| North Carolina has only backed one Democratic presidential candidate since 1976, but thanks to a population boom over the last few years, the state looks a lot more purple today. Data analyzed by Bloomberg show that most of the counties that have seen the highest population growth shifted toward Democrats between 2016 and 2020 — including many suburban counties that voted for Donald Trump in the last election. Similar shifts are playing out in Arizona, Georgia and other key battlegrounds for next week’s race. It's a continuation of a trend from 2020, when the suburbs decided the election. Yet the changing patterns do not guarantee a win for Democrats this year: A breakdown of political affiliation in North Carolina reveals that voters are increasingly opting out of identifying with either party. Read more from Shawn Donnan, Anna Edgerton, Christopher Cannon and Andre Tartar today on CityLab: Booming Suburbs of North Carolina Are Changing the Election Map — Linda Poon There Will Soon Be No Meatpackers Left in NYC’s Historic Meatpacking District
One of the city’s longest operating meat markets is leaving to make room for new housing and a potential expansion of the Whitney Museum. Climate Progress on the Ballot Next Week, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Says
The author of What If We Get It Right? wants voters to remember that local elections matter, too. Election Lawsuits Were Filed at a Rate of One Per Day in October
Judges are rushing to clear a final wave of time-sensitive fights over how Americans will vote next week, with cases concerning disasters, voter roll purges and ballot counting. | 
