International election observers are being told to stay away from polling sites in Texas and Arizona. Texas election officials are threatening the observers with arrest if they show up at the polls.

Over the pre-election weekend, we began hearing people, mostly Republicans, say that if Mitt Romney does not win the presidency this week it will be because of Superstorm Sandy.

Over the pre-election weekend, we began hearing people, mostly Republicans, say that if Mitt Romney does not win the presidency this week it will be because of superstorm Sandy.

The obscure Phoenix-based nonprofit that spent millions on California and Arizona ballot initiative campaigns is backed by other nonprofits involved in heavy political spending.

The candidates for San Diego mayor made a final pitch to voters today.

For thousands of voters in Ohio, Election Day is going to be a day of rest -- because they worked hard to vote on Sunday.

A week after Hurricane Sandy hit the region, roughly a million people are still without power in the New York area, and more than one-third of those live on Long Island.

With all the really big numbers flying around this campaign season, here's one more: $165,062,250.

Have you ever wondered what’s going on inside an animal’s head? How do they see the world — and us? Is your dog really feeling guilty when it gives you that famous “guilty look?” Do pigeon brains possess “superpowers” that allow them to find their way home across hundreds of unfamiliar miles? David meets — and competes — with a menagerie of smart critters that challenge preconceived notions about what makes “us” different from “them,” expanding our understanding of how animals really think.

Early voting ended in Florida on Saturday. But on Sunday, some county elections officials opened their offices to allow people to vote using absentee ballots.

If you bought a Hyundai or Kia over the past three years, you could soon be getting some money back from the two automakers.

While the negative campaigning is heating up on the eve of the election you'll find nothing but friendly competition among the dozens of small breweries seeking approval from San Diego voters. San Diego Beer Week kicked off over the weekend and continues through November 11.

Three soldiers from the same unit were killed on November 3rd in Afghanistan when their Humvee hit an improvised explosive device.

A remote, bleak speck of rock in the middle of the Pacific, Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, has mystified the world ever since the first Europeans arrived in 1722. How and why did the ancient islanders build and move nearly 900 giant statues, or moai, weighing up to 86 tons? And how did they transform a presumed paradise into a treeless wasteland, bringing ruin upon their island and themselves? NOVA explores controversial recent claims that challenge decades of previous thinking about the islanders, who have been accused of everything from ecocide to cannibalism.

Election Day is Tuesday, and it's easy to forget about those who don't have a vote -- children. But it can be a fun experience if parents take the time to include the kids, and maybe bribe them with a little sugar.

How do you hide a 400-foot-long, 192-wheel trailer as it's slowly being hauled on a three-week-long secret mission over highways in Southern California, Nevada and Utah?

Whether the city's next mayor is Councilman Carl DeMaio or Congressman Bob Filner, he will wield extraordinary power to shape the future infrastructure deals of San Diego — a city with approximately $3.5 billion slated for capital projects over the next five years.

The final SurveyUSA/10News poll conducted before the election Tuesday shows Bob Filner with an advantage over Carl DeMaio in the race for San Diego mayor.

A roughly 700,000-pound steam generator removed from a boiler at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was en route to a disposal site in Utah today on a specially configured truck trailer.

The cost of the 2012 election will top a record $6 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. If you find it difficult to visualize that figure, here are a few other ways to think about what $6 billion could buy:

The extreme gardeners who compete at the annual Cooperstown PumpkinFest weigh off have one obsessive goal — to raise the biggest giant pumpkin in the world. These gurus of the gourd nurture their fruits through harsh weather, floods, animal attacks and even sabotage to produce glorious pumpkins of gigantic proportion. This program follows Joe Pukos and his fellow competitors through the final harrowing days of harvest and the journey across New York State with the bulging behemoths strapped into the beds of their pick-ups. P

It's the countdown to the big Election Day. Here's what to expect at the voting booth, and what polls can predict about election outcomes.

The University of San Diego revoked a British theology professor’s speaking invitation last week because the professor signed a letter supporting civil marriage rights for same-sex couples in the United Kingdom.

NPR librarians continue to help us keep track of the recovery from Superstorm Sandy and the deadly toll from the storm that blasted New Jersey, New York City and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and New England one week ago.

NEWSHOUR senior correspondents Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff co-anchor live coverage of election results. Joining them will be syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks. Jeffrey Brown will address down-ticket races and national trends with NEWSHOUR political editor Christina Bellantoni and Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report. NEWSHOUR correspondent Hari Sreenivasan will showcase the multi-layered NewsHour Digital Map Center while examining battleground states.

In the race for Gabby Giffords' former seat, the Democrat has long been considered the likely victor. But now the Republican contender has closed the gap, leaving the seat up for grabs.

Violent crime is dropping in the largest U.S. border cities.

If you asked most people whether there's too much government in their lives, they'd probably say yes. But when given the chance to eliminate a layer of government, voters often refuse.

On the final day of the 2012 campaign for the White House, President Obama and Mitt Romney made the last push for votes in states each believed critical to achieving the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory.

A retired San Diego architect hopes returning his Eagle Scout badge will add to the building crescendo of opposition to a long running Boy Scout policy. This past summer, the Scouts reaffirmed their opposition to accepting openly gay members.

In the end, the election may not settle anything.

Witnesses describe a horribly heartbreaking scene Sunday at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium after a 2-year-old boy fell into an exhibit housing wild African dogs.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Kantor, 22, was killed in Afghanistan on November 1st. Kantor, a Navy SEAL, died from a gunshot wound.

The Navy has removed Cmdr. Joseph E. Darlak from his post as skipper of the San Diego-based USS Vandegrift, after a so-called boozy port visit to Vladivostok, Russia.

One day left in their stubbornly deadlocked race, President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney are storming through a final exhaustive campaign push Monday that won't end until the wee hours of Election Day in pursuit of every possible vote.

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County fell under $4 for the first time since Aug. 10.

An emotionally wrenching ad featuring Congressman Brian Bilbray's daughter, Briana, highlights inconsistencies in the candidate’s claims.

Fall is a busy season for film festivals and right now we are in the midst of two thriving festivals, the San Diego Asian Film Festival now in its 13th year, and the San Diego Italian Film Festival, now in its 6th year.

This is a high-stakes election for first-term New Mexico Republican Governor Susana Martinez-- and she’s not even running.

San Diego mayoral candidates Carl DeMaio and Bob Filner stopped taking jabs at each other just long enough to answer some questions from teens on bullying.

The group National Popular Vote wants presidents to be elected by every voter, not just those who live in swing states.

This November election will demonstrate whether the goal of the new "Top Two" primary system is met: sending less partisan candidates to Sacramento.

Final campaign filings show candidates and super PACs focusing efforts on advertising.

Crews have begun moving a used generator from Southern California's San Onofre nuclear power plant to a disposal site in Utah.

Anyone who traveled to Breezy Point, Queens, in New York City in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, even as recently as a few of days ago, would have needed an SUV -- its main thoroughfare was under 3 feet of water. Today, you can see pavement. It sounds like a small victory, but this beachfront, blue-collar town is willing to accept progress in increments.

As relentlessly as the candidates have courted voters, they've also shown their love to donors.