Charlotte Alter

Charlotte Alter is a national correspondent for TIME

US President Donald Trump and Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden arrive on stage during the first presidential debate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland on September 29, 2020.

The First 2020 Presidential Debate Was Nasty, Brutish and Long

It did not take long for the first presidential debate of the 2020 general ...

It did not take long for the first presidential debate of the 2020 general election to spiral totally out of control. President Donald Trump simply would not stop talking—badgering, heckling, taunting and sniping at both...

LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright, front row, founded Black Voters Matter to mobilize communities across the South

How Black Political Organizers Shored Up the Democratic Base

Long before the Iowa Caucus, before Joe Biden beat Bernie Sanders and COVID...

Long before the Iowa Caucus, before Joe Biden beat Bernie Sanders and COVID-19 cancelled canvassing, before the Biden-Harris ticket was a twinkle in Democrats' eye, LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright were crisscrossing the country to...

Vice President Joe Biden departs after voting early in Delaware's state primary election at the New Castle County Board of Elections office in Wilmington, Del., Sept. 14, 2020.

Joe Biden is Running an Invisible Digital Campaign in All-Important Michigan. That's Making Some Democrats Nervous

Four years ago, Don Sabbe made what he calls a “devastating” mistake. Deter...

Four years ago, Don Sabbe made what he calls a “devastating” mistake. Determined only to cast a vote for a candidate he believed in, he left the top of his ballot blank in the 2016...

President Donald Trump tours an area Tuesday that was damaged during demonstrations after a police officer shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 1, 2020.

Kenosha Is a Test Of Donald Trump's 'Law-and-Order' Message. It Doesn't Seem to Be Working.

The Trump campaign is doing everything it can to scare suburban voters into...

The Trump campaign is doing everything it can to scare suburban voters into sticking with him — but it doesn't seem to be working

At an Aug. 22 “Save the Children” rally in St. Paul, Minn., protesters trumpet elements of the QAnon conspiracy theory

How Conspiracy Theories Are Shaping the 2020 Election—and Shaking the Foundation of American Democracy

Democracy relies on an informed public responding to real-life facts. But a...

Democracy relies on an informed public responding to real-life facts. But a growing number of Americans are untethered from that reality

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks as he meets with members of the community at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wis., Sept. 3, 2020.

Joe Biden's Wisconsin Coalition Tries to Catch a Glimpse of Their Candidate

Black voters, suburban women, and wobbly Trump voters showed up to see the ...

Black voters, suburban women, and wobbly Trump voters showed up to see the Vice President, but he avoided crowds

Police watch protestors during President Trump's meeting at Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 1, 2020.

The Chaos in Kenosha Isn't Changing Anybody's Mind

Over pancakes and sausage at Frank's Diner in downtown Kenosha, Wisc., Anna...

Over pancakes and sausage at Frank's Diner in downtown Kenosha, Wisc., Anna Primus was mildly miffed. President Trump, whom she supported in 2016, was visiting Kenosha that day, and the 61-year old retiree didn't think...