The number of politically competitive U.S. House seats is shrinking rapidly. There are many reasons. People have stopped splitting their tickets when voting and now usually support one party in all races. More people now live in areas with similarly-minded voters. Swing seats have taken a hit since President Donald Trump kicked off an unusual round of mid-decade redistricting last year. The impact is clear in one North Carolina district that went from competitive to safely Republican. The loss of swing districts adds to polarization because most congressional races are decided in party primaries.

A Syracuse, New York, woman has been charged with voting illegally in one of the latest arrests touted by the Trump administration as it hunts for noncitizen voters ahead of the midterm elections. Marva Cook says she was adopted as a toddler and had always assumed she was a U.S. citizen, but discovered she was born in Germany as she searched for her biological mother. Federal prosecutors say Cook has had a green card for years, but still voted in recent elections despite not having citizenship. Cook declined to discuss the case Friday but said she appreciates receiving support from community members.

President Donald Trump's administration has taken steps to block the results of a midterm election in Alaska. The issue centers on two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the Senate ballot. One is a Republican ally of Trump, and the other is a retired teacher accused by Republicans of being a Democratic plant. The lawsuit in federal court aims to block certification if the Republican incumbent loses. Legal experts doubt its success, as elections are state affairs. This move is a new level of attempted federal involvement in state elections, raising concerns about potential interference in future elections. Trump says he ordered the Justice Department to file the suit.

President Donald Trump has defended a controversial ad by the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy. The ad targets Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee, and features her estranged mother criticizing her. Trump praised the ad on social media Thursday, saying it was “hitting pay dirt” and calling Acton “fair game.” This support from Trump could lead to more scrutiny about the issue for his party's candidates, at a moment when they already risk being dragged down by the president’s low popularity.

Most of the immigrants targeted by federal authorities in California this week for alleged voter fraud had applied for U.S. citizenship and now face charges related to lying on forms or during interviews. Those charges could lead to years in prison and thwart their efforts to naturalize. As of Thursday morning, the government had filed charging documents in 10 of the 28 cases. Federal authorities have charged more than two dozen legal permanent residents in California in a crackdown on people accused of illegally registering to vote or casting a ballot in U.S. elections.

Republicans have won every race for U.S. Senate in Kansas for nearly a century. GOP fears that this year could be different have put the race between Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton on track to be the most expensive in state history. Hamilton is the founder and senior pastor of the nation’s largest United Methodist church. He has raised significantly more money than Marshall, who is seeking his second term. Hamilton’s candidacy and voters’ disapproval of President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy have upended GOP hopes of seeing Marshall coast to victory as the GOP tries to hold its Senate majority.

An Associated Press analysis of early voting shows that turnout is soaring in many of the states that are expected to decide control of the U.S. Senate. Two weeks before Election Day, states like Texas, Kansas, and Ohio are seeing significant increases compared with the last midterm election. Democrats are aiming to flip Republican-held Senate seats in these areas. Meanwhile, advocates for stricter voter ID requirements are pushing for changes in mail-in ballot procedures in states like California, Colorado, and Nevada. These measures are among several voting-related questions on November ballots, reflecting ongoing debates over election integrity and access.