Politics & Government

North Carolina voters are at the polls today in all or portions of 94 of the state's 100 counties to cast their ballots in the municipal general election.

More than 12 million Americans buy health insurance on their own, and many are getting cancellation notices because their individual coverage does not meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act. This is causing anxiety and anger — especially since most of these people can't get onto the healthcare.gov website to figure out their options for 2014.

With a vote of 61-30, the Senate voted to move forward on legislation that would prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Monday's vote opens the floor to debate on the bill and the Senate is expected to schedule a full vote by week's end.

Charlie Crist left the Republican Party during a failed bid for Senate and later became a Democrat. Now he's running against Florida's current Republican governor, Rick Scott, a conservative elected with strong Tea Party support.

Democrat Bill de Blasio is poised to become the next mayor of New York, in part because he made income inequality the central issue of his campaign. His "tale of two cities" narrative has resonated with voters. But there's debate about what he could do as mayor to narrow the income gap.

The partial government shutdown could deliver its first political victim in Tuesday's elections. Republican Ken Cuccinelli is trailing in the Virginia governor's race. Opponents have tried to tar Cuccinelli with the shutdown and other unpopular Tea Party policies. Cuccinelli is linking Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe to the troubled rollout of Obamacare.

Bill Shuster, a seven-term Republican congressman from rural, central Pennsylvania, has long been considered a social and fiscal conservative. But his vote to end the government shutdown and close alliance with Speaker John Boehner has put him on the list of GOP incumbents facing Tea Party-backed primary challenges next year.

As mayor, Booker brought lots of attention and investment to the New Jersey city. But now that he's a U.S. senator, will the trend continue? Booker helped change Newark's perception, but the city still faces persistent crime. Mayoral candidates are taking that issue — and their ideas for solving it — to voters.