soledad: today on "matter of fact," millions voting early while both candidates face questions about character. trump: she is a crooked one, tengion: donald trump himself is a fraud. soledad: are you experiencing voters remorse? and researching voter fraud. you need to hear what he found after surveying nearly a billion votes. plus, veterans suffering in silence. how one marine's story could help someone you know. but first -- they've made their case.

welcome to "matter of fact." this presidential campaign has been unpredictable from the start and it looks as though it will finish that way as well. fivethirtyeight.com, a data-driven journalism site, predictably chicago cubs had a smaller chance of winning the world seriesn they also had hillary clinton's chance of winning at 75%. that number has since dropped. this must be troubling to democrats. stephanie rawlings blake is mayor of baltimore and the second in command at the democratic national committee. she joins us from boston. thank you, madam mayor. polls are tightening. if you look at the quinnipiac poll, hillary clinton still

about? mayor blake: we are very concerned about turnout. that is why secretary clinton is spending time in nevada and arizona. she pays a clear picture why it is important for people to come out and vote. soledad: the map to victory relies heavily on african-american turnout. it you look at a state like florida, we have seen african-american turnout drop in early voting. that has to be concerning you. >> as days get closer, people see how serious this really is. for so many people -- reasonable people -- they thought that the possibility of a trump presidency was out of reach, and when they see is so close, the polls tightening, people see how important it is to get to the polls. soledad: talk to me a little bit about the state of the dnc right

donna brazile, we know, passing questions from the debate to clinton. e-mails that were leaked seem to confirm what sanders was complaining about over time that there was a bias in the dnc toward clinton and away from him. are you concerned -- as much as we focus on the chaos and the rnc -- are you concerned that there are people that relieve there is a loss of confidence for democrats and the dnc? mayor blake: i think a lot of the healing that needed to happen in the party happened during the convention. donna brazile was clear when those e-mails came out and showed concern to all of us about the way some staff people

she understood that these were not the priorities and not standards which we believe the democratic party should be operating under. we made changes in order to fix it. i think the concerns were real and we treated them as such. soledad: what is giving you the most hope right now? what data are you getting that the dnc's most happy about? mayor blake: the data is the map . still today, with the polls tightening in some battleground states, donald trump still has a difficult al 270 than secretary clinton. that gives me hope. soledad: let me ask you about the conflicted relationship between politicians and reporters. you got into it with a reporter who covers you and kicked him out of your briefings and i was curious as to why. that is a pretty unusual move. mayor blake: it is unusual, and it's unfortunate that it was done.

questions i wanted and that i have not for years. what i will not tolerate is abusive behavior to staff. a staff person of mine told me the same situation happened with this reporter, i handled it immediately, no questions asked. that is what should be done. while some people try to paint this as the open press conferences, but the press conference we have is a small press conference i do in one of my conference rooms, an opportunity that i created so reporters could have more access to me, to ask me anything they wanted on a weekly basis -- those are two close quarters for someone who has demonstrated abusive behavior. soledad: matter mayor, thanks for your time.

fraud is a big issue? what facts say about the real danger at the ballot box. plus, the growing campaign for

soledad: now, a fast fact about early voting. more than 30 million people have already cast their ballot through early or absentee voting. 37 states and the district of columbia allow some fo necessary. trump: go and watch these polling places. make sure it's on the up and up. soledad: donald trump has been making claims about widespread voter fraud for months, triggering new concerns as people cast early ballots across the nation. the republican nominee has not produced any evidence of this claim. one of the most comprehensive

since 2000, americans have cast more than a billion votes, and in that time, there have been 2068 cases of alleged voter fraud, and just 10 involved allegations of voter impersonation. in the same time, 20 states have instituted laws which restrict voting in some way. leonard downie junior led a student reporting project looking at voter fraud. he's the former executive editor of the "russian post." - thank you for being here. tell me about the project. mr. downie: every year, we gather students and pick a topic of national interest, and it's tway 12, we decided among other things we would doing to investigate if there is really that much voter fraud because it was being used by politicians in a number of states around the

laws requiring strict voter id at the polls. we queried all 50 states and found from the year 2002 the year 2011 only 2000 cases of voter fraud in the country and only 10 of those were really voters impersonating dead people or something like that. soledad: so out of one billion actual votes, ultimately the -- mr. downie: was 10 over 11 years. we decided to check on what has happened since 2012. we look at the states from where we left off last time, zero. no voter impersonation whatsoever. soledad: as you mentioned, there

how do you read those measures? >> it makes me wonder about the veracity of the allegations by the governors and state legislatures to require photo id because there does not seem to be a problem to be fixed. soledad: reasonable person might say it is an id. what is the big deal? >> first of all, many older people no longer have driver's licenses. many younger people have not yet gotten driver's licenses. there are places where people live where they do not drive at all anyway, and even when states say you do not need to have a drivers license, but you need a special id for voting, you have to go some place to get it. in texas, there are huge

and lots of hours. also, citizenship of requirements. you have to find your birth certificate. let's say you were born in alabama and a live in kansas and you have to somehow get your birth certificate from alabama and find the dmv in kansas to get your id. that can be difficult for a lot of people. soledad: it's interesting, there as a topic, it is almost sexier than voter suppression, but the numbers around folder suppression are significantly higher. mr. downie: yes, and a lot of ways. it was a habit in poorer neighborhoods, particularly latino neighborhoods, where some but come around and collect mail-in ballots, and they passed

that anymore. does that mean there is a suppression of turnout among latinos in arizona? i have supervised coverage of elections from 1984 until 2000 and and they are kind enough to have me come in on election night still to watch with a are doing. soledad: as a person with a fair amount of time in the game covering these elections, what is your assessment? mr.ni is the wildest assessment i have ever seen. the candidates appear to have more flaws about them, and i think that has affected voter enthusiasm. what we're talking about now is also important because republican-controlled legislatures and governors have been passing would appear to be restrictions, making it harder to vote rather than easier. we will have to see what impact that has on this election, too. i think that is very important.

dealing with the demons of war. >> there are certain triggers i just don't like to talk about. narrator: why this marine tells his story to help veterans i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. donald trump: i could stand in the middle of 5th avenue and shoot somebody and i wouldn't lose any voters, okay? and you can tell them to go f--- themselves! you know, you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, ... you gotta see this guy. ahh, i don't know what i said, ahh. "i don't remember."

what's kelly ayotte costing you? you're paying more for prescription medicines. kelly ayotte blocked lower cost generic drugs. you're paying high interest rates on college loans. ayotte voted against letting you refinance at lower rates. and you're paying higher bank fees while ayotte voted for executives. kelly ayotte. she's siding with corporate special interests and that's costing you. she's not working for new hampshire. ? our neighborhood public schools. they are the bedrock of our communities. the place where 96% of our kids are educated. but even now, these local schools are losing more than 400 million dollars a year to

it will only get worse. we can't let that happen. to protect our public schools and the right of all our kids to a quality education, vote no on question 2. soledad: here's a fast fact about campaign cash. donald trump bus campaign has spent about $385 million hillary clinton, nearly double that, spending $713 million. $1 billion spent on campaigning. 16 months of coverage and virtually no mention of veterans. hundreds of thousands of veterans of the wars of afghanistan and iraq struggle with posttraumatic stress disorder or ptsd. the v.a. health system has been widely criticized for failing to

treating veterans once we identify them with these conditions, and so putting the resources and the federal government together with the resources of the community, i believe we will get there a lot faster and with better ideas. soledad: for many veterans, free clinics could help advanced treatment options. correspondent diane roberts visited a clinic in new york and spoke with a marine whose road to treatment has taken years. >> fallujah was certainly the most difficult deployment i have had. stressful situation. we were taking casualties every day, facing constant fire from rockets, constant danger from different convoys. >> as an intelligence officer, lemar winslow was one step removed from the front lines. home eight years, the difficult memories from three different

>> it's very difficult to think that someone like me, although i was never on the front lines, would the suffering from ptsd, and it took a year of counseling to convince me of that. >> now winslow is a federal civil rights attorney, often under stress, which can trigger episodes. >> i was in my office and had no been hungry. i had not eaten. i had headaches and my hands started to shake and i said that this was how i used to feel in fallujah, and that was when i decided to get some help. >> the coen military and family clinic at nyu langone medical center helped the marine. >> i developed this clinic to go and develop a complementary model and meet some of the unmet needs that the v.a. could not

the coen veterans network, which has five such clinics nationwide in dallas, san antonio, l.a., and philadelphia. it is the brainchild of wall street alien or stephen clone -- stephen cohen, who has pledged $275 billion of his own money to provide free mental health care to veterans and their families. >> one of our primary you if you really have this condition. >> now winslow has a partner to walk with him on this journey. the newly engaged 38-year-old wants his own experience to help others. >> it is ok if you need to speak about your experiences with others because it can be cathartic and help you move forward in life. >> at the end of the day, thousands of ptsd patients are

process to be successful, it will take like-minded organizations around the country working together toward that goal. soledad: the clinics are also open to families of those struggling with posttraumatic stress also free of charge. when one person has posttraumatic stress, it can have a ripple effect on the entire family, so it is important to treat them all. yes or no to gun control, legalized pot, changes in health care? the state where voters face big decisions. vo: ending funding for planned parenthood. taking away our right to choose. restricting our health care choices. this is senator kelly ayotte's record. ayotte voted six times to end funding for planned parenthood - putting access to birth control and cancer screenings at risk.

but it's just an act. woman 2: voters definitely cannot trust kelly ayotte. vo: senate majority pac is responsible for the content of this advertising. ? our neighborhood public schools. they are the bedrock of our communities. the place where 96% of our kids are educated. but even now, these local schools are losing more than 400 million dollars a year to privately-run charter schools. and if question 2 passes, . we can't let that happen. to protect our public schools and the right of all our kids to a quality education, vote no on question 2. massachusetts' newspapers rarely agree, but they do on question 2. they agree opponents have run a "campaign of misinformation" to spread "fear through white, affluent neighborhoods." they agree in the suburbs question 2 will have "no impact on their schools and their children."

and help reduce "the achievement gap." question 2 is "a kid's civil right." join leading newspapers and governor baker in voting yes on 2. soledad: we are back with a fast fact about the senate. control of the upper house hangs in the balance. in five states, the senate race

north carolina, and pennsylvania. we are about to pick our senators, president, and other elected officials, but that is not all. voters in more than half the states and the district of columbia will say yay or nay -- yea or nay to measures that could change life in their communities. marijuana scored a place on several state ballots this year. california, arizona, recreational use of marijuana for adults. north dakota, arkansas, montana, and florida will vote on using marijuana for medical use. the state level movement to loosen restrictions on pot could put more pressure on congress to lift its outright ban on the drug. gallup polls show 60% of americans support legalizing any use of marijuana. capitol hill failed to act on proposals to reform the nation's

year, so gun control advocates took their fight to the state level. maine and nevada could join eight states that require a background check at the point of sale before someone can buy any type of firearm. california voters will decide if they will join new york, connecticut, and washington, d.c., in requiring a background check before someone can buy ammunition. against the backdrop of rising premiums under obamacare, colorado statewide single-payer health care system. if approved, the measure would raise the state payroll tax by 10% and provide health care with no premiums for everyone in the state. the plan has a long list of critics than say the numbers do not work in poynter vermont as proof. the state had a similar plan in 2011. it ended three years later for

hillary clinton: i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message. vo: in times of crisis america depends on steady would you? seriously..."vo: clear thinking... donald trump: "i know more about isis than the generals do, believe me." vo: and calm judgment. donald trump: "and you can tell them to go fu_k themselves." vo: because all it takes is one wrong move. donald trump audio only: "i would bomb the sh_t out of them." vo: just one. ?

we offer a variety of medicare plans to fit your budget and your lifestyle. with plans starting as low as $0, you'll have zero things stopping you from really doing what you love. so call now to learn more about our plans that offer everything from annual wellness visits to routine hearing and vision exams, and prescription drugs. we have new dental coverage options too. and we even offer plans with no medical deductible and no referrals. plus, all our plans that you get when you have a health plan with over 50 years of medicare experience. the next chapter of your life should be all about you. that's why we're here. to learn more, contact us for our free medicare guide with no obligations. you can call us at 1-888-800-8813 or visit us at bluecrossma.com/medicareguide. ? over this election?

soledad: here's a fast fact about outside campaign spending. so far, super pac's on the right have outspent pac's on the left. conservative groups have spent $584 million so far this election cycle. liberal groups have spent $340.5 million. swirling through the campaign has you feeling like you are losing sleep, you could be right. companies that make wearable exercise trackers found users across the country slept about five minutes less on the night of the first presidential debate than they usually do. folks at the american psychological association are not surprised. stress directly impacts sleep, and according to their research, 52% of american adults say this election season has been a very

what to do? this exercise, but wouldn't you rather binge watch something instead? the weather channel is betting on that. their election day plan involves a nine-hour marathon showing nothing but beautiful and calming scenery from around the world. i'm so lit at o'brien. have a great week. and get out and vote. which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit what's kelly ayotte costing you? you're paying more for prescription medicines. kelly ayotte blocked lower cost generic drugs. you're paying high interest rates on college loans. ayotte voted against letting you refinance at lower rates. and you're paying higher bank fees while ayotte voted for special breaks to wall street executives. kelly ayotte. she's siding with corporate special interests and that's costing you.

kate: my mom and i love shooting hoops. but you know what - she could still learn a few things from me - just like i've learned a lot from her. mom helps with homework... she helped dad start his business... and she even fought to put bad guys in jail. now, mom helps make laws that help people - especially when they need it most. i'm really proud of her. and she's taught me that with hard work - i can do... anything. kelly: i'm kelly ayotte, kelly & kate: and we approved this message. ? our neighborhood public schools. they are the bedrock of our communities. the place where 96% of our kids are educated. but even now, these local schools are losing more than 400 million dollars a year to privately-run charter schools. and if question 2 passes, it will only get worse. we can't let that happen. to protect our public schools and the right of all our kids

karen: today, state were presented gloria foster's historic time of the hill comes to an end. how a massachusetts ballot question could change communities of color if it passes. ? hello and welcome to cityline. she is the woman in the massachusetts bay -- statehouse with the longest history, serving since 1985 -- are presenting roxbury on beacon hill, in january. she received a lifetime