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<ul class="summary-list"><li>AI companies have been adjusting their election offerings and guidelines ahead of Election Day.</li><li>Perplexity launched an Election Information Hub with information on candidates, voting logistics, and results.</li></ul><a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-donald-trump-swing-states-sun-belt-polls-2024-11">Election week</a> has finally arrived. This time around, it will serve as an important test for the AI companies willing to provide their users with election-related information and updates on voting results.ChatGPT didn't exist during the last presidential election in 2020. Its <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-openai-company-chatgpt-elon-musk-founded-2022-12">launch two years ago</a> kicked off a wave of generative AI chatbots and tools integrated into popular consumer products like Google Search.Ahead of the election, the companies behind the products had to decide what restrictions, if any, they would implement on AI-generated content related to the election, analyzing the associated risks.Some, like the AI startup Perplexity, are loudly leaning into it.The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/perplexity-ai-startup-lawsuit-allegations-targets-funding-2024-10">AI search engine</a> launched a dedicated "Election Information Hub" that uses AI to provide information about the upcoming election and results tracking. The hub includes details about voting requirements, how to find your polling place and poll times, and AI-summarized analysis on ballot measures and candidates, the company <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-the-election-information-hub">wrote</a> in an announcement.<div type="image" title="Perplexity providing information about how to vote in New York" height="1358" width="2876" msid="114958491" hostid="261" sizebytes="107828"></div>"Perplexity uses a process called Retrieval-Augmented Generation to identify relevant information and summarize it in a way that's tailored to a user's query," Perplexity spokesperson Sara Platnick told Business Insider.For election-related questions, the company is using a "curated set" of non-partisan and fact-checked sources, the company said. The separate hub doesn't use stored knowledge from the model's training data in its responses, which helps minimize hallucinations, Platnick told BI.Perplexity will also start offering live updates on elections on Tuesday by using data from The Associated Press. Other responses will use information from Democracy Works and other non-partisan factual sources like Ballotpedia and news organizations, Platnick said.<div type="image" title="Response to query about who will most likely win the election" height="1184" width="1579" msid="114958489" hostid="261" sizebytes="78204"></div>Alon Yamin, the cofounder and CEO of AI-based text analysis platform <a target="_blank" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/copyleaks.com/__;!!JZyed81S!itOc7IDeF_76NxsTUPRsm7xTzocjiL3rm1gW5KKoRo7WetzRSjCOUxm_bOIxkDmjSF4sJyCQNmuN0oTLaA$">Copyleaks</a>, said Perplexity's approach "can certainly help filter and contextualize content," helping users access reliable sources.Yamin said there are potential benefits that come with using AI for election information. AI can provide real-time updates and help identify trends, voter sentiment, and key issues.However, Yamin said that the chance of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/snowflake-ceo-sridhar-ramaswamy-ai-hallucination-rates-2024-11">AI hallucinations</a> and accuracy issues presents risks.Other companies are taking different approaches. OpenAI will continue to integrate election-related responses into ChatGPT while providing some extra features in light of the election.<div type="image" title="ChatGPT response to query about who will win 2024 presidential election" height="1289" width="1719" msid="114958486" hostid="261" sizebytes="114838"></div>Starting on November 5th, those who ask ChatGPT about election result queries will see a message encouraging users to check sources like the Associated Press and Reuters, or state and local election boards for "the most complete and up-to-date information," the company said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://openai.com/index/how-openai-is-approaching-2024-worldwide-elections/">post</a> updated on October 31.OpenAI said it was "actively testing the safeguards" put in place over the last year and monitoring for any issues. It also said it will continue to adjust its protective measures, which include transparency around AI-generated content and preventing chatbots from pretending to be real people.ChatGPT will also direct users to the US voting information site <a target="_blank" href="http://CanIVote.org">CanIVote.org</a> when asked procedural election-related questions.Anthropic's Claude similarly implemented a pop-up feature that allows users who ask for voting information to be redirected to TurboVote, a nonpartisan resource from Democracy Works, it <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.anthropic.com/news/us-elections-readiness">wrote</a> in a post.Anthropic has other guardrails in place, including prohibiting users from using it to promote a specific candidate or issue. It said it would also prevent the chatbot from being used to generate misinformation about election laws, candidates, or related topics. In its post, the company said outputs will be limited to text-only to help eliminate "the risk of election-related deepfakes."While the live election updates may be helpful to users, AI-generated election content poses a number of risks.Yamin said AI can spread biased information, misinterpret data, and create false narratives. He also added that these models are "only as good as the data they are trained on," which opens the risk of AI-generated responses reflecting the bias of the data they are trained on.Misunderstandings could be amplified if AI misinterprets information and serves up inaccurate results, especially in a fast-moving and closely followed election environment, Yamin told BI.<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-gemini-ai-layoffs-innovation-boring-2024-2">Google</a>, which experienced some <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-scales-back-ai-in-search-feature-overviews-eat-glue-2024-5">highly publicized AI fails</a> with its Gemini AI and AI Overviews, chose to implement constraints on what users can ask its AI products about the election. Google has said is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-restricts-gemini-ai-chatbot-answering-election-questions-trump-biden-2024-3">restricting its AI chatbot Gemini</a> from answering questions about <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/elections">elections</a> "out of an abundance of caution."<div type="image" title="Screenshot of Trump query in Gemini" height="1239" width="1651" msid="114958488" hostid="261" sizebytes="42396"></div>A similar search on Google's main search product on Monday didn't trigger an AI Overview summary, showing the "Top Stories" carousel of stories from publishers. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.Brad Carson, cofounder and president of the nonprofit Americans for Responsible Innovation, told BI that while Google's approach is commendable, it's not a global solution to the problem.Carson said that combatting disinformation is "not an easy task," and while it's smart for companies to try and do more to limit misinformation, the government should work on legislation that requires AI companies to clearly label the information they serve to users."I feel that other products will probably fill the gap that Google is vacating, but I think it is responsible of Google to try to step back a bit from this," Carson said.

The election is a big test for AI companies

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A slew of states and cities voted on housing measures this week.</li><li>Many of the efforts were focused on allocating more funds for affordable housing.</li></ul>On Tuesday, voters in many states and cities had a chance to weigh in directly on housing proposals.They voted for a slew of measures, most of which will create additional funding for affordable housing. On the whole, the pro-housing YIMBY — "Yes in My Backyard" — movement, which advocates for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yimbys-winning-lower-house-prices-rents-build-more-homes-neighborhoods-2023-9">more housing construction</a> — had a good night on Tuesday in those state and local races, with one exception.At the same time, many parts of President-elect Donald Trump's agenda are set to push up housing costs. Trump and the Republican Party have supported cuts to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-congressional-funding-fights-take-toll-housing-aid-programs-2024-03-17/">federal housing assistance</a>, a reduction in the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jd-vance-said-migrants-to-blame-for-expensive-homes-wrong-2024-8">immigrant labor force</a> that powers the homebuilding industry, and tariffs that would <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jd-vance-drilling-oil-housing-rent-home-prices-construction-2024-10">inflate the cost of building materials</a>.Here are five big housing measures that were on the ballot Tuesday night.<h2 id="a2459e56-db69-466f-b0d4-fb87cc8d76a4">$1 billion annually to fight homelessness in Los Angeles</h2>Perhaps the most significant affordable housing measure on any state ballot in the country this week was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/2024/10/los-angeles-homelessness-measure-a/">Measure A</a> in Los Angeles County. The measure — which appeared set to pass on Wednesday, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-11-05/la-county-voters-measure-g-measure-a-2024-election">based on early returns</a> — will send about <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.theeastsiderla.com/news/government_and_politics/measure-a-l-a-voters-to-decide-whether-to-impose-a-half-cent-sales-tax/article_1eb593da-9b31-11ef-8959-27cf72160fd4.html">$1 billion annually</a> in perpetuity to initiatives to combat homelessness, build affordable housing, and expand mental health and addiction treatment. It will be paid for by replacing a quarter-cent county sales tax passed by voters in 2017 that also funded anti-homelessness programs with a permanent half-cent sales tax.Pro-housing advocates celebrated Measure A as a major victory for the lowest-income households in LA — and a model for the rest of the country. Yonah Freemark, a researcher at the Urban Institute who's closely followed this and other housing measures, said it offers a path forward for cities serious about boosting housing affordability.Measure A, he argued, is "the kind of thing we're going to need to see from state and local governments if the federal government pulls back on supporting affordable housing investments."LA Mayor Karen Bass, who pushed for Measure A, has made addressing homelessness a top priority in a city with tens of thousands of unhoused residents. Measure A was widely <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/2024/10/los-angeles-homelessness-measure-a/">viewed as a test</a> of whether Angelenos wanted to double down on her efforts.Opponents of the measure, including small government conservatives, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.dailynews.com/2024/10/14/the-dishonest-campaign-for-measure-a-must-be-rejected-by-los-angeles-county-voters/">argued</a> it would be a waste of taxpayer money. They cited the dramatic rise in homelessness since the 2017 sales tax was imposed to fund the County's affordable housing and anti-homelessness initiatives. They also argued that a sales tax is regressive and that implementing it without an end date wouldn't give voters a chance to evaluate its impact down the road.<h2 id="8a05dff5-3572-4fb4-a5a9-889c0746f68f">Affordable housing bonds in Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Baltimore</h2>Several cities and states along the East Coast voted on Tuesday to fund affordable housing bonds.In Rhode Island, voters approved the state <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/05/ri-ballot-questions-what-to-know-about-bonds-convention/76067202007/">issuing $120 million in bonds</a> for affordable housing initiatives, including boosting the supply of homes for low- and moderate-income renters and homebuyers. Part of the fund — $10 million — would go to acquiring and revitalizing property, in a new state initiative to directly create public housing.Four North Carolina cities voted to invest in lots of new affordable housing. Charlotte voted to send $100 million to affordable housing efforts, mostly to produce new rental housing and boost supportive housing and shelter capacity. Chapel Hill similarly supported a measure to spend $15 million on affordable housing, while Asheville approved $20 million in additional bonds for its housing trust fund, which will mostly go toward low- or no-interest loans for affordable housing developers.The city of Baltimore similarly passed $20 million in additional affordable housing bonds.<h2 id="ac5b128c-3e28-443e-8b1b-f3244c50d35e">Shoring up housing trust funds in New Orleans and Orlando</h2>In New Orleans, a majority of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nola.com/gambit/news/the_latest/voters-back-workers-bill-of-rights-affordable-housing-fund-in-new-orleans/article_014112f6-9c27-11ef-b465-13dca0ac6ed9.html">voters supported a measure</a> to create a dedicated housing trust fund for affordable housing construction, boosting aid for first-time homebuyers, and rehabilitating affordable rental housing.The measure will require the city, which faces a steep shortage of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.housingnola.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Gap-Report_2023.pdf">more than 47,000 affordable homes,</a> to invest at least 2% of its annual general budget in the trust fund, amounting to about $17 million annually.Orlando, Florida, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.clickorlando.com/results-2024/2024/11/06/all-orange-county-charter-amendments-pass-in-the-nov-5-2024-election-see-the-results/">also shored up</a> its housing trust fund, which supports the construction and preservation of affordable housing.<h2 id="79af5b7e-a2db-4194-808c-907ef8c832da">Denver rejects $100 million a year for affordable housing</h2>The pro-housing movement also took some hits on Tuesday, perhaps most notably in Denver, where voters <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2024/11/06/denver-ballot-measures-election-results">are poised to reject</a> a sales tax to fund affordable housing construction. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://coloradosun.com/2024/10/17/denver-ballot-issue-2r-explained/">Ballot Issue 2R</a> would have raised the city sales tax by five cents on every $10 spent and used the revenue — an expected $100 million a year — to build new affordable housing. The measure was expected to create about 40,000 new homes over the next 10 years, as well as provide rental assistance for low-income tenants and downpayment assistance for certain homebuyers.<h2 id="ad5669e5-a801-48ba-afcb-e0ed438619c3">Mixed response to rent control</h2>At the same time, voters across the country delivered mixed responses to rent control and stabilization measures.In California, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-11-05/california-election-night-proposition-33-and-proposition-34">voters rejected Prop 33</a>, which would have repealed a state law that limits how much cities can control rent — including by prohibiting rent control on single-family homes and on all housing built since 1995. The measure would have allowed cities to limit rent increases as much as they see fit and on all types of housing.Rent control measures in at least <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.kqed.org/news/12012553/californians-appear-to-reject-many-rent-control-measures">two California cities</a> — Larkspur and San Anselmo — also failed.Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, voters in Hoboken, New Jersey, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nj.com/hudson/2024/11/hoboken-voters-reject-rent-control-referendum.html">rejected a measure</a> that would've allowed landlords to raise rents on vacant apartments as much as they want. Currently, the city limits rental increases to 25% between tenants.Proponents of stricter rent control say preventing landlords from price gauging is key to protecting the most vulnerable tenants. But rent stabilization is controversial among pro-housing advocates. Some advocates and economists argue that it discourages new construction and investment in housing, worsening the housing supply shortage.Freemark argued that it's unclear what the mixed results on rent control mean for the pro-housing movement."Rent control is such a fraught subject in the housing world, so I'm not sure how much to read into it," he said.

4 major wins for YIMBYs on election night — and one loss

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Janet Boudreau, who owned the election supply business Intab, designed an "I Voted" sticker in 1987.</li><li>Her sticker became one of the most popular. Intab now sells over 100 million stickers every year.</li></ul>When Janet Boudreau walks into her local polling place to cast a ballot and collect a classic "I Voted" sticker with an American flag, most people don't know she's part of the reason they receive the stickers in the first place.One of the earliest mentions of "I Voted" stickers dates back to a 1982 Miami Herald article about discounts offered to customers wearing the stickers, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://time.com/4541760/i-voted-sticker-history-origins/">Time magazine</a> reported. Even so, stickers were rarely given out on Election Day until 1987, when Boudreau took over Intab, her father's election supply business then based in Seattle. As she worked to expand Intab's offerings, she also had the idea to create stickers to be handed out at voting booths across the country."'I Voted' stickers were not prevalent at all. They were hardly ever seen," Boudreau said. "In fact, I only saw a black-and-white version that had a check mark or an X. It was not in color, and there was no image of a flag or anything else on it, so it was definitely not inspiring."Boudreau hand-drew a design featuring the words "I Voted" with a waving American flag, a patriotic symbol of fulfilling one's civic duty. It went on to become one of Intab's bestselling products. By 2012, the company sold over 100 million stickers across all 50 states and US territories.<div type="image" title="I Voted stickers with an American flag on them." height="762" width="1024" msid="114987735" hostid="261" sizebytes="51956"></div>Boudreau sold Intab in 2015 and now coaches other entrepreneurs on how to grow their businesses. While her American flag stickers still appear in many election offices across America, some counties and states have begun holding sticker design contests for school-aged children to involve them in the democratic process.The results are occasionally unusual. In 2022, 14-year-old Hudson Rowan designed Ulster County, New York's "I Voted" sticker featuring a wide-eyed face with bloodshot eyes atop a spider's body. In the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-kamala-harris-election-biggest-moments-photos-2024-10">2024 election</a>, the winner of Michigan's "I Voted" sticker contest depicts a werewolf ripping off its shirt in front of an American flag. Submitted by 12-year-old Jane Hynous, the design appeared to amuse Vice President Kamala Harris as she greeted voters at a barber shop in Pontiac, a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/KamalaHarris/status/1853242826428961252">video on X</a> showed.<div type="image" title="An &quot;I Voted&quot; sticker depicting a werewolf ripping off its shirt." height="683" width="1024" msid="114987739" hostid="261" sizebytes="65042"></div>Boudreau loves the creativity."Oh, the more the merrier," she said. "If kids can begin thinking about the power of voting, then that's all the better. I think it's fabulous."

How 'I Voted' stickers became an Election Day staple

The <keyword id="19895782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission" source="keywords">Election Commission</keyword> has received eight applications from aggrieved <keyword id="19902220" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="candidates" source="keywords">candidates</keyword>, including those from the <keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BJP" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="BJP">BJP</keyword> and the <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword>, for verification of tampering or modification in micro-controller chips embedded in the EVMs post declaration of Lok Sabha election results on June 4. Terming the suspicion of manipulation of the electronic voting machines "unfounded", the <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court" source="keywords">Supreme Court</keyword> had on April 26 rejected the demand for reverting to the old paper ballot system. But at the same time, the top court had opened a window for the aggrieved unsuccessful candidates securing second and third places in the poll results and allowed them to seek verification of micro-controller chips embedded in five per cent EVMs per assembly constituency on a written request upon the payment of a fee to the poll panel. BJP's Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) candidate Sujay Vikhe-Patil has sought verification of the machines from 40 <keyword id="20300567" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="polling-stations" source="keywords">polling stations</keyword>. Vikhe-Patil had lost to Nilesh Lanke of NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction. A YSRCP and a DMDK candidate too have applied for the verification, according to data shared by the poll panel. According to the EC, eight parliamentary seats spread across six states are involved. The total number of polling stations for which verification has been sought is 92. Candidates who come second or third and seek verification of the EVMs will have to pay Rs 47,200 per EVM set, according to the standard operating procedure issued by the EC on June 1. According to the EC's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the cost submitted by manufacturers BEL and ECIL to carry out EVM "check and verification" is Rs 40,000 (plus 18 per cent GST) per set of EVM. "In addition to the cost incurred by the manufacturers, there are also administrative costs like cost of labour to shift the units, CCTV coverage, electricity charges, videography costs and various other operational costs at the district election officer level," the document said. It, however, said to make the <keyword id="21143428" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="verification-process" source="keywords">verification process</keyword> "more accessible" and inclusive in compliance to the referred mandate of the Supreme Court, it is decided that instead of going purely by the actual economic costs incurred, the administrative expenditure on <keyword id="22122362" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="EVM-verification" source="keywords">EVM verification</keyword> will be treated as "election expenditure and borne by the central or state government, as the case may be". "Accordingly, the administrative charges will be waived for the applicants -- the same shall not be charged to the applicants," it noted. The charges for EVM verification to be paid by the applicant candidate is for the current financial year 2024-25 -- till March 31, 2025, it said. An EVM set has at least one Ballot Unit, one Control Unit and a <keyword id="19975285" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vvpat" source="keywords">VVPAT</keyword> machine. Separately, YSRCP and BJD candidates from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha respectively have also applied for EVM check following the announcement of assembly results on June 4. Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh were held along with the Lok Sabha elections. In the verification exercise for assembly poll results, total assembly constituencies involved are three where verification has been sought in 26 polling stations. According to the SOP, the concerned state chief electoral officer (CEO) was required to communicate to the manufacturers the consolidated list of applicants within 30 days of the date of declaration of results -- by July 4. The CEOs have already conveyed the same to the manufacturers 15 days ahead of the schedule, the EC said. The technical SOP enumerating the methodology and steps for checking and verification of burnt memory/ micro-controller of the EVM units will be issued by the EC in due course.

EC receives applications for EVM verification on 8 LS seats in 6 states

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The United States is preparing for civil unrest surrounding the election.</li><li>Election Day itself isn't as high of a risk as the postelection period, analysts say.</li></ul>The turmoil that took place after the last US presidential election has left its mark.So this time around, as Election Day looms, businesses and governments around the country are preparing in advance — especially if the results are close.The consensus going into Election Day is that will be the case.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-trump-presidential-election-swing-state-polls-sun-belt-2024-10">Seven swing states</a> offer multiple avenues for each candidate to win. And the final polls have largely shown the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump as a virtual tie nationally.Glen Kucera, an executive at Allied Universal, a private security company, told Business Insider that his clientele are concerned enough to seek more resources to protect themselves and their businesses."The threat is kind of imminent and everywhere," Kucera said. "We're trying to get ahead of the threat."In the final stretch before Election Day, it seems like everyone — from voter advocacy groups and election officials to risk management and security companies — is preparing for civil unrest."I think what is also now on people's minds is the emotion, the anger that goes with some of these elections," Kucera said. "We're being deployed to try to figure all those imminent threats out and try to protect the public as we go into this election."But just how high is the risk?<h2 id="6f2d6248-0787-4c0f-9dc3-5d53c2aad9c9">Election Day isn't the biggest worry</h2>Election Day itself isn't likely to be the most high-risk day for unrest because there will be extensive protective measures taken, said Rachel Brown, an expert on violence, hate speech, and civic engagement at Over Zero, which works to deter identity-based violence."I wouldn't expect us to see a high level of organized violence. People should feel safe voting, and if there is any danger, it's likely to be very highly localized, such as a single person taking action where there seem to be groups trying to mobilize," Brown said on Friday at a press panel hosted by the National Task Force on Election Crises (NTFEC), a cross-partisan election organization.That appears to be the case in Washington and Oregon, where authorities are searching for what they say is a lone actor responsible for placing incendiary devices on at least two ballot drop boxes, burning hundreds of ballots. Officials in Clark County, Washington, where some 488 ballots were damaged, said in a press release that they have been in contact with the majority of the voters affected to issue them replacement ballots.<div type="image" title="A ballot box was damaged in Multnomah County in Portland, Oregon." height="1500" width="2250" msid="114923430" hostid="261" sizebytes="146584"></div>There are protections in place for the voting process, voters, and election workers, Brown said. Voter intimidation is criminal and prosecutable, and locally, voting sites are preparing for any incidents, including swatting attacks, where a fake call is made to law enforcement to trigger an armed response, Brown said."Some of the threats that many of us aren't even thinking about day to day, election officials are working day in and day out to prevent and then respond to," Chris Crawford, an NTFEC staffer and policy strategist at Protect Democracy, said at the panel. "There are remedies when activities like this arise that election officials can still try to ensure that every person can have their votes submitted and counted."The greater risk is likely postelection, when the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-kamala-harris-preparing-legal-challenges-election-decided-court-2024-8">results may be decided in courts</a> instead of on election night. Then, there's the waiting game until Congress counts the electoral votes on January 6, followed by the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony on January 20.Brown said she is "most concerned" about a spike in conspiracy theories and threats to state capitals, vote count locations, and the individuals who oversee them.Anticipating such unrest after the election, businesses in Portland and other cities have begun boarding up their windows."Violence tends to happen to target the process and to contest results," Brown said. "We know the dates that are relevant in the process and are able to anticipate where that might happen, but in a close election, we could see the use of violence or intimidation to attempt to sway how the results are processed."<h2 id="39042411-d542-4c03-b120-8bb15025a411">How great is the risk?</h2>Verisk, a data analytics and risk management company, ranked the United States among the five most high-risk countries for civil unrest, which could also lead to extensive insured losses, in the next year. Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and South Africa rounded out the list, with France, Greece, and Spain the riskiest in Europe.Verisk wrote in an October analysis that election-related violence is rare in the United States and that the January 6 riot in 2021 was "a standout protest event in US history." The company said the peaceful 2022 midterm elections showed that the threat of civil violence remained comparatively low.Emotions run higher during presidential elections, however, and the company's Strikes Riots and Civil Commotion Predictive Model found that the tension and political polarization could reach a boiling point, sparking unrest in urban centers like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston."Not only is the underlying SRCC risk higher than in January 2021, the potential for flashpoints to ignite civil unrest is also greater," Torbjorn Soltvedt, principal analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, said in a press release.Robert Munks, Verisk's head of research for the Americas, said that risks may also rise following the election during the certification processes."Crucially, the risk of election-related unrest will rise substantially if the outcome of the election is tightly contested," Munks said, "particularly should Trump lose to Harris."

The US is bracing for civil unrest around the election. But just how high is the risk?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Market analysts predicted choppy trading and sharp swings going into the US presidential election.</li><li>Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are locked in a tight race, fueling uncertainty among traders.</li></ul>Market analysts are braced for volatility ahead of Tuesday's presidential election as traders <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-trump-trade-stock-market-bonds-commodities-tariffs-fed-2024-7">shuffled their bets</a> on a Donald Trump or Kamala Harris victory.The Republican and Democratic candidates are neck and neck in many polls,<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-election-predictions-professional-investor-survey-2024-11"> fueling uncertainty</a> in the finance world over who'll emerge triumphant, and clouding the outlook for everything from tax and trade policy to corporate regulation and geopolitics.One analyst underscored the<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/trump-trade-djt-bitcoin-harris-election-odds-betting-kalshi-polymarket-2024-11"> critical importance</a> of the election in research notes on Monday, while another touted economic fundamentals as more important to markets and predicted long-term investors would likely win over time. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is expected to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/interest-rate-cuts-federal-reserve-election-jerome-powell-inflation-jobs-2024-11">cut interest rates</a> by 25 basis points on Thursday, while China's central bank is set to unveil some form of economic stimulus measures later this week. Here's a roundup of analysts' comments:<h2 id="b051a4d3-ca66-47f5-83ad-6b65851acac1">Naeem Aslam, chief investment officer at Zaye Capital Markets</h2>"US and European stock futures are trading flat as traders continue to focus on one thing and one thing alone, and that is the US elections. Basically, there is nothing else that matters; it is not going to be earnings that would move things in the markets, and it won't be the US jobs noisy number that would make traders think about the US economy. The only thing that is going to keep them occupied is the US election and who will become the next president of the most powerful country in the world."<h2 id="f123d804-bdf0-46b3-b1b2-46b4a53ef227">Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets</h2>"A shift in the polls seen over the weekend signal the potential for a Harris victory in Iowa; with a surge in the older female demographic signaling a shift that many believe could carry Harris to victory. Coming at a time when markets appeared to have taken a Trump victory as a given, the polls are a timely reminder that betting markets may not be the best indication of who will become the President of the United States."The election looks significantly more of a contest than many had been expecting, which could provide a more protracted and volatile period ahead as we see potential recounts and challenges to potentially drag out this process."<h2 id="4192d8db-abfb-4db3-8486-f24c3eb9af7b">Principal Asset Management</h2>"Despite short-term volatility, historical trends reveal that equities have consistently posted strong gains by the end of a presidential term, underscoring the benefits of maintaining a long-term investment perspective. The drivers of market performance — economic growth, corporate earnings, and innovation — ultimately outshine the impact of political changes."Investors should take caution. Those who allow their political opinions to cloud their investing decisions could miss out on the potential rewards that come with staying invested in the market over the long-term."<h2 id="5a32ad08-8e3d-45d5-a08a-4420d2d2de45">Hal Cook, senior investment analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown</h2>"With the election being an effective coin toss, betting on a specific outcome doesn't seem sensible. Instead, remember that diversification is your friend."<h2 id="989e296a-dd0f-43f5-90c6-c0bd1cc6ef19">Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB</h2>"The main US blue-chip index is up 20% year-to-date, which does not suggest that the market is seriously pricing in the risk of civic violence after this election, which could rock financial markets and cause a global wave of risk aversion."An interesting development leading up to this election is that financial markets expect Trump to win, and the Trump trade has performed well in recent weeks, as you can see in the chart below. The Trump trade is a stronger dollar, weaker bonds/ higher bond yields and stronger crypto. With one day left of this campaign, the dollar is falling, and the dollar index is at a two-week low. Thus, if Harris does win on Tuesday we could see a rapid unwinding of this trade, a sharp weakening of the dollar and intense volatility in the FX and bond market."We expect Monday and Tuesday to be quiet for markets, however, once we get the first drip feed of results on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, expect fireworks."

Prepare for market volatility but don't panic trade, analysts say ahead of Election Day  

<ul class="summary-list"><li>VCs are lobbing cash at the presidential election and key congressional races, FEC data shows.</li><li>While most VCs favored Democrats, a16z's crypto giving dwarfed all other donations.</li></ul>America is bitterly divided over politics, and the tech industry — once portrayed as a liberal bastion — is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/election-a-distraction-silicon-valley-wants-to-be-over-2024-8">no different.</a> Among the sector's investor class, these disputes typically play out behind closed doors, with checkbooks rather than <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-political-divide-twitter-elon-musk-kamala-harris-2024-8">angry social media posts</a>.This election cycle, investors at the top venture capital firms have plowed tens of millions of dollars into the election, both backing their favored political candidates and just cannily promoting commercial interests.Business Insider trawled political donation data released by the Federal Elections Commission to see how employees at VC firms have donated by candidates and political entities as the hotly contested race enters its final phase.The data is limited, focusing only on a subjective grouping of 10 high-profile firms, and cutting off at varying points over the summer. More recent FEC donor data will be released in the days and weeks ahead of the November 5 general election, often the most turbulent time in any cycle.The sheer volume of donations captured in the FEC filings underscores the significance of the tech constituency in the political arena, how the Silicon Valley elite has embraced politics of late, and just how flooded by money modern American politics has become.<h3 id="dd94bff4-8a0b-4fe4-8f40-59db1deb3131">The big spenders</h3>For venture capitalists, talking politics can invite scrutiny — or worse, turn off founders seeking funds for what might be the next big thing. It's part of the reason why many firms won't take positions on political issues or push a candidate on their employees.While that hasn't stopped individual investors from voting with their dollars, many VC firms are quick to point out that donations do not represent the organization's political stance.Except when they do.Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, is the sole firm in our dataset to make political contributions directly. In this election cycle, it contributed $47 million to groups working to elect blockchain-friendly candidates, including Fairshake, a titanic crypto-industry backed super PAC. The firm is all-in on crypto, investing in Solana and Yuga Labs, and launched a $4.5 billion investment fund focused on this area in 2022.While the names of the firm's founders, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, also appear on filings for donations to these groups, a16z says on its <a target="_blank" href="https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/contributing-to-fairshake-pac/">website</a> that these contributions come from the firm, not the founders personally. Though the distinction a16z draws between itself and its founders might be slightly artificial, given Andreessen and Horowitz created, own, and named the firm after themselves.For all the brouhaha about Andreessen and Horowitz putting <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-vcs-in-silicon-valley-2024-7">millions of dollars</a> behind Trump's latest bid for the White House and Horowitz hedging his bets with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/read-ben-horowitzs-email-a16z-saying-plans-donate-kamala-harris-2024-10">a planned donation to Harris</a>, the data shows the two are a rare breed among venture investors: relatively bipartisan donors.Horowitz sent roughly 59% of his personal political contributions to Republicans and a little under 40% to Democrats, while Andreessen more strongly favored Republicans this election cycle, with 64% of his donations.In the time period covered by the data, a16z even eclipsed Greylock, where outgoing partner and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-billionaires-investors-kamala-harris-mark-cuban-reid-hoffman-2024-8">Democrat megadonor</a> Reid Hoffman has personally pumped nearly $30 million in recorded donations into the presidential election and key congressional races.Investors at Founders Fund, which has backed SpaceX and Palantir, are nearly 100% Republican in donations, though the bulk of contributions came from Keith Rabois, who left the firm in January to rejoin Khosla Ventures. Employees of venerable firm Kleiner Perkins are the opposite, giving almost entirely to Democratic causes, as is the case for Y Combinator, the colossal startup accelerator.Like Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital is largely bipartisan. Unlike a16z, its biggest donors are largely split on party lines. Michael Moritz, who left the firm midway through last year and continues to serve as an advisor to Sequoia Heritage, its wealth management group, gives to Democrats, while Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire donates to Republicans.<h3 id="3ae3c5f1-4f98-4417-8e68-d3e367656034">Number-crunching</h3>When a candidate's campaign or other political entity receives political donations, they must report it either quarterly or monthly to the FEC, along with information about the donors, including the donor's employer. The federal agency processes these filings, before releasing them in a searchable format on its website.The data analyzed for this story cuts off on August 31 for entities that report donations on a monthly basis (including presidential campaigns, national party committees, and some PACs), while the cut-off for entities that report quarterly (including Congressional committees and some PACs) is June 30. (The filing deadline for Q3 data for quarterly filing entities was October 15, but this data isn't yet readily available in full online.)Business Insider selected 10 venture capital firms to focus on, taking into account fund size and cultural and industry significance. The list encompasses employees ranging from general partners and firm founders to marketers and executive assistants.The findings should not be interpreted as an exhaustive accounting of all venture capital investors' donations to date, but as a comparative analysis of how some of the industry's most significant players have approached political giving over the summer as the election heated up.Business Insider divided the recipients into three categories: Democrat-aligned, Republican-aligned, and unaffiliated — a grouping that includes both bipartisan groups like Fairshake and independents like West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, as well as organizations like The Lincoln Project, run by self-described Republicans but in practice supporting Democratic causes.<h3 id="383b71f4-35bb-4d3d-9fd8-a1daae48b9df">Hoffman vs. Horowitz</h3>Hoffman, the top individual donor, has developed a reputation as tech's Democratic Party standard-bearer. In this election cycle, records show his efforts include $2 million to help fund an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/01/31/billionaire-reid-hoffman-spent-2-million-on-bidens-new-hampshire-write-in-campaign-fec-records-show/">unusual write-in effort</a> for President Joe Biden in New Hampshire, and millions to joint fundraising committees for Harris after Biden dropped out. Hoffman also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/us/politics/nikki-haley-reid-hoffman-donation.html">gave $250,000</a> to a super PAC supporting Nikki Haley, the last major candidate to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination.Most donors more closely resemble Hoffman than Horowitz: clearly partisan, with an overwhelming majority of their donations going to support one party.Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures is another of the biggest donors on the Democratic side of the aisle, with more than $3 million in recorded donations during the time period to recipients including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Harris' presidential campaign. Khosla's giving puts him just above John Doerr, chairman of Kleiner Perkins and architect of cleantech investing, though he hasn't managed funds for the firm in a decade.Sequoia Capital's Doug Leone is one of VC's most prolific GOP-aligned political donors, giving his almost $3.8 million to the National Republican Committee and other causes.The vehicle of choice for many of these donations is via super PACs, a controversial political fundraising tool that can raise unlimited funds — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/candidate-taking-receipts/contribution-limits/">bypassing FEC limits on donations</a> to candidates and other committees — but cannot directly coordinate with candidates. Asides from Fairshake, some of the biggest super PACs out there favored by VC investors include Future Forward PAC, a tech billionaire-linked Democrat-supporting group, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-trump-america-super-pac-2024-10">America PAC, a right-wing entity founded by Elon Musk</a>.Investors also gave to several joint fundraising committees, which take money for multiple candidates or organizations. They, too, became favored over the years because a joint fundraising committee allows candidates to rake in cash while sharing the costs of fundraising — think website hosting fees, high-end hotels, and catering for splashy Hamptons fundraisers. The most well-loved committees in our dataset were the Harris Victory Fund and Harris Action Fund, the joint fundraising efforts between the Harris campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and state Democratic committees.Reached for comment by Business Insider, none of the named investment firms agreed to make employees available for interviews about their political giving. Perhaps, from the donors' perspectives, they don't need to: They're already putting their money where their mouth is.Have a tip or a story? Connect with Melia Russell via email at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:mrussell@insider.com">mrussell@businessinsider.com</a> or by phone at (603) 913-3085. Reach Rob Price at <a target="_blank" class="" href="mailto:rprice@insider.com">rprice@businessinsider.com</a>. For sensitive matters, use the Signal app on a non-work device for encrypted messaging.

Venture capital is going to war over the election. Here's the data to prove it. 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Pennsylvania has one of the fastest-aging populations in the nation.</li><li>It's a case study of how the US will handle a surge of retirees and fewer younger workers.</li></ul>Maureen, 67, is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-trump-presidential-election-swing-state-polls-sun-belt-2024-10">planning to vote</a> for former President Donald Trump in November because she believes he'll be more beneficial to her finances now that she's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-retirement-of-peak-boomers-could-affect-economy-social-security-2024-4">retired</a>.The northeast Pennsylvania resident, who requested her last name be withheld to protect her privacy, said she approaches each election with an open mind and has previously voted for both Republicans and Democrats. Like many Americans, this time around, Maureen's deciding factor is her <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blockbuster-jobs-report-kamala-harris-election-trump-inflation-economy-2024-10">perception of the economy</a>."I'm just looking back over the past eight years, and my 401(k) grew in the four years Trump was in office," Maureen told Business Insider. "Do I like his personality? Heck no, I don't. But my 401(k) went up, interest rates were low, unemployment rates were low."Maureen's view highlights a common theme among American voters, particularly those <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/older-americans-regret-retirement-savings-taking-social-security-early-investments-2024-10">carefully watching their retirement</a> nest egg: they hold whoever is president accountable for how they feel about their finances. Despite the fact that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-election-impact-outlook-harris-trump-energy-tesla-biden-2024-10">stocks</a> have enjoyed significant gains under both Biden and Trump and even though the Federal Reserve — <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/interest-rate-cut-trump-fed-powell-reaction-independence-history-2024-9">not the president</a> — dictates benchmark interest rates, Maureen still blames the current administration for her dissatisfaction.Marjorie Klein, 80, lives in Philadelphia and is also retired. Similar to Maureen, she's concerned about financial security for older Americans — but she will be supporting Vice President Kamala Harris."He says that he's going to keep Social Security, but you never know with him," Klein told BI of Trump.Americans like Maureen and Klein may decide the election. A Morning Consult <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/us/elections/polls-president-pennsylvania.html">poll</a> conducted from October 6 to 15 found Harris leading Trump in the swing state of Pennsylvania by just one point. However, among voters aged 50 and over in Pennsylvania, a recent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2024/pennsylvania-harris-trump-poll.html">poll</a> from AARP found Trump leading Harris by eight points."We're a pivotal state for this presidency," Bill Johnston-Walsh, state director of AARP Pennsylvania, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2024/pennsylvania-harris-trump-poll.html">said</a>. "Whoever wants it is going to have to go through us."Pennsylvania is a case study for the role the federal government will play in supporting the US's aging population over the next few decades through programs like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-retirement-of-peak-boomers-could-affect-economy-social-security-2024-4">Social Security</a> and Medicare. Pennsylvania voters and economists told BI it's vital that the next presidential administration plan for a future when retirees greatly outnumber younger Americans to ensure the economy and workforce can function effectively. As a swing state, it's critical for their campaigns that Harris and Trump listen to older Pennsylvanians' concerns.<h2 id="af5cee7e-b374-4096-b8b8-8442a2e05213">Social Security and Medicare in the hot seat</h2>Pennsylvania is aging rapidly; it has nearly 2.5 million residents over the age of 65, the fifth-highest total in the country. Nationally, the population of adults over 65 is expected to surge by 20 million between now and 2040.The state's residents rely heavily on federal government income, mainly through Social Security and Medicare, with two rural counties — Fayette and Cambria — among the most reliant in the nation, a report from the bipartisan Economic Innovation Group found.Benjamin Glasner, a coauthor of EIG's <a target="_blank" href="https://eig.org/great-transfermation/">report</a>, told BI that the most reliant counties were generally in older, poor, and more rural communities. Cambria, for example, needed more government aid after steel plant closures in the 1980s. Residents' incomes still haven't recovered."You can only receive so much from Social Security. Medicare can only cover so much, and Medicaid can only cover so much," Glasner said, adding that creates "a thin level of economic prosperity" reliant on the program's generosity."Mike Crossey, 73, has seen the limits of government aid firsthand in his work as an advocate for retirees. The Pittsburgh-area resident wants the next president of the US to strengthen Social Security, protect pensions, and expand Medicare. He said he knows too many older Americans who live off Social Security alone, which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/">averaged</a> $1,921 nationally for retirees in September."I run into people every day who are still making decisions about, 'Do I take my prescriptions today or do I have lunch today?' And that just breaks my heart," Crossey said.While Trump has denied that he would cut Social Security and previously criticized GOP lawmakers who proposed raising the retirement age to 70, the Committee for a Responsible Budget <a target="_blank" href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/what-would-trump-campaign-plans-mean-social-security">said</a> that Trump's policies could force cuts to Social Security benefits in as little as six years. Harris has proposed strengthening Social Security by ensuring the wealthy and big corporations pay what they owe in taxes.With the Social Security and Medicare Board of Trustees report recently projecting that Social Security will only be able to pay out full benefits <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-will-social-security-benefits-run-out-retirement-crisis-boomers-2024-5">for the next 11 years</a>, the issue is growing more pressing, and not only for Pennsylvanians. Richard Fiesta, the executive director of the nonpartisan 4 million-member Alliance for Retired Americans, said that "Congress and the next administration needs to have a serious look at Social Security."Some retirees are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retirement-savings-401k-pension-real-estate-investments-baby-boomers-2024-6">able to live comfortably</a> amid economic headwinds. However, Fiesta said the decline in defined benefit pension plans, or employer-subsidized retirement plans, contributes to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/retirement-crisis-social-security-poverty-older-americans-savings-inequality-2024-3">slump in average retiree savings</a>.This means that more and more Americans rely primarily on Social Security to help keep them financially afloat as they age. The previously mentioned EIG report found that income from government aid is the fastest-growing portion of an American's income, and it is primarily driven by retirees, who make up a rising share of the total US population."And we're just kind of seeing that now over the last 10 to 15 years as that generation ages into retirement," Fiesta said.<h2 id="a2e550dc-625f-4039-8e34-cbb0ecc4d25f">An aging workforce creates job mismatches</h2>The workforce in Pennsylvania is already starting to see imbalances as the younger population dwindles and the number of retirees grows.Kyle Kopko, executive director of the bipartisan legislative agency Center for Rural Pennsylvania, said local business owners complain of labor shortages. CRP research suggests that's due to fewer older adults working traditional jobs and instead pursuing entrepreneurship to supplement their retirement incomes. At the same time, lower birth rates mean younger adults are not filling the open roles either, Kopko said."If you don't have a pool of younger adults in Pennsylvania who can backfill for some of the retirees, that's going to create supply and demand imbalances," Kopko said, referring to the role retirees play in the economy as consumers, but less so as workers.When it comes to the issue of jobs nationwide, Harris proposed tax incentives for small businesses to spur more hiring, while Trump has largely focused on bolstering manufacturing in the US to create more jobs.One possible avenue for job creation — the infrastructure industry — has hardly been mentioned by either candidate in policy discussions. Bill Candelori, a 68-year-old retired commercial painter, sees this as an overlooked opportunity. He says Biden's infrastructure investments, which brought $16 billion to Pennsylvania, was a promising step but wants the next administration to go further."It's not only roads and bridges. It's airports, it's water authorities, it's schools, it's libraries, any public project," Candelori said. "That's work for us. And it's work afterward on maintaining those facilities. It's job creation."<h2 id="485b4799-3267-4ca3-96b7-d90ae5f90405">Political steps being taken</h2>State and local governments have already taken steps to address these mounting issues. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — a Democrat — has worked with members of his administration to create a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/aging/documents/aging-our-way/documents/AOW%20Final%20PDF%20online%20version%20with%20signature.pdf">10-year strategic plan</a> that outlined eight key priorities for older adults, including housing, transportation, and health and community support.Pennsylvania's Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich said it's a bipartisan issue that has bipartisan support: "There is not a representative or senator who I've ever sat down with that does not care about older adults in their district."JR Reed and Krista Geer, both in charge of county-wide aging agencies, have met with older adults in Pennsylvania to hear their top worries. Geer said that one of the biggest concerns she's heard about is the high cost of living, which has interfered with their ability to afford medications, gas, and groceries. Though inflation has moderated in recent months, it's still historically elevated and putting pressure on consumers."Social security just doesn't quite keep pace with that," Geer said. The program adjusts payouts annually to account for inflation. Critics say it isn't tied to a measure that accurately reflects the spending of older Americans.Reed and Geer agree the solution is for older populations to have a bigger nest egg, but not one that comes from Social Security. Reed said that he hopes Trump or Harris will continue to fund a 1965 federal law that provides funding to states to better support older adults.At the federal level, Harris recently proposed a plan that would allow Medicare coverage for in-home eldercare, which Fiesta said would "go a long way" toward helping both older adults and the family members who typically would take care of them.Trump, to date, has offered minimal details about his plans to address eldercare. Brian Hughes — his campaign's senior advisor — told BI that the presidential hopeful and his running mate, JD Vance, "share the principles of using more choice in the marketplace and efficiency as tools for better, more affordable health care."Overall, the stakes for an aging US population are high, and bipartisan participation is required to ensure the country is properly prepared for a surge in retirees.Kavulich said that the shift needs to be addressed head-on."Older adults really drive our economies," Kavulich said. "They drive our communities, and we have to respect that. And we have to not just think of them as frail and old and vulnerable."

A battle over the future of US retirement is playing out in Pennsylvania as the election looms 

As the United States heads into a decisive phase in its presidential election, <keyword id="19954681" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sundar-Pichai" source="keywords">Sundar Pichai</keyword>, CEO of Alphabet and <keyword id="19902762" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="google" source="keywords">Google</keyword>, has called on employees to ensure the company maintains its reputation as a reliable information provider. In an internal memo, as per an IANS report, <keyword id="20234972" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pichai" source="keywords">Pichai</keyword> underscored Google’s critical role during this period, saying it is essential for “the products they build” to be a trusted source for people of all backgrounds. "Let’s remember the role we play at work, through the products we build and as a business: to be a trusted source of information to people of every background and belief," he said in the memo. The <keyword id="20239922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-CEO" source="keywords">Google CEO</keyword> also reportedly reminded employees to adhere strictly to Google’s Community Guidelines and Personal Political Activity Policy. Pichai stressed that safeguarding the integrity of the platform is of utmost importance, especially during such a significant event. “We must maintain that trust,” he wrote, saying that it is part of Google’s broader mission to make information accessible and useful. “We will and must maintain that. In that spirit, it’s important that everyone continue to follow our Community Guidelines and Personal Political Activity Policy,” he wrote in the internal memo as reported by IANS. Highlighting the teams’ ongoing efforts, Pichai mentioned that staff across Google and YouTube have been working diligently to provide accurate and reliable information to voters. This commitment is consistent with Google’s approach during elections around the world. In 2024 alone, the tech giant supported major elections in countries like France, India, and the UK, benefiting over a billion voters. Pichai also noted that the outcome of the U.S. election would have far-reaching implications, influencing discussions in homes across the globe. However, he reassured employees that regardless of the result, Google’s mission to organise global information and make it widely accessible would remain steadfast. He highlighted how artificial intelligence continues to play a significant role in driving this mission, contributing to innovation and economic growth. The tech leader’s remarks came in the context of growing scrutiny on how digital platforms manage information during elections. <keyword id="19933162" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Misinformation" source="keywords">Misinformation</keyword> remains a major concern, and tech companies face increased pressure to act responsibly. To address this, Pichai reminded employees of their shared responsibility to uphold the company’s standards. In a related move, Meta, formerly Facebook, extended its ban on new political ads beyond the original November 5 end date, aiming to mitigate potential misinformation and maintain a secure online environment during and after the election period.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai asks team to safeguard trust during US elections, sends internal memo

<ul class="summary-list"><li>There are just 15 days until Election Day.</li><li>The presidential race remains razor close, with control of the White House at a coin-flip.</li></ul>In just over two weeks, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-harris-swing-states-election-2024-10">Election Day 2024</a> will be here — a final cap to a wild, at times unprecedented presidential fight that, for the moment, remains far too close to call.The story of the 2024 race is that amid the chaos — President Joe Biden dropping out of the race, Vice President <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-trump-national-polls-election-2024-10">Kamala Harris</a>' emergence, and two assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump's life — control of the White House still hinges on a coin-flip.As pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson pointed out, the 2024 race is exceptional because there has been little movement in national polling since Labor Day, the traditional starting date of the final pre-Election Day slog. Without a second presidential debate between Trump and Harris, there are also no major moments left that could presumably shake up the race. All that remains are the unexpected "October surprises," though, in today's media environment, the bar for earth-shattering is pretty hard to cross if you're not North Carolina Lt. Gov. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-robinson-trump-north-carolina-gop-harris-election-2024-9">Mark Robinson</a>. (And even then, can one really be surprised when it comes to him?)The good news for Trump is that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-trump-national-polls-election-2024-10">he has gained ground</a> since his widely panned debate performance against Harris. The RealClearPolitics national average has narrowed by roughly 0.5 percentage points in the past week. Noted election forecaster Nate Silver's model now shows Trump with an extremely slight lead in what continues to remain a toss-up race. According to FiveThirtyEight's state averages, Trump has narrowed Harris' lead in the three so-called Blue Wall states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.Harris trolled Trump on Friday for being "exhausted," referencing a string of interviews he has reportedly walked away from."Well, if you are exhausted on the campaign trail, it raises real questions about whether you are fit for the toughest job in the world," Harris said in Michigan, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/10/18/2024-elections-live-coverage-updates-analysis/trump-skips-another-interview-00184327">referencing a Politico report</a> that Trump begged out of an interview due to "exhaustion."In response, Trump said she's a "loser" who "doesn't have the energy of a rabbit."Instead, the former president has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-going-for-crypto-bro-vote-world-liberty-financial-2024-9">hit the podcast circuit hard</a> — approaching the end of the campaign like a retired athlete loaded with stories from the glory days. In all seriousness, his team is focusing on young men. It appears to be working. According to The New York Times, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/18/upshot/polls-trump-harris-young-men.html">Trump leads Harris among young men</a> "58 percent to 37 percent, across the last three Times/Siena national polls." In contrast, Harris is driving an even larger gender gap among young women.In an era of close elections, 2024 is entering the home stretch with the potential to be one of the closest on record.<h2 id="5b26390b-d82d-4995-9be4-9043c97c0ea9">The big names are about to come out.</h2>Amid the final push, both campaigns are turning to a mix of their top surrogates. Like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton before her, Harris has virtually every top Democrat at her beck and call. She's set to stump with both Obamas separately in Georgia and Michigan, respectively. In recent days, Harris has also appeared alongside former "Shark Tank" star <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-mark-cuban-campaign-swing-states-sec-chair-2024-10">Mark Cuban</a>, her go-to billionaire. Former Congresswoman <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2020-is-back-on-the-2024-campaign-trail-2024-10">Liz Cheney</a> and other top Republicans will also continue to push Harris' theme of democracy and attack the former president for his refusal to accept his 2020 loss.Harris' team has teased bigger guests. They have touted a Get Out the Vote concert in pop star <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/charli-xcx-responds-to-kamala-is-brat-reaction-x-cnn-2024-8">Charli XCX's signature "Brat Green."</a> Democrats often turn to musicians and celebrities to make the final push. Obama ended his reelection with an Election Eve rally in Des Moines, Iowa, accompanied by a Bruce Springsteen performance. Clinton called on the Boss and Bon Jovi to campaign with her at her final 2016 rally in Philadelphia. The pandemic muted the 2020 race, but there's little doubt about big spectacles this time.Trump is getting an early start with a rally in New York City's Madison Square Garden. He's never had as deep of a bench or as glitzy of guests as the Democrats. It's still news when his wife, former first lady <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/melania-trump-book-memoir-scandals-2024-10">Melania Trump,</a> joins him — as she did for Thursday night's Al Smith dinner.The former president's entire appeal is predicated on breaking with traditional US politics. It's why few, if any, GOP standard-bearers ever campaign with him. His actions leading up to and during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot have also further eroded relationships, namely with his former running mate, Mike Pence, who has said Trump endangered his family. On Friday, "Fox &amp; Friends" cohosts practically begged Trump to campaign with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. Instead of talking about his former primary foe, Trump extolled Tesla CEO <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-trump-america-super-pac-2024-10">Elon Musk</a>. The world's richest man has donated roughly $75 million to a pro-Trump super PAC he founded. Musk also joined Trump for a recent rally and is now hosting his own series of events.<h2 id="8f498ba3-30f7-454c-82a3-9ead88ce5113">Here's where the all-important Electoral College map stands.</h2>With those numbers in mind, there's a clear picture of how each candidate can win.<div type="image" title="Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns in Michigan." height="3587" width="5381" msid="114396471" hostid="261" sizebytes="321400"></div><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-trump-blue-wall-economic-message-unions-michigan-pennsylvania-wisconsin-2024-10">Harris' easiest path</a> remains what was once Biden's Hail Mary strategy before he dropped out of the race: sweep the Great Lakes states and complete the Blue Wall with Nebraska's blue dot. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania have voted for the same presidential candidate since 1992. But in a razor-close election, there's always the possibility that one could fall out.Most models predict that if Trump wins Pennsylvania again, he will be the next president. If he punches a hole elsewhere, Harris could repair the damage by picking up a state like North Carolina — though the Tar Heel state has only voted for a Democratic presidential nominee once this century (Obama's 2008 victory). There's also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-trump-georgia-battleground-state-suburbs-2024-8">the possibility of Georgia</a>, a state that you might remember that Biden won by just 11,779 votes in 2020.The good news for the vice president comes from Nebraska. Like Maine, Nebraska awards some of its Electoral College votes by congressional district. In the overwhelmingly conservative state, there's a swing district, the Omaha-based Nebraska 2nd. Obama narrowly won it in 2008. Nebraska Republicans then successfully pushed to gerrymander the seat. Amid a broader demographic realignment, Biden easily won the district in 2020. Trump's best plan for Warren Buffett's backyard was a last-minute change to the state law. But <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-nebraska-2nd-electoral-college-vote-omaha-harris-mcdonnell-2024-9">it didn't work</a>. It means there is still a possibility that Harris wins the presidency 270 to 268, avoiding the possibility of just the second tie in the nation's history.Trump's team once dreamed of flipping Minnesota, New Hampshire, and perhaps even New Mexico in a rout of Biden. Since Harris' rise, they have tried to hang on to North Carolina. It's quite possible Trump could flip Georgia and Arizona, seizing on his increased standing among Black and Latino men. But barring a major surprise, Trump's best path remains to find a way to flip at least one Great Lakes state.

We are 15 days from the 2024 presidential election. Here's where things stand. 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Trump will try to use his new status as president-elect to his advantage in NY, experts tell BI.</li><li>Trump is expected to ask immediately to adjourn his hush-money sentencing, they predicted Wednesday.</li></ul>Donald Trump will use <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/election-results-trump-harris-presidential-election-2024-11">his new status as president-elect</a> in a renewed effort to challenge his upcoming sentencing on his Manhattan hush-money conviction, legal experts predicted Wednesday.Trump, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-election-criminal-cases-presidency-2024-11">the only US president to be convicted</a> of a felony, is scheduled to be sentenced November 26. He faces as little as no jail time and as much as four years prison for falsifying business records to retroactively hide a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels made two weeks before the 2016 election.As Candidate Trump, he <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delay-trump-sentencing-is-win-for-campaign-and-his-wallet-2024-9">fought to delay his sentencing</a> repeatedly, arguing that he was too busy and that his responsibilities as the GOP standard-bearer were too important for the case to interrupt.He'll push that argument even harder as president-elect, as his lawyers continue to pursue <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-now-says-scotus-immunity-voids-entire-hush-money-indictment-2024-7">time-consuming legal challenges</a> through the state and federal appellate courts and potentially to the US Supreme Court, as legal experts said he is entitled to do."He's definitely going to throw that around now," said Charles Solomon, who was a Manhattan-based state supreme court justice for 33 years before his 2017 retirement."Wouldn't you use that argument if you were president-elect? Of course he's going to argue that he's about to become leader of the free world, and this is a special case, something that's never happened before," Solomon added."What he's going to try to do is adjourn, adjourn, adjourn," while his lawyers challenge his indictment, trial, and conviction on presidential-immunity grounds, Solomon predicted."And if he doesn't get an adjournment, he can appeal that," the former judge added. "He can seek delays in so many ways."<div type="image" title="Donald Trump at his hush-money trial in Manhattan." height="1785" width="2500" msid="115031144" hostid="261" sizebytes="180074"></div><h2 id="73807c3a-d96a-4b1b-a948-13788ab2fc24">Trump's legal challenges to his hush-money case</h2>Manhattan prosecutors should expect Trump to file a request in the next few days asking the trial judge to adjourn the November 26 sentencing because he's too busy ahead of assuming office, experts predicted Wednesday.The judge, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, is meanwhile weighing a previous defense request to toss the entire indictment, or at least the conviction. Trump's defense team has argued prosecutors exposed grand jurors and the trial jury to evidence that would be considered "official-act" evidence — meaning evidence involving actions Trump took in his official capacity as president — now barred under the SCOTUS presidential immunity opinion.Prosecutors with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg have countered that any official-act evidence used in their case <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-immunity-no-bearing-hush-money-conviction-da-bragg-2024-7">amounts to "harmless error."</a>Merchan has said he will issue a written decision on Tuesday, November 12, a week before the sentencing date. Trump's lawyers have said they are prepared to file an immediate state-court appeal if he loses.In a separate effort, Trump is fighting to have the case moved to federal court in Manhattan, again on presidential immunity grounds. A US District Court judge rejected that effort in September, and it remains under appeal by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.If Merchan wants to proceed with the sentencing — and he may view himself as required to on speedy-trial grounds — Trump can seek a delay in the state and federal appellate courts, said Michel Paradis, an attorney who teaches national security and constitutional law at Columbia Law School."Any of those tracks can get you to the US Supreme Court pretty fast, if that's his goal," Paradis said.<div type="image" title="juan merchan courtroom sketch" height="2268" width="3024" msid="115031148" hostid="261" sizebytes="614716"></div><h2 id="a00f56b0-6ecf-421f-bdfe-956dd498f0ba">A 'unique place in this nation's history'</h2>Merchan addressed the unique circumstances of prosecuting, trying, and sentencing Trump in September, when he agreed to delay the sentencing for a second time.The original sentencing date was July 11, Merchan said in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25100960-ny-v-trump-merchan-sentence-delay-20240906">a four-page decision</a> that set the November date."However, on July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States rendered a historic and intervening decision in Trump v. United States," a decision the defense needed time to respond to, Merchan wrote.He decided to postpone the second sentencing date, September 18, until after the election in recognition of "the unique facts and circumstances of this case," Merchan wrote at the time."This matter is one that stands alone, in a unique place in this Nation's history," the judge added, alluding to Trump's presidential candidacy.Trump's prosecution was already unprecedented when Trump was only a nominee and former president, said Mark Bederow, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor for the Manhattan district attorney's office.Trump's election "takes it to a whole other level," Bederow said. "There's no playbook for any of this," he added. "A state judge is now potentially setting himself up to sentence the most powerful federal officer in the world."<div type="image" title="Donald Trump sits at the defense table at his Manhattan hush-money trial. He is flanked by attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove." height="1667" width="2500" msid="115031145" hostid="261" sizebytes="199518"></div>Even if the sentencing happens before Inauguration Day, it's highly unlikely that as a 78-year-old first-time non-violent offender, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nyc-judges-weigh-in-on-trump-hush-money-sentencing-2024">Trump will get a jail sentence</a>, former New York City judges have told Business Insider."What's Merchan going to do? He's not going to argue that the next president should go to state prison," said Solomon, the former judge. "He's not going to have him do community service on weekends, and pick up trash in Central Park when he's not dealing with the Joint Chiefs of Staff."Any sentence Merchan metes out would be put on hold, or "stayed," pending Trump's appeal of his conviction, which itself would take years, experts said.Assuming Trump's sentencing delay bids fail, "Merchan will sentence Trump and Trump will appeal the conviction and sentence, first through the New York appellate courts and then the United States Supreme Court," said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani."It's more likely that Trump is fined and sentenced to no time and he has to appeal the conviction. This is all unprecedented," Rahmani, the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, added as a caveat. "And we're in uncharted legal waters."Trump's campaign and lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Bragg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

'Adjourn, adjourn, adjourn' — Trump is expected to use new status as president-elect to delay hush-money sentencing 

New Delhi, Several political parties declined to share details of electoral bond donors citing various legal provisions, while others said they received the funding instruments through "drop box" or by post without any name. The DMK, which received most of its donations from a lottery firm, reached out to its donors to seek details of the electoral bonds as demanded by the <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="keywords">Supreme Court</keyword> in 2019. The BJP cited the amendments to the Representation of People Act, 1951 and the relevant portions of the Reserve Bank of India Act and the Income Tax Act for not revealing its donors. "It is duly submitted that the electoral bonds were introduced with the aim of bringing only accounted for funds in political funding while protecting the donors from any consequences, therefrom," the BJP said in its letter to the <keyword id="19895782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="election-commission" source="keywords">Election Commission</keyword>. The <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="congress" source="keywords">Congress</keyword> shot off a letter to the <keyword id="19934368" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="state-bank-of-india" source="keywords">State Bank of India</keyword> (SBI) seeking details of donors of electoral bonds, the amount, the bank account in which it was credited and the date. The SBI responded to the Congress that the details of the electoral bonds were available with the political parties and shared the statement of the bank account which was shared with the Commission. The Samajwadi Party shared details of bonds of relatively smaller amounts of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, but merely mentioned that 10 bonds of Rs 1 crore each were received by post without any name. The DMK, which received almost 77 per cent of its funds from lottery king Santiago Martin's Future Gaming, said it had reached out to the donors of the party to get details of the donations they had made. "The scheme also does not require the details of the donor to be furnished to the donee. ... Be that as it may, following the directions of Hon'ble Supreme Court, we contacted our donors and we were able to collect the details from them," the DMK said. The <keyword id="19910625" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="telugu-desam-party" source="keywords">Telugu Desam Party</keyword> mentioned "not readily available" in the column for listing out the names of donors. The <keyword id="19968095" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="trinamool-congress" source="keywords">Trinamool Congress</keyword> said the electoral bonds were sent to the party office and were "dropped in the drop box". The party said some bonds were sent through messengers from various persons who wished to support the party, many of whom prefer to remain anonymous. The NCP, then led by Sharad Pawar, expressed inability to furnish details of donors against each bond as the party had not maintained details or issued any receipts. The letter by the NCP to the Election Commission said several of its office-bearers were busy with the election campaign. "Wherever possible we have indicated the name of the person through whom bonds were received by the party," the NCP said. The Goa unit of the Congress reached out to its donor V M Salgaonkar and Brothers to get details of the electoral bonds worth Rs 30 lakh given by them to the party. The RJD said the details about donations worth Rs 1.5 crore were not readily available. The Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) has told the Election Commission that someone delivered to its office an envelope with electoral bonds worth Rs 10 crore in 2019, which were redeemed by the party.

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