JENNIFER: THE ENTIRE PROCESS OF VOTING IN 2020 IS DIFFERENT, WITH ABSENTEE BALLOTS ALREADY SETTING RECORDS AND NEW CONFIGURATIONS AT THE POLLS TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19.
TOM: WE ASKED OUR PANEL OF GRANITE STATE VOTERS WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT THESE CHANGES.
LET’S GO BACK TO MONICA HERNANDEZ.
MONICA: DO ANY OF YOU HAVE FEARS OVER GOING TO VOTE IN PERSON, OR, ON THIS FLIP SIDE OF THAT, FEARS OVER POTENTIAL FRAUD IF VOTES ARE ABSENTEE OR MAILED IN?
>> I DON’T HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH MAIL-IN VOTING.
I THINK IT’S WORKED IN OTHER STATES.
I DON’T HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH IT.
I’M NOT REALLY CONCERNED WITH : JUST CONCERNED WITH GOING -- I AM NOT REALLY CONCERNED WITH GOING TO VOTING PLACES, BECAUSE AS LONG AS PEOPLE ARE WEARING THEIR MASKS AND FOLLOWING SOCIAL
DISTANCING POLICIES, I THINK IT WILL GO WELL.
AND NEW HAMPSHIRE HASN’T BEEN HIT HARD LIKE CALIFORNIA OR NEW YORK, SO I THINK IT WILL BE FINE HERE.
>> I DON’T HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH MAIL-IN VOTING.
I THINK THE MAJOR ISSUE WOULD BE WHAT ARE SOME OTHER INDIVIDUALS, DEPENDING ON THE RESULTS, HOW THAT’S TAKEN.
AS FAR AS VOTING IN PERSON, I WORK IN HEALTH CARE, SO I HAVE BEEN OUT AND ABOUT WITH COVID, SO GOING TO VOTE IN PERSON HASN’T, DOESN’T, IS NOT GOING TO PREVENT ME FROM DOING IT.
>> I’VE BEEN, HAD THE HONOR OF BEING A POLL WORKER IN THE PAST AND HAD TO DEAL WITH ABSENTEE BALLOTS, AND CERTAINLY IN WATCHING HOW THE PRIMARY WAS HANDLED VERY CONFIDENT IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE’S VOTING SYSTEM.
THERE’S A LOT OF CHECKS AND BALANCES, A LOT OF WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH PERSON GETS TO VOTE AND THEY GET TO VOTE ONCE.
THERE HAS BEEN NO PROOF OF FRAUD, SO I’M VERY CONFIDENT WHETHER PEOPLE CAST THEIR BALLOTS IN ABSENTEE OR IN PERSON THAT THE COUNTING WILL GO ACCURATELY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
AS ONE OF MY FELLOW PANELISTS MENTIONED, MAIL-IN VOTING HAS BEEN USED SUCCESSFULLY IN A LOT OF OTHER STATES, AND NO PROOF OF ANY VOTER FRAUD THERE, AS WELL.
SO I’M CONFIDENT THAT WE’LL GET GOOD RESULTS.
WE MAY NOT GET THEM IMMEDIATELY WITH AN INCREASED NUMBER OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS GOING IN THIS YEAR, BUT I’M CONFIDENT THAT WE’LL HAVE GOOD RESULTS.
>> I VOTED IN THE PRIMARY, AND I WAS ACTUALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE CARE THAT WAS TAKEN TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY WAS SAFE, THE DISTANCING, THE WAY THE BALLOT WERE ACTUALLY PUT INTO A FOLDER,
AND IT JUST LOOKED LIKE A LOT OF GOOD CARE WAS TAKEN.
I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY EVIDENCE IN THIS STATE OF VOTER SUPPRESSION OR INTIMIDATION.
I THINK NEW HAMPSHIRE IS REALLY LEADING THE CHARGE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE’S A LOT OF INTEGRITY WITH THE ELECTION, AND I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT.
TOM: ONE BIG QUESTION THIS CYCLE IS HOW THE PRESIDENTIAL MATCHUP WILL AFFECT DOWN-BALLOT RACES.
THE QUESTION ISN’T AS EASY AS YEARS PAST.
JENNIFER: BUT OUR POLITICAL TEAM IS WATCHING A HANDFUL OF NEW HAMPSHIRE COMMUNITIES WHOSE EARLY RETURNS COULD PROVIDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION TOMORROW.
>> WE JUST TALKED ABOUT CLAREMONT AND THAT WAS NOT NECESSARILY A BELLWETHER BECAUSE HILLARY CLINTON WON IN 2016.
JOHN CAME UP WITH A DOZEN COMMUNITIES WILL BE WATCHING CLOSELY.
JOHN: CLAREMONT IS AT THE TOP OF THE LIST.
IN MANCHESTER, YOU MENTIONED TOWARD ONE.
WERE TO SIX IS SPLIT -- WARD SIX IS SPLIT.
TRUMP WON -- WARD SIX IS SPLIT.
TRUMP WON IN 2016.
OUTSIDE OF MANCHESTER, ROCHESTER WAS ALMOST EVENLY SPLIT.
TRUMP WON OVER HILLARY CLINTON.
HOW WILL JEANNE SHAHEEN DO?
WILL CORKY MAKE INROADS?
I WILL WATCH CLOSELY.
FURTHER NORTH, CONWAY IS ANOTHER SPLIT COMMUNITY.
A LITTLE DEMOCRATIC EDGE.
TRUMP AND MIZNER ARE GOING TO HAVE INROADS.
POLLING ON THE PRESIDENTIAL SITE HAS BEEN ONE SIDED IN TERMS OF BIDEN.
PEOPLE THINK THE RACE WILL BE CLOSER.
SOME SAYING AS CLOSE AS 3%.
OTHERS SAYING 5% A PERCENT.
-- OTHER SAYING 5% TO 8%.
ADAM: ONE RACE WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
A GOOD NIGHT FOR TRUMP COULD HELP MATT MOWERS.
JOHN: ABSOLUTELY.
HE HAS TIED HIMSELF TO TRUMP BUT WITH TRUMP NOT DOING SO WELL, IF YOU BELIEVE THE POLLING, MOWERS HAS NOW ATTACHED HIMSELF TO GOVERNOR SUNUNU AND SAYS HE WILL BE HIS PARTNER IN WASHINGTON.
THIS WILL ALWAYS SWING.
YOU REMEMBER THE BACK-AND-FORTH RACE IN 2016 THAT WAS CLOSE.
I INCLUDED THE SHEA-PORTER RACE MORE SO THAN LAST TIME.
TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT IS ON THE LINE.
I DO NOT WANT TO BORE YOU WITH THE 14 COMMUNITIES, BUT THEY ARE THERE.
WE GOT FEEDBACK AND THEY WILL HELP TELL THE STORY TOMORROW.
ADAM: CHRIS PAPPAS HAS DONE VERY WELL.
IT WILL BE INTERESTING IF HE CAN HOLD ONTO MARGINS TOMORROW NIGHT.
JENNIFER: MORE FINAL PITCHES FROM THE CANDIDATES ON THIS ELECTION EVE.
TOM: RIGHT NOW, LET’S HEAR FROM THE CANDIDATES FOR U.S. SENATE.
CORKY: HI I’M CORKY MESSNER, AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WHEN I’M YOUR NEXT U.S. SENATOR, I WILL HAVE ONE AND ONLY ONE PRIORITY, AND THAT IS TO FIGHT FOR YOU.
THAT IS TO LOOK OUT FOR YOU.
AND THAT IS TO DO THE BEST I ABSOLUTELY CAN FOR YOU WHEN I AM IN WASHINGTON, DC.
I’M NOT BEHOLDEN TO ANY SPECIAL INTERESTS, I’M NOT BEHOLDEN TO ANY PERSON OR POLITICAL PARTY.
I’M ONLY BEHOLDEN TO YOU.
JEANNE SHAHEEN IS A CAREER POLITICIAN, AND SHE’S BEEN IN POLITICS FAR TOO LONG.
DON’T BELIEVE HER LIES, ON’T BELIEVE HER MISLEADING ADS.
JUST SEVEN WEEKS AGO, SHE COULD HAVE VOTED YES TO HELP NEW HAMPSHIRE SMALL BUSINESSES, AND YES TO HELP GRANITE STATERS, AND SHE VOTED NO.
SO DON’T BE MISLED.
I WANT TO THANK YOU.
THIS LAST YEAR HAS BEEN AN UPLIFTING AND INSPIRING EXPERIENCE FOR ME AND ONE I WILL NEVER FORGET.
I ASK FOR YOUR VOTE, I ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
VOTE CORKY MESSNER.
CORKYFORSENATE.COM.
THANK YOU.
JEANNE SHAHEEN: I’M JEANNE SHAHEEN.
AS GOVERNOR AND NOW AS UNITED STATES SENATOR, I WORK TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
NOW TIMES ARE TOUGH WITH THE CORONAVIRUS.
TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING.
I WORKED ACROSS THE AISLE IN WASHINGTON TO GET HELP BACK TO NEW HAMPSHIRE.
TO CREATE THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM THAT’S HELPED OVER 24,000 SMALL BUSINESS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND KEPT OVER 200,000 PEOPLE EMPLOYED.
BUT THERE’S MORE TO DO TO GET OUR ECONOMY MOVING AGAIN AND TO ENSURE THAT OUR LIVES CAN GET BACK TO NORMAL.
WE’VE GOT TO INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND IN HIGH-SPEED INTERNET.
WE’VE GOT TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH PREEXISTING CONDITIONS, AND LOWER THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.
WE’VE GOT TO HELP OUR CHILD CARE, AND OUR SCHOOLS, AND WE’VE GOT TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE, INVESTING IN CLEAN ENERG ALTERNATIVES.
I HOPE YOU’LL LOOK AT MY RECORD AND DECIDE YOU CAN SUPPORT ME ON NOVEMBER THE 3.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
JENNIFER: JUST HOURS AWAY NOW FROM ELECTION DAY 2020.
TOM: WE’LL HEAR MORE OF