California reaches 1 million mail-in ballots cast so far

CAST THIS ELECTION SEASON.ACCORDING TO THE STATE -- MORETHAN ONE MILLION CALIFORNIANSHAVE ALREADY RETURNED THEIRMAIL-IN BALLOTS.THIS HIGH NUMBER MARKS THE MOSTBALLOTSCOLLECTED BY MAIL AT THIS POINTIN ANY STATE ELECTION.ACCORDING TO THE L-A COUNTYREGISTRAR RECORDERSOFFICE -- NEARLY HALF OF THEMAIL-IN BALLOTS COME FROM L-ACOUNTY WHERE MORE THAN 430-THOUSAND VOTERS HAVEALREADY CAST THEIR BALLOT.ELECTIOSN OFFICIALS SAY THE HUGENUMBERS OFMAIL-IN BALLOTS COULD MAKECOUNTING THE VOTES MORECOMPLICATED AND MEAN LONGERWAITS TO DETERMINE THEOUTCOME OF CLOSE RACES.AND EARLY VOTING NUMBERS KEEPGROWING ACROSS THE U-S.EARLIER THIS WEEK DATA FROMEDISON RESEARCH SAID7-POINT-3 MILLION AMERICANS HADALREADY CAST THEIR BALLOT.NOW THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SHOWSNUMBERS THATNUMBER IS AT MORE THAN 17-MILLION!THAT TOTAL ALREADY REPRESENTS12-PERCENT OF ALLVOTES CAST IN THE 20-16 ELECTION-- EVEN WITH EIGHTSTATES NOT REPORTING DATA YET.VOTERS STILL HAVE MORE THAN TWOWEEKS TO CAST A BALLOT.ELECTION EXPERTS ARE PREDICTINGA RECORD TURNOUTTHIS SEASON WITH AN ESTIMATED150-MILLION VOTES.A GROUP OF U-S BLACK SCHOLARSAND ACTIVISTS HAVE LAUNCHED ANEW PROJECT TO FIGHT MISLEADINGINFORMATION ONLINE AROUNDVOTING.THE PROJECT CALLED "NATIONALBLACK CULTURAL INFORMATIONTRUST" COMBATS FAKE SOCIAL MEDIAACCOUNTS AIMED TODISCOURAGE BLACK VOTERS FROMTAKING PART INELECTIONS.THE PROJECT'S FOUNDER SAYS SOMEACCOUNTS USE THE SOCIALMEDIA HASHTAG A-D-O-S MOVEMENT-- WHICH STANDSFOR AMERICAN DESCENDANTS OFSLAVERY TO ENCOURAGEBLACK VOTERS TO SKIP THEPRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.KERN COUNTY I