Millions of Americans voted in state and local elections on Tuesday, and for the most part, it went smoothly. In many high-profile cases, including closely watched gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, it appears the powers that be granted what is jokingly known as the election administrator\u2019s prayer<\/a>: \u201cPlease, let this election not be close.\u201d <\/p>\n Voters and election officials still had to contend with bomb threats<\/a> in New Jersey, as well as one in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania \u2014 a harsh callback to the rash of bomb threats around the country<\/a> that marred the 2024 election. <\/p>\n In Chester County, Pennsylvania, as Votebeat\u2019s Carter Walker has reported<\/a>, a pollbook error means that more than 12,000 independent and unaffiliated voters had to cast provisional ballots, and their eligibility must now be verified before those ballots are tallied. <\/p>\n Voting on elections<\/p>\n In some places, voters were asked to make decisions about future elections. In Texas, voters approved<\/a> a constitutional amendment specifying that voters must be citizens. In Maine, voters rejected<\/a> a referendum that would have put new voter ID requirements and new restrictions on absentee voting in place (Voting Rights Lab has a helpful tracker<\/a> of voter ID requirements in different states).<\/p>\n And, of course, in California, voters overwhelmingly approved<\/a> new congressional district maps, part of a wildly unusual midcycle redistricting push around the country. California\u2019s new maps, an attempt to offset new Texas maps favoring Republicans, will open opportunities for Democrats to pick up seats in the U.S. House.<\/p>\n Following up on federal election monitors<\/p>\n In last week\u2019s newsletter, Jessica Huseman wrote about<\/a> the U.S. Justice Department\u2019s plans to send federal monitors to some locations in New Jersey and California, and how, in the context of President Donald Trump\u2019s efforts to exert more control over elections, the news had made many people uneasy. <\/p>\n So this week, I followed up with some election officials in both states to ask how it went. State election officials in New Jersey didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment. In an emailed response, the California Secretary of State\u2019s Office said the election \u201cwas secure and transparent,\u201d adding, \u201cthe U.S. Department of Justice has not informed the State of any details about their observation.\u201d<\/p>\n Get more like this delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n Read insights and original reporting from Votebeat’s editors every Saturday morning in our free national newsletter, featuring stories like this one, historical context, the latest from our state bureaus, and more voting and elections news curated for you.<\/p>\n Election offices in Los Angeles and Orange counties, two jurisdictions the Justice Department had said it planned to monitor<\/a>, confirmed nothing disruptive happened during the election, and the Fresno Bee reported<\/a> all was quiet in Fresno, too. <\/p>\n On Wednesday, Michael Sanchez, a spokesman for the chief elections official in Los Angeles County, said his office was \u201cunsure of whether federal observers visited vote centers in Los Angeles County,\u201d and had not received reports of them actually doing so. Sanchez said monitors could still choose to observe post-election processing at the ballot processing center. <\/p>\n Bob Page, the registrar of voters in Orange County, also said he had not heard of any issues. Page said one of two Justice Department monitors assigned to the county had been observing operations at its central ballot processing facility this week, at one point asking for clarification on vote-by-mail ballot signature verification procedures. <\/p>\n What will happen next?<\/p>\n There continues to be concern<\/a> about what the Trump administration will do next on elections and he sent some signals on that this week. He continued to level unsupported accusations against California\u2019s elections on social media<\/a>. <\/p>\n At a White House press briefing Tuesday, in response to a question from PBS reporter Elizabeth Landers<\/a>, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the White House is working on a forthcoming executive order \u201cto strengthen our elections.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump issued a first executive order on elections in March<\/a>, though major provisions have been halted by the courts<\/a>. He has since said he<\/a> plans a second one<\/a>, though it isn\u2019t clear exactly when that will come or what it will include. <\/p>\n Since Tuesday\u2019s election, Trump has also repeatedly pressured senators to eliminate the filibuster, saying it will allow Congress to pass new election laws, including national voter ID requirements eliminating mail voting, except for members of the military.<\/p>\n![\"Election](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/UYKE2T42JBEKHHYRDNV4WXJLYE.jpg\")
Election signs outside Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia, on Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025. (Shani Hilton \/ For Votebeat) <\/p>\n