Trump and Harris each notched early wins in reliably Republican and Democratic states, respectively.
WASHINGTON — Election Day is here and the polls are open as America waits to find out who will be the next president, along with other major federal, state and local races.
We know that there are seven battleground states that will ultimately decide the outcome. But major questions loom about the timing of the results, the makeup of the electorate, the influx of misinformation and even the possibility of political violence.
This story will provide live updates throughout the day and into the evening on the presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, control of the U.S. Senate and House, other major races and any significant news developments around the elections.
All times are Eastern.
8:15PM: Trump urges supporters on social media to ‘stay in line’
Trump posted a clip on his social networks asking Republican voters to “stay in line.”
“We’re doing really well. If you’re in line, stay in line,” he says in the 13-second clip. “Don’t let them take you off that line.”
The clip was shared on various social networks.
8:00 PM: Kamala Harris wins Maryland
Vice President Kamala Harris won Maryland and its 10 electoral votes on Tuesday. Maryland is a heavily Democratic state that is home to many federal workers next to the nation’s capital.
8:00 PM: Donald Trump wins Oklahoma
Former President Donald Trump won Oklahoma and its seven electoral votes on Tuesday, defeating Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
8:00 PM: Donald Trump wins Tennessee
Former President Donald Trump won Tennessee on Tuesday, keeping the firmly Republican state and its 11 electoral votes in his win column.
8:00 PM: Kamala Harris wins Connecticut
Vice President Kamala Harris won Connecticut on Tuesday, extending the state’s long trend of supporting Democratic presidential candidates and adding seven electoral votes to her tally.
8:00 PM: Kamala Harris wins Massachusetts
Vice President Kamala Harris won Massachusetts on Tuesday, continuing a decadeslong streak of victories for Democratic presidential candidates in the Bay State.
8:00 PM: Kamala Harris wins Rhode Island
Vice President Kamala Harris won Rhode Island on Tuesday, giving her four electoral votes and continuing the Democrats’ dominance in the state.
8:00 PM: Donald Trump wins Florida
Donald Trump won Florida on Tuesday for the third consecutive election, earning the state’s 30 electoral votes. Once a crucial battleground state, Florida has been drifting toward the Republican Party in recent years.
8:00 PM: Donald Trump wins South Carolina
Former President Donald Trump won South Carolina on Tuesday, earning its nine electoral votes for the third straight election.
8:00 PM: Donald Trump wins Alabama
Former President Donald Trump won Alabama for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, adding nine electoral votes to the Republican’s tally.
8:00 PM: Donald Trump wins Mississippi
Former President Donald Trump won Mississippi on Tuesday, claiming the state’s six electoral votes and continuing a long winning streak for Republicans.
7:30 PM: Donald Trump wins West Virginia
Former President Donald Trump won West Virginia for the third straight presidential election cycle on Tuesday. The victory adds four electoral votes to the former president’s count
7:24PM: Federal cybersecurity officials say no evidence to back up claims of widespread fraud in Pennsylvania
A senior official at the federal cybersecurity agency says no nationwide security problems are threatening the integrity of the elections, and is pushing back on claims of fraud in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Cait Conley, a senior adviser to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told reporters that though officials have responded to bomb threats, disinformation and other problems, there are no major incidents with a national-level impact.
Asked about claims of widespread fraud in Pennsylvania being advanced by Donald Trump and some of his supporters, Conley said federal officials had been in close contact with their state and local counterparts across the country and “we see no data or reporting to support these claims.”
Multiple Pennsylvania officials, including Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, have also said they had not seen any signs of cheating and have called the election secure.
7:00 PM: Vice President Kamala Harris wins Vermont
Vice President Kamala Harris won the Democratic stronghold of Vermont on Tuesday. The small state has voted in favor of Democratic candidates in the previous eight presidential elections.
7:00 PM: Donald Trump wins Indiana
Republican Donald Trump won the presidential election in Indiana on Tuesday, the Associated Press declared. The reliably conservative state, where Republicans have held the governor’s office for 20 years, gave Trump its 11 electoral votes over Democrat Kamala Harris.
7:00 PM: Donald Trump wins Kentucky
Former President Donald Trump won Kentucky for the third consecutive election on Tuesday, adding eight electoral votes to his tally. The Republican nominee for president has won Kentucky in every election since Democrat Bill Clinton carried the Bluegrass State in 1996.
6:57 PM: Polls are closing soon in 6 states
At 7 p.m. EST, polls will close in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia, though some areas of Indiana and Kentucky closed at 6 p.m.
At 7:30 p.m. EST, polls will close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.
6:30 PM: Philadelphia DA contests Trump’s claim of ‘massive cheating’ in city
Ahead of poll closures in Pennsylvania, Trump said on his social media platform that there was “talk about massive cheating in Philadelphia” and said law enforcement was on the way.
He did not provide details, and there was no immediate indication of what he was referring to, and his spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment about what he meant.
Election Day voting had proceeded relatively smoothly across Pennsylvania, with a few counties reporting problems with ballot tabulators.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner issued a statement responding to Trump’s post, saying the only suggestion of cheating was coming from the Republican presidential nominee.
“There is no factual basis whatsoever within law enforcement to support this wild allegation,” Krasner said. “We have invited complaints and allegations of improprieties all day. If Donald J. Trump has any facts to support his wild allegations, we want them now. Right now. We are not holding our breath.”
6:00 PM: A small set of polls in Indiana and Kentucky close at 6 p.m. EST
Polls in a few Indiana districts across the state and polls on the eastern side of Kentucky are the first to close in the nation.
The first large poll closing comes at 7 p.m. EST. That closure includes most of Florida, all of Georgia and Virginia, among others.
5:45 PM: ‘Human error’ forces recount of 30,000 absentee ballots in Milwaukee
Election officials in Milwaukee are recounting more than 30,000 absentee ballots because doors on the ballot tabulators were not properly sealed.
The recounting was being done “out of an abundance of caution,” said Melissa Howard, spokesperson for the Milwaukee Election Commission.
There was no reason to believe that any ballots already counted had been tampered with, she said.
Howard said they were taking the step of recounting all of the ballots in an effort to be “completely, fully transparent.” The problem was due to human error, she said.
The decision will delay the reporting of about 105,000 absentee ballots that could determine whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump win Wisconsin.
5:15 PM: Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife casts ballot for Harris
Kerstin Emhoff, second gentleman Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife, posted a video casting a vote for Harris.
“I’ve been so moved by watching emotional videos posted by people after voting for Kamala & Tim,” she wrote. “Voting for our daughters, wives, sisters, from red and blue states. This is that moment. I proudly cast my vote for my friend and family Kamala Harris!”
Kerstin Emhoff has been a vocal supporter of Harris’ campaign, including attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
4:59 PM: Jacksonville voters briefly diverted after suspicious package found in polling place
Voters arriving at a polling place in Jacksonville, Florida, were diverted to another voting location for a short time Tuesday after a suspicious package was found outside.
Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said in an email that about 20 voters were sent to other locations for about 40 minutes before operations at the polling place resumed. The package ended up being the personal belongings of a homeless person, he said.
3:30 PM: FBI says bomb threats to several states came from Russian email domains, deemed non-credible
The FBI did not identify the states in question, but Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said earlier Tuesday that the state’s election process had snuffed out some bomb threats that he said came from Russia.
Officials in Fulton County, Georgia, said they received “multiple calls,” and the threats forced a brief closure of two polling places.
The bomb threats were among multiple disturbances that U.S. officials are tracking.
But Cait Conley, a senior adviser to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told reporters on a call Tuesday there were no national-level security incidents that were threatening to disrupt the election on a wide scale.
Officials continue to warn of what they say is an unprecedented level of foreign influence and disinformation that they expect will persist beyond Election Day.
2:10 PM: Police have arrested a man trying to enter the US Capitol with a torch and flare gun
U.S. Capitol Police say the man was stopped Tuesday during a security screening at the Capitol Visitor Center. Authorities say he smelled of fuel and was carrying the flare gun and torch.
Officials have canceled public tours of the Capitol for the remainder of the day.
Police say they are still investigating.
The arrest comes as authorities are on heightened alert for security issues around the nation’s capital and have increased patrols in areas downtown and near the White House around Election Day. Nearly four years ago, a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
1:30 PM: Trump refuses to say how he voted on Florida’s abortion ballot measure
Asked about the measure, which would keep the state’s six-week restriction in place, he avoided answering by simply saying he’d done “a great job bringing it back to the states.”
The second time, he snapped at a reporter, saying: “You should stop talking about it.”
Trump had previously indicated he would back the measure, but then changed his mind, saying he would vote against it.
The abortion measure would prevent lawmakers from passing any law that penalizes, prohibits, delays or restricts abortion until fetal viability, which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks. If it’s rejected, the state’s current abortion law would stand.
12:15 PM: Trump could make Electoral College history
Donald Trump could make history as the only U.S. President to win election twice while losing the popular vote both times.
In the nation’s history, there have only been five times when a president has won the Electoral College while failing to secure the popular vote. The last time was when Trump won in 2016.
9:30 AM: FBI warns of fabricated videos misusing its name and insignia
A news clip that purports to come from the FBI tells voters that they should vote remotely because of a high terror threat at polling stations.
But the FBI said that the clip is bogus, did not come from the bureau and does not accurately represent concerns about safety at polling locations.
Also false is a video depicting a fabricated FBI press release claiming that the management of prisons in several key battleground states rigged inmate voting and colluded with one of the political parties.
The FBI did not identify anyone who it thought might be responsible for the manufactured videos. Over the past two weeks, the agency has blamed Russian influence actors for a variety of manufactured internet postings and videos officials say were released as part of a broader disinformation campaign.
9:00 AM: Voters fend off stormy weather as they head to the polls
It’s raining across much of the nation’s midsection this morning and forecasters say storms are possible in large swaths of the country later today.
In Houston, local television cameras showed voters huddled together under umbrellas as they waited to enter polling locations. In Miami Lakes, Florida, at least one voter held a sample ballot over his head in a largely futile effort to fend off a quick downpour.
And it’s not just rain in the forecast. Voters in Colorado and Montana might see snow later today, forecasters say.
8:45 AM: Attorneys general urge a ‘peaceful transfer of power’
The attorneys general from 47 states and three U.S. territories are urging people to remain peaceful and to preemptively “condemn any acts of violence related to the results.”
The statement, released Tuesday, was signed by chief prosecutors from every U.S. state except Indiana, Montana and Texas. Attorneys general from the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands also signed.
“We call upon every American to vote, participate in civil discourse and, above all, respect the integrity of the democratic process,” they wrote. “Violence has no place in the democratic process; we will exercise our authority to enforce the law against any illegal acts that threaten it.”
Fears of election violence persist nearly four years after Trump supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the election certification. Rather than condemning the violence during his campaign, Trump has celebrated the rioters, pledging to pardon them and featuring a recorded chorus of prisoners in jail for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack singing the national anthem.
8:25 AM: DC braces for potential election-related violence
Businesses around the White House on Tuesday morning continued to board up windows and erect temporary fencing, precautions being taken amid worries that Election Day — and the days ahead — could lead to unrest.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser says the police department is also stepping up its presence in commercial districts in all eight wards of the city. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith at a Monday new conference also sought to assure the city’s residents that her department is prepared for whatever Election Day might bring.
“Our team has been fully engaged and vigilant,” she said. “We are the best in the country at what we do, and we will keep working around the clock to keep Washington, D.C., safe and keep our residents safe.”
7:30 AM: Abortion on the ballot
Voters in nine states will decide on abortion-related measures in 2024. Abortion rights advocates have succeeded in all seven initiatives nationwide since the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, but Tuesday marks the biggest chance for voters to make their preferences known on the issue.
Passing certain amendments in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota likely would lead to undoing bans or restrictions that currently block varying levels of abortion access to more than 7 million women of childbearing age who live in those states.
The future legality and availability of abortion hinges not only on ballot measures, as policies could shift depending on who controls Congress and the presidency. Same with state governments — including legislatures that pursue new laws, state supreme courts that determine the laws’ constitutionality, attorneys general who decide whether to defend them and district attorneys who enforce them.
If all the abortion rights measures pass, “it’s a sign of how much of a juggernaut support for reproductive rights has become,” said Mary Ziegler, a professor at the University of California Davis School of Law and an expert on the history of reproductive rights in the U.S.
“If some of them fail,” she added, “then you’re going to see some conservatives looking for guidance to see what the magic ingredient was that made it possible for conservatives to stem the tide.”
2:00 AM: The last day of campaigning wraps up
Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump both spent the waning hours of their campaigns in the well-trodden swing states of Pennsylvania and Michigan, widely seen as critical to winning the White House.
Harris wrapped her day in Philadelphia, where Lady Gaga sang “God Bless America” and Oprah Winfrey appeared on stage with first-time voters. Ricky Martin, who is from Puerto Rico, was also there to draw out Puerto Rican voters turned off by a comedian who called their homeland a “floating island of garbage” at a recent Trump rally.
“Our people-powered movement reflects a simple and undeniable truth: that we are all in this together,” Harris said.
Harris didn’t arrive at the vice president’s residence, the Naval Observatory, until 1:41 a.m.
Trump, meanwhile, spent the final hours of the day in Grand Rapids, Michigan, wrapping up around 2 a.m.
He took shots at Harris for campaigning alongside celebrities.
“We don’t need a star because we have policy. We have great policy,” he said. Later, he boasted of his own stars: “So many celebrities here, it’s incredible: Mike Pompeo, please stand up,” introducing his former secretary of state.
Trump landed in Florida around 6 a.m.
1:00 AM: Dixville Notch splits presidential vote 3-3 in first Election Day vote
In a presidential election that appears to be incredibly close, it was fitting that the first votes cast on Election Day were evenly split, with three for Donald Trump and three for Kamala Harris.
The tiny New Hampshire resort town of Dixville Notch has a tradition dating back to 1960 of being the first in the nation to complete in-person voting. The town’s six voters began casting their ballots on the stroke of midnight Tuesday and the vote count was complete 15 minutes later.
In an election where tensions have run high, the setting in Dixville Notch couldn’t have been more congenial. Voting took place in the living room of the Tillotson House, with cookies and coffee and a couple of very friendly dogs.
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