Today in one sentence: Polls opened across the country today with control of Congress at stake in the first national election since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol; voting rights advocates monitoring polling sites across the country reported no major concerns with ballots, long lines, or voter intimidation so far; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to allow Justice Department election monitors to go inside polling locations; and the effects of climate change are already “far-reaching and worsening” throughout every region of the U.S.

1/ Polls opened across the country today with control of Congress at stake in the first national election since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Republicans are favored to regain control of the House, where all 435 House seats are up for grabs. Control of the Senate, which is currently split 50-50, will likely be decided a handful of races in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, New Hampshire, and North Carolina despite 35 seats up for election this cycle. As of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 45 million ballots had been cast nationwide. While the earliest polls close at 6 p.m. Eastern today, we probably won’t know all the results of the midterm elections for days – or weeks – after voting concludes. (Washington Post / Associated Press / CNN / New York Times)

2/ Voting rights advocates monitoring polling sites across the country reported no major concerns with ballots, long lines, or voter intimidation so far. One early issue, however, occurred in Maricopa County – Arizona’s most populous county – where about 1 in 5 polling locations were experiencing a technical problem with their ballot tabulator machines in the first hours of voting. Despite election officials resolving the issue and assuring voters that their ballots would still be counted, Arizona Republicans nevertheless seized on the glitch and claimed it was evidence of widespread voter fraud. (Associated Press / Washington Post / CNN / NPR / NBC News / Bloomberg / New York Times)

3/ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to allow Justice Department election monitors to go inside polling locations, saying the government’s involvement would be “counterproductive” and “potentially undermine confidence in the election.” Brad McVay, the chief counsel for the Florida Department of State, said the federal officials were not included on a list of people allowed inside polling places under Florida law. On Monday, the Justice Department announced that it would send monitors to 64 jurisdictions nationwide. Federal monitors, however, need local permission to observe activity inside election sites. (Washington Post / CNN)

4/ The effects of climate change are already “far-reaching and worsening” throughout every region of the U.S., according to a draft of the National Climate Assessment. The U.S. has warmed 68% faster than Earth as a whole over the past 50 years, the report finds, noting “the things Americans value most are at risk.” While the U.S. cut greenhouse gas emissions by 12% from 2007- 2019, emissions need to drop by over 6% every year to meet the Biden administration’s climate goal of net-zero by 2050. (Washington Post / New York Times / Axios / CNBC)

Three years ago today: Day 1023: No doubt.
Four years ago today: Day 658: Above the law.
Five years ago today: Day 293: Refreshed.