“Social welfare” groups are using their nonprofit status to funnel millions into midterm election campaigns and attack ads without having to disclose the identity of their donors.

Top of the Alty World

“Secret Donors Behind Some Super PACs Funneling Millions into Midterms “—ProPublica

Texas has only issued 340 Voter ID cards this election season.—Texas Observer

While Florida was expected to become the first state in the south to legalize medical marijuana, polls now show the Sunshine State's marijuana amendment may be burning out.—Slate

The Atlantic breaks down the key House and Senate races to keep an eye on during today's election.—The Atlantic

Top of Alty Utah

Utah Politico Hub offers some fearless predictions on the outcome of Utah's elections.—Utah Politico Hub

Utah Political Capitol meanwhile has some resources for finding you polling place, seeing a sample ballot and knowing your voting rights.—Utah Political Capitol

Q Salt Lake shows what you need to take part in the pilot program that allows you to register to vote and vote on the same day in Salt Lake County.—Q Salt Lake

Utah Policy is predicting another dismal year for voter turnout in Utah.—Utah Policy

Rantosphere

Yours truly calls out the activist types who are too cool to vote.

“The social-justice activists out there are oftentimes light-years ahead when it comes to understanding the language of privilege. But how is it that the institution of voting—which is so vital to so many, which is at stake in battlegrounds where people are fighting against restrictive voter ID laws, and which people have died to protect and preserve—is something you look at with disdain? Something you write off just because there is no one on the ballot good enough or radical enough to mirror your exact beliefs?

A vote cast in Ferguson, Mo., might have higher stakes and a deeper impact than one cast in Salt Lake City, but what they have in common is the act itself. No matter the history of crooked politicians and broken systems, the vote unites us as Americans, from the middle to the margins. It's also what distinguishes us from nations where election results are heralded with blood in the streets instead of with consolation speeches and losing parties simply organizing for the next go-round.”—Salt Lake City Weekly

The Long View

Buzzfeed gets an exclusive look at ISIS' oil smuggling operation.

“Even with U.S. airstrikes now targeting its oil infrastructure, ISIS can make over $1 million a day from the trade, said Luay al-Khatteeb, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center who directs the Iraq Energy Institute. ISIS controls 60% of the oil-producing resources in eastern Syria, he said, plus a handful of marginal oil fields in Iraq.

The group sells most of it within its own territory in Iraq and in Syria — which covers more than 12,000 miles, a size comparable to Belgium, and includes some 8 million people, a population approaching Switzerland’s. Desperate residents need the fuel to run their cars, generators, and bakeries. Khatteeb estimated that even after meeting the demand of local refineries, ISIS still had 30,000 of barrels of oil to export a day, each selling for as much as $35.”—BuzzFeed