Every day from now until November 2, and as long after that as necessary, JURIST will be starting the substantive portion of our news schedule with a daily round-up of law-related stories relating to the upcoming election. During the day we will also break in with any major election law stories that might arise. Here's what's happening as of Thursday, October 21....

In Florida, several voting rights groups have asked a US District Court for a preliminary injunction and an expedited hearing seeking the opening of eight additional early voting sites in Duval County. The plaintiffs say that Duval County's current locations for early voting are discriminatory against the African-American population. From Florida, First Coast News has more.... Also in Florida, the federal civil trial over whether an independent deputy should be appointed to oversee preparations in 15 Florida counties using electronic voting machines has wrapped up. US District Judge James Cohn is expected to issue his decision "as soon as is reasonably practicable." JURIST's Paper Chase has background on the case and Knight Ridder has more.... Finally, AP has background on pre-election litigation, including lawsuits over electronic voting and provisional ballots. JURIST's Paper Chase provides ongoing coverage of election legal issues.