Polls are open across the US as Election Day 2021 continues

Eligible US voters head to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots in state and local elections across the country. Keep it here for news and updates throughout Election Day 2021.

To find your polling place, and more similar resources, visit vote.org.

A police reform ballot initiative in Minneapolis is asking voters if the city should replace the police department with a Department of Public Safety.

The proposed charter is a response to public outcry after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The amendment would include the following:

• Establishing a new department of public safety to integrate and oversee a continuum of public safety efforts that prevent, intervene in, and reduce crime and violence to create safer communities for everyone in Minneapolis.
• Removing the Minneapolis Police Department as a charter department, and establishing in its place a Division of Law Enforcement within the department of public safety made up of sworn peace officers responsible for the core functions of law enforcement.
• Removing language in the current charter that mandates a minimum number of police employees. It would give Minneapolis the same freedom other Minnesota cities have to decide how to best meet our urgent needs of preventing, reducing and responding to crime.
• Place the department of public safety under the purview of both the city council and the mayor, in line with other city departments. The current City Charter stipulates that the police department reports exclusively to the mayor, creating confusion in the community and reducing transparency and oversight.

Other key races to watch include:

• Incumbent governor Phil Murphy is up against former assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli in the gubernatorial race in New Jersey.
• Former governor Terry McAuliffe and businessman Glenn Youngkin are competing in the gubernatorial race in Virginia.
• Brooklyn Borough president Eric Adams and talk radio host Curtis Sliwa are the top two contenders for the next mayor of New York City, following two terms of Bill de Blasio.
• Voters in Boston are choosing between two women of color, which will be the first time the city will be represented by someone other than a White man.
• Special congressional elections in Ohio and Florida are underway.