Election Watch: Tennessee officials are responding to reports that voting machines displayed or selected the wrong candidates during early voting. Voters are urged to check their ballots and alert poll workers before casting them; Knox County says its paper-ballot system provides an extra check. Turnout is running well ahead of 2022, with Blount County seeing 12,467 ballots in its first week, versus 9,103 four years ago. Death Penalty: A new court filing says execution staff struggled to establish IV lines for Christa Pike, tried about 10 needles and questioned whether veins had ruptured before the lethal drugs were administered. Pike survived the Sept. 30 attempt, renewing legal challenges to Tennessee’s execution protocol and calls for changes. Memphis Governance: The City Council approved a 135-day pause on new data-center permits while it develops regulations, rejecting a longer moratorium amid disputes over the projects’ local impact. Education: A Tennessee court dismissed a challenge to the state’s expanded Education Freedom Scholarship program, leaving the voucher program in place as candidates debate school policy ahead of the Nov. 3 election.