Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Polls show tight Florida races, but experts say turnout will decide, Supreme Court rejects the Trump administration push to set aside thousands of California ballots, Michigan voter: Faith and the ballot box go hand in hand.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast for November the 3rd, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The sunshine state of Florida is once again at the center of American politics with key races for Senate and Congress that could decide the balance of power in Washington.

More than 5.4 million Floridians have already cast ballots.

Speaking on the Rotunda podcast, Susan McManus, a distinguished university professor emerita of political science at the University of South Florida says the tight early numbers mean one thing.

The last minute turnout.

That close a race gives both sides hope or panic, depending on which side you're on.

But the bottom line is you can't win elections with polls.

You can't win elections unless people that support your candidate or you go vote.

McManus says outside forecasters, including the Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball and Insider Advantage, do not cast Florida as a toss-up in either the governor's race or the Senate race.

But she says both sides are holding their breath, that they have the right message and the right way to turn out their voters before polls close at 7 p.m. local time.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

And the U.S. Supreme Court Monday rejected a push for California to set aside thousands of mail ballots from people President Trump's administration claims are non-citizens.

The AP notes the high court refused to intervene in a case involving 20,000 people, the Republican administration flagged as likely non-citizens on the largely Democratic states' voter rolls.

In California, the Trump administration had asked the high court to set aside the challenged ballots until voter citizenship could be verified, but officials said that the list appeared to be filled with errors and that setting the ballots aside could effectively disenfranchise legal voters.

The swift rejection was the latest in a flurry of election-related litigation the day before the election.

Meantime, as Michigan voters head to the polls on Election Day, faith may play a role in how some approach the ballot box.

According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, 25 percent of U.S. adults say religion shapes their voting decisions a great deal or quite a bit.

Michigander Carolyn Wells says that when deciding who and what to vote for, she seeks divine intervention to help guide her decisions.

You have to put your priorities in order first and pray and ask God to lead you on what direction to go in as far as voting.

Wells says voters should also take time to research the issues on the ballot so they understand what's at stake.

Michigan polls are open until 8 tonight.

For locations and voting information, visit michigan.gov slash vote.

Crystal Blair reporting.

For people of faith who may feel conflicted about politics, one religious leader says participating in elections can be an important part of serving their communities.

This is Public News Service.

As Hoosiers head to the polls on election day, one group that has traditionally stayed away from politics could play a growing role in Indiana elections.

Our Joe Ulori explains.

Republican State Representative Joanna King of Middlebury grew up Amish and says many in the community have long believed their influence should come through prayer, not the ballot box.

They really feel like their influence can be Praying for the people that are elected, praying for their government, praying for the people that are making decisions in their community, and really having that complete separation of church and state.

King says that attitude is beginning to change in some Amish communities.

She and other Republican officials in northern Indiana have been encouraging Amish residents to register and vote.

Supporters say voting gives those communities more say in decisions involving religious freedom and local government. but some local leaders warn that pushing too hard could backfire because individual Amish churches and bishops take different positions on political participation.

This story was produced with original reporting from Carson Gerber for FBI News.

And immigrants detained by ICE in New York and nationwide are having a hard time getting bonds for their release.

The Envision Freedom Fund report finds six times more people are being detained since President Donald Trump returned to office. the number of releases has dropped from 39 to 5 percent.

Ben McCubrey with Envision Freedom Fund notes immigration bond policy changes are more complicated and the legal processes to be released are becoming more difficult.

ICE and immigration judges will only grant a bond if they're forced to by a federal judge, meaning releases require taking the case to federal court, which is entirely separate legal proceedings for a claim of habeas corpus.

So you need to win a claim of habeas corpus in federal court and then you need to win a bond hearing in immigration court.

With some exceptions, most people now have to clear these hurdles to get out of detention.

Even if a person wins a bond, the report notes judges are setting higher bonds.

The report finds the average cost of immigration bonds is a little more than $14,000.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

Finally, as the world becomes more digitized, programs to support older Oregonians to build online skills are expanding to fill the growing need.

Oregon Nonprofit Age Plus is growing their digital literacy program to help older adults to learn how to do everything from ordering groceries to booking health care appointments.

Olivia Robinson with Age Plus says almost everything that keeps people healthy and connected has already moved online.

Health care, transportation, a lot of social connection, prescription refills.

And if someone doesn't know how to access a portal or even use a mouse or a keyboard, then care gets harder to reach.

Robinson points to research from AARP showing 22 million Americans over 65 don't have broadband at home.

Funded by the State Library of Oregon.

This is Mike Clifford from Public News Service.

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