Also: Baker's new COVID safety orders start today; Ed Markey's call to count every vote
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 November 6, 2020
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| Good Morning Boston,
⛅ Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 69.
We've made it to Friday, which feels like a feat, even though we're still patiently (OK, somewhat patiently) waiting for the presidential election to be called.
- Let's recap: The vote counting continues in four key states – Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona – as Joe Biden remains six electoral votes short of victory.
- An early update: Biden has taken the lead in Georgia as of early this morning. Election officials are still working to finish counting mail-in ballots. Important: The race is still too close to call. With 99% of the total expected vote counted, Biden is leading by only 917 votes. But there's some important context around Georgia: No Democratic presidential candidate has won there since 1992. So taking a small lead is a big moment for Biden.
- So when will the AP call Georgia? Slow your roll. Even after all the mail-in ballots are counted, active military and overseas ballots are accepted in Georgia until today. Plus, voters whose mail-in ballots were received by 7 p.m. on Election Day can fix mistakes made on their absentee ballots to make sure they still count. That deadline is also today.
- Let's talk about Trump's latest election speech. Last night, the president falsely claimed widespread fraud, especially rallying against mail-in voting. He said the process of counting mailed-in ballots had been tainted and complained that many of the absentee votes had been cast for Biden. (These claims are baseless. Read NPR's fact check about mail-in voting security here.) His campaign has also filed lawsuits over in Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania, but the suits in Michigan and Nevada were quickly dismissed by state courts.
- Need a results page to constantly refresh today? This map will do the trick.
And in local news:
- Gov. Charlie Baker's updated coronavirus orders are now in effect as of this morning. This includes a stay-at-home order, stricter mask requirements when in public and a 9:30 p.m. end time for most indoor activities. There's a lot to unpack here and these changes definitely impact your daily life, so refresh yourself on the new restrictions here.
- Last week, Mayor Marty Walsh urged Boston residents to get tested for COVID regularly, and since then, testing is up 8% and the city's positive test rate for the week is down about 8%. The exceptions: There is still a 10% positive test rate in Dorchester, Mattapan and East Boston. Here's why the mayor wants even more testing.
- The new state unemployment numbers were released yesterday. The number of Massachusetts residents seeking first time unemployment benefits fell to just under 50,000 — down nearly 10,000 from the week prior.
- A closer look at the local elections: The Democrats appear headed into the next lawmaking session with two more seats on Beacon Hill, as well as a slight expansion to their veto-proof majorities in both chambers. This shift was smaller than it was two years ago, but Democrats had already flipped three other seats in special elections earlier this year.
- The state did not release the weekly town-by-town data Thursday night (I guess everyone was a little busy this week), which means we do not yet have an update on which communities are in the red this week. It's expected to be released tonight, so head back to wbur.org for the latest information.
P.S.– Count von Count is having a moment, and he's BFFs with our fellow public media station down the street. Ah! Ah! Ah! — Meagan McGinnes
@meaganmcginnes
newsletters@wbur.org
The Rundown 1. Following His Own Re-Election, Ed Markey Is Optimistic That Joe Biden Will Be The Next President
As a nation waits, Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey's message is simple: count every vote. He also explains why he's hopeful that lawmakers will come together to address the pandemic and pass another relief package. Read more. | 
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2. Anxious About New COVID Restrictions, Mass. Restaurant Association Asks Baker For Clarity
The Massachusetts Restaurant Association sent Gov. Charlie Baker a letter Thursday afternoon detailing its alarm over the Republican governor's order to reduce businesses' in-person service hours. Read more.
3. Former Soldiers' Home Officials Charged With Mishandling Virus Outbreak Plead Not Guilty
Former Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director Dr. David Clinton each face five counts of causing serious bodily injury and five counts of criminal neglect stemming from their oversight of the outbreak at the state-run facility for veterans that left 76 residents dead and sickened many more. Read more.
4. House Leaders Propose $46 Billion To Mass. State Budget
The proposed budget would be spent in areas like education, food security and substance addiction services, but would eschew new broad-based taxes in favor of a larger withdrawal from the state's reserve fund. Read more.
5. A National Fight Over Who Is Counted In Voting Districts May Arise From Missouri
With the support of more than 51% of those who voted on the ballot measure, Republican state lawmakers have changed redistricting requirements so that going forward districts have to "be drawn on the basis of one person, one vote," according to the newly-passed Amendment 3. Read more.
| Support the news
 | Anything Else? |
- Backers of ranked-choice voting spent more than $10 million to promote it. But opponents spent less than a cents per vote to take it down.
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- Boston-based rapper Billy Thomas has a new EP for you – and he's getting self analytical. Give it a listen.
| | | | | | CORONAVIRUS
Latest Mass. Map And Case Count: Breaking Down Coronavirus Here In Charts | | | | | | | What We're Reading |
- Why affirmative action measure failed in California (The LA Times)
| | | | Tell Me Something Good
New Boston Resident May Have Cast Vote That Switched Webster From Red To Blue
Whether it was his vote or not, it goes to show that every vote matters – even in Massachusetts. |  | | | | Before you go: Who can relate?! | | | 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up here.
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