Essential Politics: The final countdown

WASHINGTON — It’s been a long year. But by this time next week, the voting will be over. It’s not clear when we’ll know which candidates and measures won those votes — whether pandemic-related glitches, cliffhanger results or legal challenges leave some outcomes, not least the contest between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, up in the air after Tuesday. But between now and then, there’s an intense week ahead. The Trump and Biden campaigns are making their final pitches to voters. People are lining up for hours to cast early ballots. Times reporters are spread across the country, trying to capture the last days of the 2020 election as they unfold amid a...