ASTON, Pa. (AP) — Vice president Kamala Harris plans to deliver the closing speech of his campaign, returning to a location near the White House where Donald Trump helped incite the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol in January 2021 — hoping it will crystallize for voters the struggle between defending democracy and sowing political chaos.

Her campaign says Harris will deliver a speech at the Ellipse on Tuesday – every week before Election Day – and will urge the nation to “turn the page” towards a brand new era, away from Trump.

The site is symbolic because on January 6, 2021, Trump delivered a speech there as Congress was meeting to verify Joe Biden’s victory in the election that took place last November. In it, Trump repeatedly lied about widespread voter fraud that didn’t occur and exhorted supporters to fight back. Then a whole bunch stormed the Capitol In deadly rise up.

Word of the speech got here from a senior Harris campaign official who insisted on anonymity to debate the address, which continues to be being developed. Harris’ campaign is betting that her Ellipse speech will be a chance for the vp to emphasise that the country now not desires to be defined by the political prowess that Trump seems to relish.

Trump has promised to pardon people imprisoned for his or her roles in the attack on the Capitol if he regains the presidency during the November 5 election.

Closing arguments are a vital opportunity for candidates to summarize their campaigns and briefly explain why voters should support them. The Trump campaign suggested he would begin formulating his closing statement during his speech at a rally last weekend in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Instead, the former president spent greater than 10 minutes speaking of genitals the late, legendary golfer Arnold Palmer, who was born in Latrobe.

Her team announced the Ellipse speech before Harris appeared on Wednesday night at a CNN town hall in suburban Philadelphia, where she took questions from an audience of undecided voters in what was once imagined as a debate with Trump. Harris said she would take part in the CNN debate, but the two sides never reached a proper agreement. CNN reported that it also invited Trump to the town hall. but let that not occur.

Harris told the crowd that on January 6, “the president of the United States defied the will of the people in a free and fair election and unleashed a violent mob that attacked the United States Capitol.”

The first query from the audience got here from a self-described “anti-Trump Republican” who was concerned about the January 6 attack.

“I believe the American people deserve better and deserve a president who is focused on solutions, not sitting in the Oval Office every day conspiring,” Harris said.

As for January 6, about 4 in 10 likely voters in… CNN poll from September said the economy was the most vital factor for them when deciding how one can vote, and about 2 in 10 said protecting democracy was the most vital factor. That in comparison with about 1 in 10 individuals who listed immigration, abortion and reproductive rights as their last name.

Protecting democracy also appears more vital to Democrats and Harris supporters. About 4 in 10 voters who support Harris say that is the most vital issue, compared with about 2 in 10 voters who say this about the economy. According to Republicans and Trump supporters, about 6 in 10 people list the economy as their top voting issue, followed by immigration. Only 5% of Trump supporters said protecting democracy was their most vital issue.

During the town hall, Harris said Trump was “increasingly unstable and unfit to serve.” When asked directly if she believed her opponent was a fascist, Harris replied: “Yes, I do.”

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A short while later, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt responded: “Kamala will say anything to divert attention from the open border invasion and record high inflation.”

During the event, Harris was asked how her presidency will be different from Biden’s, provided that she has been a part of his administration for nearly 4 years – a matter she has answered in recent weeks without enumerating the foremost contrasts. This time, Harris seemed higher prepared to discuss how things can be different, saying, “My administration will not be a continuation of the Biden administration” and saying she represents “a new generation of leadership on many issues.”

“I’m pointing out things that haven’t been done that need to be done,” the vp said of Biden’s policies, also noting: “I won’t hesitate to say, ‘Hey, these are still problems.’ we have to fix it.” She specifically pointed to her guarantees to extend federal subsidies for small businesses and expand government funding for home health care to individuals who take care of each elderly parents and youngsters.

One viewer pressed Harris on key issues, which she didn’t do. That includes hydraulic fracturing, which she suggested she would support banning while running in the 2020 Democratic primary but now says should proceed. Harris said Wednesday that the U.S. can put money into a greener energy economy without stopping fracking, which is crucial to the economy in parts of Pennsylvania.

She added that she now sees many key policies otherwise: “Honestly, I now have the experience and perspective of being vice president.”

When asked about the biggest weakness she would bring to the White House, Harris replied, “I admit I’m quite a nerd sometimes,” while admitting to creating “parenting mistakes” with her two stepchildren.

The vp also mentioned every day prayer, saying, “I was raised to believe in a loving God, to believe that faith is a verb.”

Our Forever First Lady, Michelle Obama, dropped off her ballot and voted by mail, and he or she’s sharing her experience to remind us how vital it’s to get out and vote, especially with Election Day lower than two weeks away.

In exclusive photo shared with ESSENCE Mrs. Obama showed how easy it’s to vote by mail and encouraged everyone to be sure that they’ve a voting plan, no matter how they vote. “I voted by post! With Election Day less than two weeks away, have you voted yet? “Whether you decide to vote early, by mail or in person on November 5, make sure you have a plan,” she said. Mrs. Obama also encouraged Americans to share how they plan to vote and tag a friend to do the identical.

New “I Couldn’t Vote” stickers have been released to draw attention to voter suppression. According to the voting rights organization VoteAmerica, which designed the sticker, it has partnered with Public Domain.

Rob Colucci and Zack Roif are co-founders of the initiative. Colucci likened it to the “I voted” sticker that many Americans receive after voting.

“We took over the ‘I voted’ sticker to really give a voice and a face to the millions of people who are suppressed by voting.”

– said Roif listening to the story people whose voices were suppressed caught his attention and prompted him to take motion.

“When you hear one story (of voter suppression), you can’t look away from the problem.”

The campaign uses multiple methods to educate residents about voter suppression, including in-person testimony.

VoteAmerica and Public Domain use stickers to raise awareness. Students from Georgia decided to protest.

BLACK ENTERPRISES reported on Georgia students marching on the Atlanta Morehouse campus to protest the SB201 Election Integrity Act, which was passed in 2021.

The law prohibits volunteers from giving voters water and food while waiting in long lines to vote.

Nicole Carty, executive director of the student organization Get Free, spoke about what she calls the law’s “inhumane” provisions.

“The actual criminalization of such an act of humanity and dignity is so clearly dehumanizing. It really illustrates the broader inhumanity and inequality of all these voter laws that are going on. It’s not just that you can’t give water. Many of the most insidious elements of these anti-voter laws lie deep in bureaucracy and Jim Crow. So we use it to shed light on what is dehumanizing about these laws.”

The reference to Jim Crow refers to policies intended to keep black people out of the ballot box. Policies reminiscent of the “grandfather clause” and the poll tax placed financial and historical barriers to voters.

Although restrictive policies began in the nineteenth century, they continued to be used well into the Jim Crow era.

“It was only President Lyndon B. Johnson who introduced the so-called Voting Rights Act of 1965, thanks to which Congress succeeded in putting an end to discriminatory practices,” Encyclopedia Britannica quotes.