Hard Numbers: Three keys to the White House, early voting records, Florida's minimum wage, searching for mail-in-ballots

A voter drops off her vote by mail ballot at the Supervisor of Elections office on election day in West Palm Beach, Florida on August 18, 2020.

3: As votes continue to trickle in, three yet-to-be-called battleground states — Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — now appear to hold the key to the White House. It could take days to find out the final tallies as each of the states works through its own count of early votes, mail-in ballots, and election day votes.

101 million: More than 101 million Americans voted early in this year's presidential election, according to the US Elections Project. Social distancing restrictions and fears about the pandemic caused an influx of mail-in ballots and early in person voting. In 2016, some 47 million Americans voted early, while 32 million people cast their ballots early in 2012. Analysts are predicting unprecedented levels of voter turnout when all is done and dusted.

15: Floridian voters have approved "Amendment 2," which will raise the state's minimum wage to $15 by 2026. (Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25.) While in recent years the move towards a $15 minimum wage has gained momentum across the country — and is a key part of the Democratic party's platform — Florida is the first southern state to approve the measure.

300,523: The US Postal Service said that some 300,523 mail-in-ballots around the country could not be found Tuesday afternoon, having received incoming scans at processing depots but not exit scans. A federal court ordered the agency — and law enforcement — to "sweep" processing plants by the time polls closed, but the mail service (represented by the US Justice Department) said it would make decisions about its own inspection schedule. Voting rights advocates are up in arms as the situation gets messier and messier.

More from GZERO Media

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speak with the media following meetings with a Ukrainian delegation on Ukraine-Russia peace talks, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 11, 2025.
Saul Loeb/Pool via REUTERS

US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz will exit his post, CBS News first reported, and will be nominated as ambassador to the United Nations. The move brings a premature end to the Floridian’s tumultuous White House stint, one that has been marred ever since he accidentally added a journalist from The Atlantic to a Signal chat discussion about US attack plans in Yemen.

Illegal immigrants from El Salvador arrive at the Comalapa international airport after being deported from the U.S. in Comalapa, on the outskirts of San Salvador.
REUTERS/Ulises Rodriguez

A Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas just dropped a legal bomb on the president’s immigration playbook. US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. on Thursday ruled that Donald Trump overstepped his authority by invoking the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants without due process.

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton at campaign rally Fullarton, Adelaide on day 34 of his 2025 Federal Election Campaign in the seat of Sturt, Thursday, May 1, 2025.
AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Voting is underway in Australia’s May 3 federal election, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seeking a second term for the Labor Party. His main challenger is Peter Dutton, leader of the center-right Liberal Party and the broader Coalition since 2022.

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, speaks during a policy agreement ceremony with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, South Korea, on May 1, 2025.
Chris Jung via Reuters Connect

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung had a rough day on Thursday.

- YouTube

What is the importance of the so-called minerals deals, which have now been concluded between Ukraine and the United States? What is the importance of the visit by the Danish King Frederik to Greenland? Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden and co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, shares his perspective on European politics from Stockholm, Sweden.

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz walks to board Marine One at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on April 3, 2025.

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz will exit his post, CBS News first reported, and will be nominated to be ambassador to the United Nations. It brings a premature end to the Floridian’s tumultuous White House stint, one that has been marred ever since he accidentally added a journalist from The Atlantic to a Signal chat regarding US attack plans in Yemen. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will replace Waltz, holding his role on an acting basis.