituents? And what work do you want to keep doing if you’re reelected? 

Mandy Steele: You know, I represent one of the seats that when we won, we were able to flip the house blue. And it’s the first time the Democrats had control of the House in a very, very long time. The Republicans have control over the Senate, and now the Democrats have control over the House. And that’s been hugely important because the Republicans were trying to get abortion on the ballot in Pennsylvania. And so when I won my seat, we were able to stop that from happening. That has been validating that we’ve been able to protect women in this state through my win. But it also makes me a big target because if they can take this seat back, then they can move forward with that extreme agenda. The people that I represent, I find to be very reasonable and rational people who are tired of extreme conduct by politicians and who really want their electeds to navigate a central path. And so that’s the work that I do. I look for opportunities to find common ground and then focus my attention there. 

Jane Coaston: Tell us about your Republican challenger, Gary Lotz, because when we went through his website, it was interesting because he was trying to portray himself as not a typical Republican. His platform focuses a lot on the economy and lowering taxes for businesses. And he says, quote, “I am not running for office to put myself between a woman and her doctor.” What do you think are some of the policies that you think voters should be more aware of? 

Mandy Steele: Those statements by Republicans that we’re hearing now, we’re hearing a lot of pivoting from the other side of the aisle. And what happens is when you’re in a state with a divided legislature and Pennsylvania is the only one, something that our Governor Shapiro, points out often. Both parties in some cases need to function as a unit. And so even if Gary Lotz is not leading the charge on banning a woman’s right to health care, he would be another vote for that were it to come up. And so that’s very dangerous. So him saying, hey, I’m not going to do this. It’s not how it all shakes out. 

Jane Coaston: As you’ve mentioned. And you’ve heard it over and over and over again. Pennsylvania is the swing state to win this presidential election. So how are you and your campaign organizing to get people to the polls in a state where so many tight races are happening on the national and local levels? 

Mandy Steele: You know, I’ll say that there’s more excitement this time than I’ve ever seen before. I’ve been a member of my Democratic committee for a long time, I have been knocking doors for many, many years. I’ve been involved even when I wasn’t a candidate for the state house. People are going to turnout this time. So I expect huge numbers. And a lot of people are telling me and I’m hearing this at Republican doors, people are saying, I’m sick of the divisiveness. I want to see our country move forward. I am not going to vote for Trump. People who have voted for Trump twice are not going to cast that vote the third time. So I’m expecting a good outcome in southwestern Pennsylvania and I think we’re going to do well here. 

Jane Coaston: Have you voted yet? 

Mandy Steele: No. I’m an in-person voter. I love to go see the community. Say hi to everybody. So I’ll be there on Election Day. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah, same. There’s something about the line. The process. It feels real. 

Mandy Steele: Yeah. And I have four little kids. They’re seven, nine, 11 and 13. And I really like to take them to help me vote. It’s important to teach them about that. 

Jane Coaston: Agreed. Mandy, thank you so much for your time. 

Mandy Steele: Thanks so much for having me. Great to talk with you. 

Jane Coaston: That was my conversation with Democratic Pennsylvania State House Representative Mandy Steele. [music break] Before we go, climate is on the ballot across the country. And if you care about our planet, the time for action is now. As part of Crooked Idea’s Anti Doom initiative spotlighting the people who are fighting for our planet, Jon Lovett sat down with writer, activist, founder of Climate Action and one of the world’s leading environmentalist’s Bill McKibben, to talk about the Inflation Reduction Act and how we can solve the climate crisis. Stick around to the end of this episode to hear the conversation. [music break] That’s all for today. If you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a review. Don’t become a racist right wing hack and tell your friends to listen. And if you’re into reading and not just about how the first birth control trials were held in Puerto Rico in the 1950s, using poor women as guinea pigs and not telling them about potentially dangerous side effects that led to three deaths like me, What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at Crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Jane Coaston and I can’t wait to meet you at Golden Corral. [music break] What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Raven Yamamoto. Our producer is Michell Eloy. We had production help today from Tyler Hill, Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters and Julia Claire. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our executive producer is Adriene Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. [music break]

Jon Lovett: Hey, everybody. It’s Lovett. Before we go, check out my interview with climate activist and environmentalist Bill McKibben, one of the smartest people talking about climate change. This is part of Crooked’s Anti Doom initiative from Crooked Ideas. We are talking about climate change, not only about the threats we face, but of the people and organizations and companies and policies that are actually having an impact and proving that we can win this fight. Check it out. It was a great conversation. Joining us today is writer, activist, founder of climate action nonprofit 350.org and one of the world’s leading environmentalists, Bill McKibben. Welcome to the show. 

Bill McKibben: Hey, what a pleasure to be with you, man. 

Jon Lovett: Let’s start with this. The Inflation Reduction act. Terrible name. I mean, it’s fine. I’m glad we called it that. Uh. But many thought climate action on this scale was a political impossibility. Can you talk about what its passage represents, both in terms of the policy and in terms of how the politics have shifted? 

Bill McKibben: Well, let’s talk about the politics that got us there, which is completely fascinating. Young people in the Sunrise movement set up this amazing thing and brought us the Green New Deal. And it kind of changed the politics for a moment around all this, such that in the 2020 Democratic primaries, climate was, in many polls the number one issue for voters. And that meant that Joe Biden needed to consolidate support with the Bernie wing of things. And he did so by making, above all, a real pledge to take that Green New Deal and start translating it into something. And he kept that pledge. The first big slug of money that the US government has ever spent on trying to fight the single biggest problem the world has ever faced. 

Jon Lovett: And the largest investment any country on earth has ever made in addressing climate change. Based on the passage of the IRA, the pledges we’ve seen around the world, the shifts we’ve seen in politics and policy, a lot more to do. But where are we now, in your mind, on the doom hope continuum? 

Bill McKibben: Well, look, the things that we were warning about 40 years ago are now coming true. And they are scary and real. On the other hand, we’re also seeing a rapid spike in the implementation of renewable energy, which is the one thing big enough to have some hope. We finally are starting to build out those solar panels and wind turbines, and it’s starting to make a difference. You know, June 2023 had the hottest temperatures ever recorded on this planet. But June 2023 was also the month when human beings started past the point of putting up a gigawatt of solar panels every day. That’s the equivalent of a nuclear power plant in solar panels every single day. We’ve got cheap wind, cheap sun, cheap batteries. They’re on the shelf. We can deploy them at speed and we must. 

Jon Lovett: The other day I saw an article on I think it’s the New York Times or some other elite publication that said Top Ten Climate Friendly Recipes when You’re Cooking at home. And what I honestly wanted to say is like, Hey, why don’t you do me a favor and go fuck yourself? Because for a long time, the oil industry and sort of right wing media has been trying to make this about individual responsibilities and individual pain. Right. You’re going to lose your hamburgers, you’re going to lose your straws. No one’s taking my straws, Bill. But what we’ve seen with the Biden administration with their political tack is it’s much more about what we’re going to gain. We’re going to gain clean energy. We’re going to get new jobs, new industries. How do you feel about that distinction? Do you think it’s a little bit of a copout to try to not talk about individual responsibility, or do you think that that’s the right move politically? 

Bill McKibben: Look, I’m glad that my house is covered with solar panels and I’m glad that they connect to a EV in the garage. But we are past the point where we’re going to solve this one Tesla at a time. One vegan dinner at a time. The most important thing an individual can do is be a little less of an individual and join together with others in movements and campaigns large enough to change the basic economic and political ground rules here. 

Jon Lovett: Bill McKibben, thank you so much. 

Bill McKibben: Thank you, man. What a pleasure and thanks for all–

Jon Lovett: Very nice to talk to you. 

Bill McKibben: –the work you guys do all the time. We’re really grateful for it. 

Jon Lovett: Thank you to Bill McKibben. Learn more about the Anti Doom Initiative at Crookedideas.org and to make sure your voice is heard on everything you care about, you know what you have to do. You have to vote and you have to get everybody that you’ve ever met to vote. [music break]

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