US Elections 2024: Polls close in 6 states as world awaits historic results

Election Day is here. Voters are gearing up to head to the polls to cast their ballots for either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris in one of the nation's most historic presidential races. They'll also be determining which party will control the House and Senate.

Here's the latest:  Polls closing in key Virginia races  As polls close in Virginia, a pair of competitive House races could give an early hint of who is faring better in the race for House control.

In northern Virginia, Democrat Eugene Vindman and Republican Derrick Anderson, both Army veterans and lawyers, are vying for a House seat.

 

In the military-heavy southeast part of the state, Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans is running for reelection against a fellow Navy veteran, Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal. Meanwhile in Georgia, Democrats and Republicans are poised to swap control of a pair of redistricted House districts.

What to watch as polls are closing  Florida: First polls are about to close in much of Florida, which reports votes quickly. The first votes released will be early in-person and mailed votes. Those have tended to favour Democrats in the past, but it's not clear that trend will hold this year. Florida adds Election Day votes soon after and counts few votes after election night, so races tend to wrap up quickly.

Georgia: Polls are about to close in the battleground state of Georgia. The first votes reported have historically included at least some cast before Election Day. We don't know if the advance vote this year will favour Democrats as it has in the past. Voters don't register by party in Georgia.

Polls are closing soon in 6 states  At 7 pm EST, polls will close in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia, though some areas of Indiana and Kentucky closed at 6 pm.

At 7:30 p.m. EST, polls will close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.

Vermont's Republican governor says he voted for Harris  Phil Scott, Vermont's Republican governor, told reporters outside his polling place that he voted for Harris over Trump, his party's presidential candidate. 

Scott said it was not an easy thing to do being the Republcian sitting governor and voting against your party's nominee, according to video from NBC 5. But Scott said he came to the conclusion that I had to put country over party.

Scott voted for President Joe Biden in 2020.

Musk says his PAC will expand its work after Election Day  Billionaire Elon Musk said his pro-Trump super PAC will continue its work after the election, focusing on the 2026 midterms as well as local prosecutorial races. Musk discussed the future of his America PAC during a live event on his social media platform X. Musk repeated his support for Trump and said that a Trump victory would reflect an electorate eager for change.

I think there's a sea change in the country, said Musk, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX. I hope I'm not wrong about that.

Detroit police patrol convention centre where ballots are being counted  More than a dozen Detroit police officers were milling around late afternoon inside Huntington Place and in the area immediately outside the doors to the massive convention room where election workers were to count ballots.

Barricades are up outside the room and escalators to and from the area have been shut off.

Everyone entering has to go through metal detectors. Any bags they have are being checked by security.

Pennsylvania officials deny Trump's cheating claim  Officials associated with both political parties are denying Trump's claim of massive cheating in Philadelphia.

On social media, one of three Philadelphia election board members, Seth Bluestein, a Republican, said there is absolutely no truth to this allegation. It is yet another example of disinformation. Voting in the city is safe and secure, he said.  Find special coverage on US Presidential Elections here

Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro's Department of State said, Pennsylvania counties, including Philadelphia, are running a safe and secure election.

Trump provided no details about the alleged cheating. His spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment about what he meant.

More bomb threats at Atlanta-area polling places  Another metro Atlanta county has seen voting disrupted by bomb threats. About an hour before polls were to close, officials in DeKalb County said they received bomb threats against five polling places.

Officials in the overwhelmingly Democratic suburb said voting had been suspended at those locations until police confirm there are no bombs. County officials say they're seeking a court order to extend voting, which is routine in Georgia when a polling place is disrupted. Some polling places in Fulton and Gwinnett counties were targeted earlier Tuesday. Those threats were found to be false.

Judge blocks improper hand count at Pennsylvania polling place  Trump's allies appeared worried about turnout among men today, urging them to vote as Election Day drew to a close.

If you know any men who haven't voted, get them to the polls, Stephen Miller, a longtime adviser to the Republican nominee, posted on X at 5:58 p.m. EST  Charlie Kirk, the leader of the conservative group Turning Point, seemed concerned earlier in the day. Turnout is mixed and not where we want it to be, he wrote on X. We need more people to vote. We can't let turnout flatline.

He struck a more positive note at 4:11 p.m. EST The men are arriving, he posted. Turnout is SURGING.

Trump allies urge men to cast their ballots  Trump's allies appeared worried about turnout among men today, urging them to vote as Election Day drew to a close.

If you know any men who haven't voted, get them to the polls, Stephen Miller, a longtime adviser to the Republican nominee, posted on X at 5:58 p.m.

Charlie Kirk, the leader of the conservative group Turning Point, seemed concerned earlier in the day. Turnout is mixed and not where we want it to be, he wrote on X. We need more people to vote. We can't let turnout flatline.

He struck a more positive note at 4:11 p.m. The men are arriving, he posted. Turnout is SURGING.

Howard's Black Greeks practice strolling in advance of Harris' arrival  Hours before Harris arrives at Howard University, Black Greek organizations are practicing strolling, a tradition in Black Greek organizations, for her election event.

Black sororities and fraternities, known collectively as The Divine Nine, have been a source of strength for Harris. This year there was a surge in support from members of these groups, many of whom were excited by Harris' historic presidential run despite being barred from endorsing candidates.

The vice president is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., which was founded at Howard University in 1908. Harris pledged as a senior at Howard in 1986.

A technical glitch meant long waits in Apache County  A technical glitch in ballot printers at more than a dozen polling places in Arizona's rural Apache County meant long waits for voters.

Poll workers were encouraging people to leave and come back later in the day when the printer was fixed, said Zane James, who voted in the community of Wheatfields after waiting 2 1/2 hours in 40-degree weather. 

The printer was fixed, but five to 10 people left and I don't know if they are coming back, he said.

Hours at Georgia polling places extended following bomb threats  Voting hours have been extended at five polling places in Georgia's Fulton County that were briefly closed earlier in the day because of bomb threats that were determined to be noncredible.

Each voting location's hours have been extended for as long as they were closed. The extensions range from 10 minutes at one location to 45 minutes at two locations.

Judge in Georgia calls Republican lawsuit frivolous'  A federal judge Tuesday scolded Republican Party attorneys for what he called a frivolous lawsuit that accused election officials in seven Georgia counties of breaking the law by letting voters hand-deliver their absentee ballots over the weekend.

An attorney for the Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party told U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker he wasn't trying to stop the 1,300 ballots from being counted but wanted them kept separate from other ballots.

Judge declines to extend voting hours in Louisville after morning delays  A judge has declined to grant a two-hour extension of voting hours in Kentucky's most populous county after problems with electronic poll books led to delays at some precincts. 

Election officials in Jefferson County, which includes Louisville, said delays involved loading poll books to include the 113,000 early voters who cast ballots before Election Day.

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.

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.

Pennsylvania county goes to court to block improper hand count  Fayette County has gone to court to block a local judge of elections from doing a unilateral hand count of ballots in violation of the state's election code.

Marybeth Kuznik, director of the Fayette County Bureau of Elections, says in a court filing that Washington Township Judge of Election Vincent Manetta reported that after polls close today, he intends to remove the ballots from the ballot box and audit or hand count the votes cast for each presidential candidate.

A white substance was found on a ballot envelope in Salt Lake County, Utah  The envelope was sequestered, tested and found to not be harmful, according to police. Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who oversees elections statewide, commended the county clerk and her employees for acting swiftly to ensure the safety of those in the area.

This incident will be fully investigated. Anyone attempting to intimidate election workers or disrupt election administration in any way can expect to face criminal charges, Henderson said.

Georgia voting sites receive bomb threats  Bomb threats to Georgia voting sites were made over the internet and included Cyrillic letters, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said. That gave election officials a clue about the origins of the threats, he said at an early evening briefing in Atlanta.

We jumped on it quickly and then the FBI then followed our lead, he said. He said that once the FBI released a statement about the matter earlier Tuesday, the threats kind of tapered off.

He said of the culprits: I guess they realized that dog won't hunt today in Georgia.

Senior Harris campaign official says the VP has an advantage with late deciders  Harris senior campaign adviser Stephanie Cutter said in an MSNBC appearance that the vice president stayed focused in the final weeks of the campaign on how she aims to make your life better while Trump seemed consumed by grievances.

Indeed, Trump in the final stretch remarked that he wouldn't mind if an assassin had to shoot through the fake news to get to him. He raised eyebrows by vowing to protect women whether the women like it or not. And his campaign had to clean up after a comedian warming up the crowd at Madison Square Garden rally referred to Puerto Rico as a floating island of garbage.

Empire State Building lights will mark swing state winners as results roll in  The lights on the Manhattan icon will change colour every time The Associated Press declares a victor in one of the decisive swing states, according to a post on its official account on X, formerly Twitter.

The 103-floor skyscraper's tower lights will shine blue for five minutes if Harris claims one of the battlegrounds and shine red for five minutes if Trump wins one.

Rudy Giuliani seen in a Mercedes similar to the one he was ordered to turn over  Rudy Giuliani was not shy as he drove up to a polling station in Palm Beach, Florida, in a blue Mercedes that appeared to be the one a federal judge ordered him to turn over to the two Georgia election workers who won a defamation lawsuit against the former mayor of New York.

Sitting in the passenger seat of what appears to be a 1980 Mercedes-Benz 500SL, Giuliani smiled and waved to supporters and photographers at the polling place where Trump cast his ballot as he tried to reclaim the presidency.

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.

Results for 2 North Carolina counties delayed briefly as precincts close later  Two counties in battleground North Carolina will delay turning in their results by 30 minutes after the State Board of Elections agreed to extend the close of voting at two precincts due to technical problems there on Tuesday morning.

The board voted to push the closing time at one precinct in Burke County and another precinct in Wilson County to 8 p.m.

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.

Denver-area authorities look into ballot issues at adult day care facility  Authorities in the Denver area are investigating after election officials discovered discrepancies with signatures on several mail ballots sent from an adult day care facility in the city.

That's according to Denver clerk and recorder Paul Lopez in a statement.

Voting machines malfunction in central Iowa county  In Central Iowa's Story County, home to about 100,000 people and the city of Ames, voting machines at some precincts malfunctioned, portending possible delays to reporting results.

We are aware of technical issues regarding tabulators in some precincts in Story County, said Ashley Hunt Esquivel, a spokesperson for Iowa Secretary of State's Office. The auditor is working with the vendor and our office to resolve it. It is not stopping anyone from casting a single ballot. It may impact how quickly we can report results.

Harris urges North Carolinians who haven't voted to get going  The path to the White House runs through North Carolina, Harris said in an interview on Raleigh's Foxy 107.1. And it's a tight race. We are tied. Every vote matters.

Harris told host Karen Clark she plans to work the phones until polls close to get out every vote she can.

This is about turning the page and bringing in a new generation of leadership for America, Harris said.

Harris visits Democratic National Committee phone bank in Washington on Election Day  Kamala Harris used her visit to a phone bank hosted by the Democratic National Committee on Tuesday to both thank the supporters working to turn out the vote and make calls herself.

This truly represents the best of who we are, Harris told the supporters making calls at the phone bank. She was then handed a cell phone and joined in the phone bank.

I am well, Harris told the person. Have you voted already?  The person responded, to which Harris said, You did? Thank you.

In Richmond, Virginia, Electoral Board removes precinct chief over complaints  In Richmond, Virginia, the local Electoral Board held an emergency meeting to remove a precinct chief.

Board Chair Starlet Stevens said in a telephone interview that 11 voters were given ballots that only had the presidential race and not local races.

Election stressed? Here's what some experts recommend  Three out of four American adults believe this election is vital for the future of democracy. They believe that the stakes are high and for some, so are their stress levels.

But there's more you can do than doomscroll and hold your breath between news alerts.

Some experts advise using meditation and mindfulness to ease their stress. Headspace, a mental health company and app, has a whole series of guided meditations called its politics without panic collection.

My faith in this country has been so restored,' Walz says of 2024 experience  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told reporters Tuesday that his experience as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate restored his faith in the nation.

This is truly a remarkable thing we do every four years, he said in a conversation with reporters outside his campaign plane. It's democracy. It's messy. It's beautiful. It's the people.

My faith in this country has been so restored, he added.

For funny man Ken Jeong, this Election Day is serious  Ken Jeong is funny. But not on Election Day. Today, he's serious.

The actor and comedian (who also is a doctor) was working the phone banks to support Harris, calling voters to make last-minute pushes in Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and Georgia.

It's been quite inspiring, Jeong said. I've never been on something like this on such a grand scale.

Do you want more Steve Kornacki? Peacock has you covered tonight  Coming around 6 p.m. Eastern: Kornacki Cam.

The super-popular NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki will be part of a multiview experience put together by Peacock and is expected to last until around 2 a.m.

Natural gas leak prompts the closure of a polling place outside Detroit  Officials in Northville, Michigan, closed a polling place at midday and sent voters to another precinct in the Detroit suburb because of a natural gas leak. Consumers Energy was investigating the leak.