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Elections desk

Elections

The rules, deadlines, turnout data, and vote-counting claims that shape American elections.

Verdict mix: 15 True · 3 Mostly True · 2 Misleading · 3 False

Follow elections by RSS →

Automated official data

Daily campaign-finance record

Refreshed Oct 21, 11:31 PM CDT

Latest processed federal campaign-finance filings from the Federal Election Commission. Filing data are source records and may be amended or revised by the filer or agency.

YEAR-ENDGROOM LAW GROUP, CHARTERED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEEProcessed or updated Feb 5, 2026 · F3XFederal Election Commission ↗PRE-GENERALAMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA - TEMPO POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEEProcessed or updated Oct 20, 2026 · F3XFederal Election Commission ↗48-HOUR NOTICE OF CONTRIBUTIONS OR LOANS RECEIVEDCLIFF JOHNSON FOR CONGRESSProcessed or updated Oct 20, 2026 · F6Federal Election Commission ↗OCTOBER MONTHLYCSX CORPORATION GOOD GOVERNMENT FUNDProcessed or updated Oct 20, 2026 · F3XFederal Election Commission ↗PRE-GENERALWHITESIDES VICTORY FUNDProcessed or updated Oct 20, 2026 · F3XFederal Election Commission ↗F99THE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE TO ELECT CLIFFORD G. FLEETWOOD FOR U.S. CONGRESSProcessed or updated Oct 20, 2026 · F99Federal Election Commission ↗

Automated public filing data; not an endorsement, prediction, or evaluation of any campaign or candidate.

Open source desk

Start with the record.

This desk separates official election administration information from campaign rhetoric. Published checks appear below only after the relevant claim and sources have been reviewed.

What this desk watches

  • Registration and ballot-access rules
  • Early voting, absentee voting, and voter ID claims
  • Election funding and campaign finance
  • Certification, audits, and official results
↗U.S. Election Assistance CommissionFederal election administration guidance and data.↗Federal Election CommissionCampaign-finance records and filing data.↗National Conference of State LegislaturesState election-law tracking and legislative resources.↗State election officesOfficial registration, voting, and results information for each state.
Across the press

What newsrooms are covering on elections right now

From our own wire · ranked by independent newsrooms · not verdicts
01
13 newsrooms1 day ago

Tracking US Senate Odds with Midterms Two Weeks Away ↗

  • Federalnewsnetwork
  • The Hill
  • Theconversation
  • Ebony
  • USA Today
  • Kalshi
  • Williamhill
  • Politicalsciencenow
Published record

23 reviewed checks

No automated verdicts.
Elections

Donald Trump said, "I'm going to go to every one of those 35 places and we're going to see if we can get everyone elected."

Verdict: True
At a White House Rose Garden dinner in early September 2026, Donald Trump pledged to campaign in 35 races to help elect Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 22, 2026
Elections

Former NFL coach Jon Gruden and Ohio Sen. Jon Husted were teammates.

Verdict: True
Former NFL coach Jon Gruden and Ohio politician Jon Husted were college football teammates at the University of Dayton.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 21, 2026
Voting

In-person early voting is underway in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Verdict: True
In-person early voting began in Virginia on September 20, 2024, confirming the claim.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 21, 2026
AboutMethodologyNewsMidterms 2026Ballot WatchTrump SocialTrackersPeopleVoicesSpeakersPodcastCorrectionsTransparencyAdvertiseNotesPrivacyTermsContactBack to top ↑
© 2026 The Baseline, published and edited by Cory Hepler. Every verdict cites its sources; automated checks are labeled until the editor has read them.Non-partisan in method · Press kit · RSS · Podcast RSS
+5 more newsrooms
  • Covers
  • Bloomberg Government
  • NPR
  • BBC
  • Newsweek
02
9 newsrooms8 hours ago

Poll: Voters want Congress to be a check on Trump, trust Democrats more on issues ↗

  • NPR
  • The Guardian
  • The Hill
  • The New York Times
  • STAT
  • Pewresearch
  • Fox News
  • The Washington Times
+1 more newsroom
  • KFF Health News
03
8 newsrooms2 days ago

How the midterms will shape 2028 and beyond: From the Politics Desk ↗

  • USA Today
  • NBC News
  • Detroitnews
  • Fox News
  • NPR
  • Afr
  • Ndtv
  • Vox
04
7 newsrooms13 hours ago

Suspicious letters target Congress, election offices before 2026 midterms ↗

  • NPR
  • The Hill
  • Politico
  • Axios
  • The Washington Post
  • NBC News
  • Rawstory
05
6 newsrooms2 days ago

Medicaid cuts haunt Republicans in battleground states ↗

  • Politico
  • KFF Health News
  • The Guardian
  • The Hill
  • NPR
  • Sbsun

Also on the wire

  1. The HillTiffany, Crowley tangle in only Wisconsin governor's debate: 3 takeawaysOct 22
  2. The HillMarshall, Hamilton clash in battleground Kansas Senate debate: 4 takeawaysOct 22
  3. The HillEl-Sayed, Rogers face off in last Michigan Senate debate: 3 takeawaysOct 22
  4. NPRAIPAC halts endorsements and direct contributions to candidatesOct 22
  5. NPRThe Justice Department begins notifying counties where it wants to monitor electionsOct 22
  6. The HillGreene says El-Sayed could win Senate seat if Trump attacks Iran againOct 22
  7. NPRCalifornia gas prices have long plagued Democratic candidates. This year is differentOct 21
  8. NPRVivek Ramaswamy's attack ad features mother of Amy Acton, who alleges childhood abuseOct 21
  9. The GuardianHow will Trump’s mass deportation agenda shape the US midterm elections? Our reporters answer your questionsOct 21
  10. The GuardianClimate campaigners condemn ‘maddening’ decision to approve Jackdaw gasfieldOct 21
  11. KucoinU.S. Midterm Election Scenarios and 2027 Fiscal OutlookOct 21
  12. AljazeeraWhy do the US midterms matter for Trump and Congress? | US Midterm Elections 2026 NewsOct 20

Headlines link to the newsroom that wrote them. Appearing here is not an endorsement, and a story many outlets carry is corroborated, not necessarily true. Claims worth checking go to the desk and land in the record below.

Voting

In-person early voting is underway in Minnesota

Verdict: True
In-person early voting has officially begun in Minnesota.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 21, 2026
Elections

Laura Kelly said Cindy Holscher is too extreme.

Verdict: True
Governor Laura Kelly did describe Cindy Holscher as too extreme, specifically calling her 'too extreme for Kansas' prior to later endorsing her.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 20, 2026
Elections

People waiting in lines for his rallies stretch for miles.

Verdict: False
Donald Trump's claim that lines for his rallies stretch for miles is contradicted by reports of dwindling attendance, empty seats, and reduced venue capacities.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 15, 2026
Elections

Donald Trump promised a $5,000 adult payment if Republicans win the 2026 midterms.

Verdict: True
Donald Trump explicitly promised in a video statement to give every adult citizen $5,000 if Republicans win both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterms.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 13, 2026
Elections

Donald Trump achieved a 99% approval rating, the highest ever.

Verdict: False
Donald Trump did not achieve a 99% approval rating; recent polling shows his approval rating hitting record lows, including 32%.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 11, 2026
Elections

James Talarico has been missing for 12 days and put out a statement that he has the flu.

Verdict: Mostly True
Donald Trump accurately claimed that James Talarico was absent from the campaign trail for 12 days due to a reported flu diagnosis.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 8, 2026
Elections

Donald Trump won all 77 counties in Oklahoma in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections.

Verdict: True
Donald Trump won all 77 counties in Oklahoma in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections.The Baseline automated desk · Oct 3, 2026
Elections

The Justice Department charged four aliens in Pennsylvania with election fraud.

Verdict: True
The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against four noncitizens in Pennsylvania for election-related offenses such as illegal voting and fraudulent registration.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 28, 2026
Elections

Donald Trump pledged $5,000 payouts tied to Republican election wins.

Verdict: True
Donald Trump explicitly pledged to give adult Americans a $5,000 payout if Republicans win or retain control of Congress in the midterm elections.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 21, 2026
Elections

Donald Trump promised $5,000 dividend checks to Americans if Republicans win the midterm elections.

Verdict: True
Donald Trump explicitly pledged to give $5,000 dividend checks to American adults if Republicans win the midterm elections.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 16, 2026
Elections

CNN pollster Harry Enten showed that Donald J. Trump is six times more popular than Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, or any other President.

Verdict: Misleading
Donald Trump distorted a CNN poll presented by Harry Enten, which only surveyed Republicans on their most admired president, not overall popularity among the general public.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 13, 2026
Voting

The Department of Homeland Security asked the Department of Justice to investigate the transfer of private state voter data to a nonprofit tied to Mark Zuckerberg.

Verdict: True
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin sent a letter to DOJ asking it to investigate whether state voter/driver data was improperly transferred to nonprofits including ERIC and CEIR, groups tied to Zuckerberg-linked funding, matching Trump's claim.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 7, 2026
Elections

Jim Jordan was an All-American wrestler in both high school and college.

Verdict: Misleading
Jim Jordan was a documented three-time college All-American wrestler, but sources do not support that he held 'All-American' status in high school—only that he was a four-time Ohio state high school champion.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 7, 2026
Voting

Trump described New Mexico as one of the states with the greatest history of election/vote cheating.

Verdict: True
Trump's own Truth Social post, archived by trumpstruth.org, directly describes New Mexico as 'one of the great vote cheating states of all time.'The Baseline automated desk · Sep 7, 2026
Elections

MAGA Inc. will spend $10 million on ads in the Texas Senate race to defend a once-safe Republican seat.

Verdict: True
MAGA Inc. confirmed a $10 million ad spending commitment to defend the once-safe Texas Senate seat now held by GOP nominee Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 6, 2026
Elections

Trump endorsed Darline Graham in the South Carolina Republican Senate primary to replace her late brother.

Verdict: True
Trump endorsed Darline Graham, who won the South Carolina GOP Senate primary runoff to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 5, 2026
Elections

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in favor of reverting the state's congressional maps to their previous version.

Verdict: True
The Missouri Supreme Court did block the new GOP-drawn congressional map, effectively reverting the state to its previous district lines for the November election.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 4, 2026
Elections

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in favor of changing the congressional/legislative maps back to their previous boundaries.

Verdict: Mostly True
The Missouri Supreme Court did block Trump-backed congressional maps and restored the state's previous district boundaries, though it also ordered a statewide referendum on the map rather than permanently reinstating the old lines.The Baseline automated desk · Sep 4, 2026
Voting

"9% of American citizens don't have the identification that the SAVE Act requires to vote. Almost 1 in 10."

Verdict: Mostly True
Survey research supports roughly this share: studies estimate that about 9% of voting-age citizens, on the order of 20 million people, lack a current government-issued photo ID. Estimates vary by survey and by how ID is defined.PolitiFact, University of Maryland · Mar 18, 2026
Voting

"By federal law, if you sign someone up for Medicaid, you also give them the right to vote."

Verdict: False
No federal law ties Medicaid enrollment to voting rights. The National Voter Registration Act requires agencies including Medicaid offices to offer voter-registration services, but signing up for Medicaid does not register anyone or grant the right to vote.PolitiFact, National Voter Registration Act · Jan 14, 2026