Polling has transformed over the last decade or so. Pollsters now contact people over text message, on the phone, through the mail and online. For the Times/Siena poll, we have tried all of those different approaches to reach voters. In the end, we found the classic approach of calling voters on the phone still yields the best results. But we are constantly innovating and evaluating our approach to ensure we’re the most accurate. One change is in how we adjust our polls to make sure that they are representative. — Ruth Igielnik, a Times polling editor
Will ICE agents be at polling places? | Robert Halper | West Orange, New Jersey
Although some election officials and voting advocates worry that this prospect will drive away voters, they say the law is clear: Armed federal agents are not allowed in polling places. Administration officials have spread misinformation about the voter rolls, saying they bulge with noncitizens, but the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice have said there are no plans to deploy armed agents to patrol polling places. (Government lawyers, on the other hand, are often on site.) — Alexandra Berzon, an investigative reporter who writes about election systems
How can my tax money be used for Trump’s political ads? | Judith Epstein | Overland Park, Kansas
Federal law prohibits using taxpayer money for “publicity or propaganda.” The White House lawyers blessed these ads as acceptable, but even some of the president’s allies are not convinced of that. The short answer is that federal dollars can be spent on public service announcements, but those usually are about a program or policy. These ads glorify the president; even one that is specific to an action the administration took — the capture of Nicolás Maduro — still included praise for the president. — Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent
Why is voter ID controversial? We need an ID for many other aspects of life, so why not this one? | Mary Pat Sutter | Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Critics of voter ID laws have a few arguments. They go like this: The measures place an undue burden on eligible voters. Some laws restrict acceptable IDs to driver’s licenses, passports or state-issued IDs. Those cost money, require documents (copies of which you may need to pay for) and require time to obtain. Older, poorer and nonwhite voters are less likely to have those IDs. Many Democrats argue that one’s constitutional right to vote should not be limited by those factors, especially given how uncommon voter fraud is. — Michael Gold, who covers Congress
Trump has attacked the integrity of U.S. elections on more than 70 percent of the days since he returned to office. On social media and in speeches, the president repeats a litany of false claims: that he actually won the 2020 election, that Democrats use undocumented immigrants to “cheat” in elections, that mail-in ballots produce fraudulent results.
Karen Yourish and Arfa Momin looked back at every day of Trump’s second term and documented all of the instances where he cast doubt on elections. By their count, it has happened on 440 days.