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Americans head to the polls to vote in the midterm elections, a powerful act of self-expression, amid manifest threats to voting rights and fair elections. Misinformation surrounding the midterms abounds, including hoaxes about polling places. Reports emerge of faulty voting machines, inaccurate mailers, and issues with voter registration in states with tight races or widespread voter suppression. Echoing a dog whistle from the 2016 election, President Trump and Attorney General Sessions warn of “voter fraud,” without evidence. After a wave of activism against gun violence in 2018, youth turnout expected at historic highs. -Anoosh Gasparian, External Relations Manager

The most pressing threats and notable goings-on in free expression today

U.S.

6 Types of Misinformation to Beware Of on Election Day. (And What to Do if You Spot Them.)
Polling place hoaxes, remote voting options, suspicious texts, voting machine malfunction rumors, misleading photos and videos, and false voter fraud allegations—The New York Times breaks down six of the most common types of Election Day misinformation, and provides some tips for spotting and avoiding them.
NEW YORK TIMES

U.S. Election Systems More Secure, but Voting Problems Persist
Voters casting ballots early have encountered faulty machines in Texas and North Carolina, inaccurate mailers in Missouri and Montana, and voter registration problems in Tennessee and Georgia. In other states, including Kansas, Election Day polling places have been closed or consolidated.
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Without Evidence, Trump and Sessions Warn of Voter Fraud in Tuesday’s Elections
President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued strong warnings about the threat of voter fraud in today’s elections, echoing the president’s baseless claims that massive voter fraud marred his 2016 election and prompting accusations that his administration is trying to intimidate voters.
WASHINGTON POST

‘Vote for Our Lives’: Youth Turnout Could Jump after Parkland Shooting
Among the signs: higher than usual levels of youth voter registration, even early this summer; high numbers of early vote ballots cast; and a survey that showed that 34 percent of youth ages 18 through 24 said say they are “extremely likely” to vote.
THE GUARDIAN

 
Global

Saudis Sent Experts to Remove Evidence of Khashoggi’s Killing, Turkey Says *PEN Case List: Find Out More
Saudi Arabia sent an expert team to clean up evidence of the crime under the guise of helping with the investigation, a senior Turkish official said. A pro-government newspaper, Sabah, published news of the Saudi cleanup team and photographs of two of its members, whom it identified as a chemist and a toxicologist, who visited the Saudi Consulate where Jamal Khashoggi was killed.
NEW YORK TIMES

Brazil Had At Least 41 Cases Of Crimes Against Freedom of Speech In One Year
An exclusive survey made by Folha shows that since September 2017 there were at least 41 crimes against freedom of speech in Brazil, including cases of censorship and self-censorship. The review found episodes in all five Brazilian regions.
FOLHA DE S.PAULO

French Senate Hears Report on Issues with Freedom of Speech in Ukraine
“It is important to understand that it’s easy to solve the problem of shutting down the TV channel. We can simply agree not to criticize the authority. And the problem will disappear in a day. But we will never do this. As we are doing our job. We are journalists,” 112 Ukraine Producer General Artem Marchevsky told the Senate.
112.INTERNATIONAL

Report Says Indian Journalists Remain Soft Targets; Murder Investigations ‘Tardy’
A total of 12 journalists have been killed in India since September 2017. Only in six of these cases the perpetrators of the crime have been arrested. Some of these arrests are controversial, the International Press Institute recorded in its “Death Watch” report.
THE WIRE

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