Ready or not, election season in the US is about to start. The first ballots will go out within days

Associated Press

It mightiness consciousness for illustration nan statesmanlike predetermination is still a agelong measurement off. It’s not.

Election Day connected Nov. 5 is only astir 2 months away, and awesome dates, events and governmental developments will make it alert by. The agelong betwixt now and past will spell arsenic accelerated arsenic summertime break from schoolhouse successful astir parts of nan country.

The first message ballots will beryllium sent to voters this Friday. The first statesmanlike statement is group for Sept. 10. Former President Donald Trump, nan Republican nominee, is scheduled to beryllium sentenced successful his New York hush money lawsuit connected Sept. 18. And early in-person voting will commencement arsenic soon arsenic Sept. 20 successful immoderate states.

Here’s a look astatine why nan almanac will move quickly, pinch nan Democratic and Republican conventions complete and Labor Day signaling nan accepted commencement of run season.

Who’s fresh to vote?

The first batch of ballots typically sent retired are ones to subject and overseas voters. Under national law, that must hap astatine slightest 45 days earlier an predetermination — which this twelvemonth is Sept. 21.

Some states commencement earlier. North Carolina will statesman sending message ballots to each voters who petition them, including subject unit and overseas voters, connected Sept. 6.

Voter registration deadlines alteration by state, pinch astir falling betwixt 8 and 30 days earlier nan election, according to nan National Conference of State Legislatures. The deadline is Oct. 7 successful Georgia, 1 of this year’s astir salient statesmanlike battlegrounds.

Nearly each states connection immoderate type of in-person voting, though nan rules and dates alteration considerably. In Pennsylvania, different of nan awesome statesmanlike battleground states, voters tin sojourn their section predetermination agency to request, complete and return a message ballot opening Sept. 16. For those counting, that’s a small complete 2 weeks from now.

The gloves travel off

Whether, wherever and nether what rules nan Democratic and Republican statesmanlike and vice statesmanlike nominees will statement has been a constituent of contention for weeks. But for now, 2 match-ups are connected nan calendar.

Trump and Democratic statesmanlike nominee Kamala Harris person accepted an invitation from ABC News to statement Sept. 10 successful Philadelphia.

Harris’ prime for vice president, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Trump’s, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, person agreed to an Oct. 1 statement hosted by CBS News successful New York City.

Harris has forecast a imaginable 2nd statement pinch Trump, but her connection appeared to beryllium contingent connected nan GOP nominee’s information successful nan Sept. 10 debate. Trump has projected 3 statesmanlike debates pinch different tv networks.

Vance has challenged Walz to different vice statesmanlike statement connected Sept. 18, though it’s not been set.

A imaginable criminal condemnation for Trump

Trump is scheduled to beryllium sentenced Sept. 18 successful his hush money criminal case, though his lawyers person asked nan judge to hold nan proceeding until aft Election Day. A determination is expected early this month.

In a missive to Judge Juan M. Merchan, Trump’s lawyers suggested that holding nan sentencing arsenic scheduled, astir 7 weeks earlier Election Day, would magnitude to predetermination interference. On Sept. 16, Merchan is expected to norm connected Trump’s petition to overturn nan blameworthy verdict and disregard nan lawsuit because of nan U.S. Supreme Court’s July statesmanlike immunity ruling.

Trump was convicted successful May connected 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money costs to porn character Stormy Daniels conscionable earlier nan 2016 statesmanlike election. Falsifying business records is punishable by up to 4 years successful prison. Other imaginable sentences see probation, a good aliases a conditional discharge that would require Trump to enactment retired of problem to debar further punishment.

Next steps successful Trump’s different New York cases

On Friday, nan 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will perceive arguments successful Trump’s entreaty of a jury’s verdict past twelvemonth ordering him to salary $5 cardinal to writer E. Jean Carroll aft it recovered him liable for sexually assaulting and defaming her. Trump besides is appealing a verdict successful a 2nd proceedings successful January successful which a assemblage recovered him liable connected further defamation claims and ordered him to salary Carroll $83.3 million. Trump’s lawyers person until Sept. 13 to record a little successful that appeal.

On Sept. 26, a New York appeals tribunal will perceive oral arguments successful Trump’s situation of a astir $500 cardinal civilian fraud judgement successful authorities Attorney General Letitia James’ suit against him. The tribunal typically rules astir a period aft arguments, meaning a determination could travel earlier nan November election. Trump’s lawyers reason that a judge’s Feb. 16 uncovering that nan erstwhile president lied for years astir his wealthiness arsenic he built his existent property empire was “erroneous” and “egregious.” State lawyers responded successful tribunal papers this week that there’s “overwhelming evidence” to support nan verdict.

What astir Trump’s predetermination and archive cases?

A authorities lawsuit successful Georgia that charged Trump and 18 others successful a wide-ranging strategy to overturn his 2020 nonaccomplishment successful nan authorities is stalled pinch nary chance of going to proceedings earlier nan election.

Federal prosecutors person brought 2 criminal cases against Trump, but 1 was dismissed by a judge past period and nan different is apt to beryllium reshaped by nan caller U.S. Supreme Court sentiment that conferred wide immunity connected erstwhile presidents for charismatic acts they return successful office.

Special counsel Jack Smith has appealed nan dismissal by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon of an indictment charging Trump pinch hoarding classified documents astatine his Mar-a-Lago property successful Florida and obstructing nan FBI’s efforts to get them back. But moreover if a national appeals tribunal reinstates nan lawsuit and reverses nan judge’s ruling that Smith’s assignment was unconstitutional, there’s nary chance of a proceedings taking spot this year.

In ray of nan Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, a national judge successful Washington is now tasked pinch deciding which allegations successful a abstracted lawsuit charging Trump pinch plotting to overturn nan 2020 predetermination tin stay portion of nan prosecution and which ones must beryllium discarded. Deciding which acts are charismatic and which are not is apt to beryllium an arduous process.

Fights complete voting and nan election

Before nan first ballots are moreover cast, some camps are gearing up to conflict complete voting.

Battles complete predetermination rules person go a staple of American democracy, but they’re expected to scope caller heights this year. Trump installed his ain activity squad astatine nan Republican National Committee, including a head of predetermination integrity who helped him effort to overturn Biden’s triumph successful 2020. The RNC has revenge a blizzard of lawsuits challenging voting rules and promises that much are connected nan way.

Democrats besides are mobilizing and assembling a robust ineligible team. Among different things, they are objecting to GOP efforts to region immoderate inactive voters aliases noncitizens from elector rolls, arguing that ineligible voters will get swept up successful nan purges.

Republicans person peculiarly escalated their rhetoric complete nan specter of noncitizens voting, moreover though repeated investigations person shown it almost ne'er happens. Some besides are pushing to springiness section predetermination boards nan expertise to garbage to certify predetermination results.

All indications are these efforts are laying nan groundwork for Trump to again declare nan predetermination was stolen from him if he loses and to effort to overturn nan will of nan voters. But there’s nary measurement to cognize if that will hap until nan ballots are cast.

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Associated Press writers Kate Brumback and Christina A. Cassidy successful Atlanta, Meg Kinnard successful Chicago, Nicholas Riccardi successful Denver, Michael R. Sisak successful New York and Eric Tucker successful Washington contributed to this report. AP predetermination interrogator Ryan Dubicki successful New York besides contributed.

County labor unfastened ballots successful nan message ballot processing room astatine nan Washoe County Registrar of Voters agency successful Reno, Nev., June 3, 2024. | Andy Barron, Associated Press file