The Rest of the World Report | November 3, 2026 — Evening Edition

From The Rest of the World Podcast · 14:40

Show by Rest of the World Podcast hosted by Rudy Martinez

Weekday morning and evening editions. Saturdays once. Good news on Sundays. All sources listed.NORTH CAROLINA EXTENDS VOTING HOURSNorth Carolina’s State Board of Elections approved longer voting hours in five counties on Tuesday, and scattered problems at polling places were reported in several other states.The board approved an extension after technical issues at the Tabor City Courthouse in Columbus County, and shorter extensions in Gates, Lenoir, Wilson and Hertford counties. Voting hours were extended to 8:15 p.m. in Columbus County, 8 p.m. in Lenoir County, 7:55 p.m. in Hertford County and 7:45 p.m. in Wilson County. No closing time was given for Gates County. According to an election board post on X, the extensions will delay the posting of statewide results by 45 minutes.In Pennsylvania, machine setup problems delayed the opening of three precincts in Chester County. A petition for a 30-minute extension was granted, and those precincts stay open until 8:30 p.m. In Westchester County, New York, ballot scanners stopped accepting votes when polls opened at 6 a.m. Election officials told voters to keep filling out ballots, which go into orange emergency bags to be secured and counted later. In New Bedford, Massachusetts, a city spokesman said machines at four precincts had a problem with an internal wire that interfered with the ballot feed port. Officials adjusted the wires and the machines returned to normal.In Florida, Broward County reported a systemwide issue that delayed some polling sites by 15 to 20 minutes as polls opened. Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott said the problem involved a feature meant to help poll workers issue the right ballot, because some precincts had been split by redistricting this year. Election officials said some people who arrived around 7 a.m. left because of the delay. Officials said the issue was fixed quickly and did not affect any votes.Flooding also moved polling places. Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Monday in Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties after heavy rain from October 31 through November 2. Florida’s Department of State lists temporary voting locations in Brevard, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties. In Davie, officials moved Precinct T018 from the Paradise Village Clubhouse to Tree Tops Park because of severe flooding.🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Problems at polling places on Tuesday were scattered and mostly short. North Carolina extended hours in five counties, which delays statewide results by 45 minutes. Broward County’s opening delay was fixed quickly, and officials there say no votes were affected. Flooding moved polling places in several Florida counties.Sources The Hill | WSVN | The National DeskDOJ DEPLOYS 1,000 ELECTION MONITORSThe US Justice Department said on Tuesday it has deployed about 1,000 election monitors and observers, in all 50 states for the first time.The department calls it the largest monitoring effort in its history. The Civil Rights Division coordinates it. The monitors include staff from the division, other Justice Department components and US Attorney’s Offices, plus federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management. The department says they will check compliance with federal voting rights statutes. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said the effort pursues “transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner.” The department says it has sent election monitors since the Voting Rights Act became law in 1965, under every administration.This updates ROTWR’s Friday, October 30 Morning Edition. The United States did not invite observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to the midterms, the first time that has happened since 2002. The October 30 Morning Edition said Washington had given no explanation as of September 25. MS NOW reported on October 6 that a State Department spokesperson said the OSCE “should focus its limited resources on elections where it can have the greatest impact.” It reported that the United States joins only Russia and Belarus in excluding OSCE observers. Under the OSCE’s code of conduct, its observers are limited to observing and reporting. The OSCE’s report on the 2024 US election called the vote “well-managed,” “resilient” and “professional.”The Justice Department’s monitors are federal personnel checking compliance with US voting rights law. The OSCE’s observers belong to a 57-member body of which the US is a member, and they report on an election from outside the government that runs it.🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: The Justice Department sent about 1,000 monitors to all 50 states on Election Day to check compliance with federal voting rights law, which it calls its largest such effort. The OSCE, a European security body the US belongs to, was not invited to observe for the…

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