Elections 2010

Banks took over more than 100,000 homes in September, and opened another 350,000 foreclosure filings, according to new data released by RealtyTrac today. The year 2010 could be a record year for foreclosures, even after recent news about fraudulent practices by bank officials put some procedures on hold. But you wouldn’t know it from listening to most of the political campaigns in November's election. Few candidates are taking up the issue on the campaign trail. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

In the past two elections the Northeast has become one of the most solidly Democratic regions of the nation but polls show the region may be turning much more red this year. Matt Laslo spent some time on the campaign trail from Connecticut to New Hampshire and files this report.

With three weeks to go until the November mid-term elections, both Republicans and Democrats are hitting the campaign trail hard. In a climate where voters look to be shunning the establishment, Republicans have been mostly silent on the recently released platform Pledge to America, while some Democrats are distancing themselves from their party’s agenda.

But in New Hampshire, Annie Kuster is running as a proud progressive. Matt Laslo spent some time following the race and has this snapshot from the campaign trail.

The European Green Party agreed on a new policy platform over the weekend aimed at fundamentally transforming the European economic model. The policies are aimed at broadening the party's appeal, while connecting its traditional focus on environmental and social justice issues to those of the economy. The group is set to push the policies as sustainable solutions to both the financial crisis and the ongoing stalemate on a global climate change accord. From Tallinn, Estonia Jenny Johnson reports.

For more on the Green Party platform: http://europeangreens.eu/greennewdeal/

The midterm elections are featuring races that are breaking records for spending. One of the biggest players is the US Chamber of Commerce. By September 15th organization had aired more than 8,000 ads on behalf of Republican Senate candidates, according to the Wesleyan Media Project. And The Center for Public Integrity reported that Chamber president Tom Donohue pledged in June to raise $75 million for spending in this year's elections. That's double the money spent in 2008. Now, an investigation by the blog Think Progress reports that these ads are funded through a general account, which includes foreign funding. Under US law, foreign nationals and groups are barred from contributing to US elections. The Chamber of Commerce calls the allegations "unfounded, deceitful" and "erroneous."

We're joined by Faiz Shakir, editor-in-chief of ThinkProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a non partisan progressive organization based in Washington DC.

The midterm elections are just five weeks away and an unprecedented amount of money has been spent by independent organizations. These Super PACs were created when the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United that many campaign finance restrictions are unconstitutional. The Super PACs have spent hundreds of millions of dollars so far this election year. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Voting rights advocates in Georgia are concerned about possible disenfranchisement in the upcoming election. This follows a Justice Department decision in August that approved the state’s rigorous voter verification process. Critics say the system is error-prone and hinders ballot access - especially for minorities and new citizens. Katjusa Cisar reports from Atlanta.