A recent study estimated that nearly $16 billion will be spent on federal elections this cycle. With 30 days until the election, candidates are making sure to use every last resource. That will come as no surprise for those in swing states enduring the endless ads and frequent campaign rallies. While the push to sway voters will continue through Election Day, campaigns are focusing much of their attention on assuring that identified supporters cast their vote. Get out the vote (GOTV) efforts are an essential element, especially in close elections where who turns out to vote often makes the difference.

Congress will return a week after the election with a difficult to-do list during the Lame Duck session. This includes passing the National Defense Authority Act and government funding before year-end. Election outcomes will create new dynamics that will have an impact on those negotiations. Members returning for the new Congress will be anxious for a holiday break after the long election season and before the frantic pace of January. The new year will bring much uncertainty as congressional committees, and leadership assignments will get shuffled and some 4000 staff across the administration will be settling into new roles. 

October update from the Council of FHLBanks, a trade association for the FHLBank System is available here.