Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash [Download]

More than 3 million Americans have registered to vote on social media this year

Why it matters: The broad reach of social media platforms makes them uniquely effective at engaging voters especially younger voters who may not know how to register to vote or be civically engaged.

Details: Facebook says it determined that over 2.5 million people have registered to vote across its apps, based on conversion rates it calculated from a few states that it has already partnered with.

A long line of voters wait to cast their ballots at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax, Virginia, for the November presidential election on Friday, the first day of early voting in the state.

In some parts of Virginia, people waited in line up to four hours to cast their ballots on the first day of early voting, according to the Washington Post.

The big picture: The COVID-19 pandemic seems to already have an impact on how people cast their votes this election season.

As many as 80 million Americans are expected to vote early, by mail or in person, Tom Bonier, CEO of TargetSmart, a Democratic political data firm, told Axios in August.

A majority of Americans, including many Republicans, want the winner of the November presidential election to nominate the next Supreme Court justice, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Sunday.

Why it matters: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said soon after the news of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death that President Trump's nominee would get a vote on the Senate floor.

Original article