Follow along here for the latest election updates from the WABE News team.
6:00 a.m. Donald Trump elected 47th president of the United States of America
Former President Donald Trump will be the 47th president of the United States, according to the Associated Press, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in his bid for a second term.
Trump also won Georgia, affirming Republicans’ enduring hold on a state Democrats flipped four years ago for the first time in a generation.
-Sam Gringlas, Politics Reporter
1:19 a.m. Former President Donald Trump has won Georgia
Former President Donald Trump has won Georgia, according to the Associated Press, affirming Republicans’ enduring hold on a state Democrats flipped four years ago for the first time in a generation. The presidency remains too close to call.
-Sam Gringlas, Politics Reporter
12:16 a.m. Two statewide ballot measures pass in Georgia, one too close to call
Georgia voters approved two statewide ballot measures on the final day of the 2024 election on Tuesday. A third statewide measure was too close to call as of late Tuesday night.
Continue reading for a breakdown of what passed and what failed.
-Jasmine Robinson, Digital Journalist
10:21 p.m. All U.S. House seats in Georgia determined
The Associated Press has also called the reelection of Republican U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter, Rich McCormick, Austin Scott, Andrew Clyde, Mike Collins, Barry Loudermilk, Rick Allen, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Democratic U.S. Reps. Lucy McBath, Sanford Bishop, Hank Johnson, Nikema Williams and David Scott. Brian Jack also won the 3rd Congressional District seat in Georgia.
-Rebecca Etter, Senior Digital News Editor
9:29 p.m. Fulton County DA Fani Willis is reelected
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has won reelection against Republican challenger Courtney Kramer. Willis brought charges against former President Donald Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
-Meimei Xu, Evening Digital News Editor
8:40 p.m. Former Trump aide Brian Jack wins Georgia 3rd Congressional District seat
Brian Jack, who served as a political director and adviser under former President Donald Trump, won the 3rd Congressional District seat in Georgia, beating Democrat Maura Keller.
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, a Republican, did not seek reelection this year. Trump has previously endorsed Jack.
The Associated Press has also called the reelection of Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Democratic U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, and others. See our results page for all the state races.
-Meimei Xu, Evening Digital News Editor
8:24 p.m. DeKalb County polling precincts hours extended after bomb threat
The DeKalb County Superior Court ordered that the voting precincts in the county remain open after 7 p.m. after these locations received bomb threats. The DeKalb Police have checked and reopened all polling locations after discovering no bombs at the locations.
The polling precincts are as follows:
- New Bethel AME Church, 8350 Rockbridge Rd., Lithonia was open until 7:38 p.m.
- New Life Community Center, 3592 Flat Shoals Rd., Decatur was open until 7:38 p.m.
- North DeKalb Senior Center, 3393 Malone Dr., Chamblee is open until 8:29 p.m.
- Reid H. Cofer Library, 5234 Lavista Rd., Tucker was open until 7:38 p.m.
- Wesley Chapel Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Rd., Decatur was open until 8:03 p.m.
A sixth polling location was added to the list of places that received bomb threats in DeKalb. Police have also found no bombs at this location:
- Briarwood Recreation Center, 2235 Briarwood Way NE, Atlanta was open until 8:22 p.m.
-DorMiya Vance, Reporter
8:11 p.m. Fulton County expects most results by 11 p.m.
In Fulton County, election officials have been tabulating the memory cards from advance voting sites — and results from early voting and absentee ballots will post online shortly. Over the next few hours, memory cards from Election Day precincts will begin coming in, with police escort, for tabulation.
Election observers and the general public have been watching the election officials work.
Nadine Williams, Fulton County election director, says 92,700 people voted on Election Day. She expects to have the bulk of results from the county completed by around 11 p.m. tonight. That would not include absentee ballots returned today. Provisional ballots and military and overseas ballots have a later deadline, so the final numbers could still change some.
“We were ready and the results of today’s elections prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Fulton County, Georgia was ready for the 2024 election,” Fulton County Commission Chair Rob Pitts said during a press conference.
John Fervier, the nonpartisan chair of the Georgia State Election Board, is also at Fulton County election headquarters. He told reporters that, “I am really optimistic this might be the best election Georgia has ever held.”
Fulton County Police Chief Wade Yates also told reporters that the county experienced no security issues, with the exception of the bomb threats which were determined to be non-credible. He said 32 bomb threats were called or emailed, directed at polling locations in cities across the county.
-Sam Gringlas, Politics Reporter
8:01 p.m. Georgia GOP Chair ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Trump will win
Josh McKoon, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, told WABE that Republican turnout looks “solid” and that he’s “cautiously optimistic” that former President Donald Trump will win.
McKoon condemned recent bomb threats, some of which officials have said were Russian election interference attempts.
A Trump-appointed federal judge shot down arguments made by the Republican National Committee and the Georgia Republican Party in a Sunday lawsuit that absentee ballots dropped off over the weekend at certain metro Atlanta counties could not be counted.
“I don’t think that it is fair or just, perhaps not even legal, to, on the final day of [early] voting, for county employees to make a decision in Fulton County that, ‘hey, Republican turnout’s great. Let’s open the doors for Saturday and Sunday voting.’ I think that’s wrong. The judge obviously disagrees. We’re going to press that case with the legislature, and I’m optimistic that they’re going to take an equally dim view to county employees changing election procedures four days before Election Day,” McKoon said.
He also added that he believes that the election result in Georgia will be clear after 10 p.m.
-Rahul Bali, Politics Reporter, and Meimei Xu, Evening Digital News Editor
7:32 p.m. Vote tabulation is underway at the Fulton County Elections Hub
At the Fulton County Elections Hub, election workers are checking memory cards from voting machines in each precinct and tabulating votes.
Behind the glass, observers inspect the process.
John Fervier, the nonpartisan chair of the Georgia State Election Board, is here at the Fulton County Elections Hub.
The Republican majority on the State Election Board has been under fire for passing a string of last-minute election rule changes that were ultimately blocked by a judge.
Fervier voted against many of the changes.
Also here are Fulton County Commissioner Bridget Thorne, who sponsored one of the controversial rules, and Republican Fulton Election Board member Julie Adams, who has fought a so far unsuccessful legal battle to give her clearance to vote against certifying election results.
-Sam Gringlas, Politics Reporter
7:15 p.m. No bombs found at four voting precincts in DeKalb County
The DeKalb County Police have found no bombs at four voting precincts among five precincts and two other locations in the county that received bomb threats earlier today. The following facilities have received clearance to reopen:
- New Bethel AME Church, 8350 Rockbridge Rd., Lithonia
- North DeKalb Senior Center, 3393 Malone Dr., Chamblee
- Reid H. Cofer Library, 5234 Lavista Rd., Tucker
- Wesley Chapel Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Rd., Decatur
The police are still conducting a sweep at the New Life Community Center on Flat Shoals Road. The DeKalb County Law Department is still seeking an emergency order to extend the time for voting at these precincts.
–Meimei Xu, Evening Digital News Editor
7:00 p.m. Polls closed in most precincts, except a few in Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett and Glynn
Polls have now closed in most Georgia precincts, and election workers have begun counting Election Day votes. A few precincts will remain open, including five in DeKalb County, five in Fulton County and one in Gwinnett County due to threat evacuations. Two precincts in Cobb County and one in Glynn County will be open as well due to routine issues, said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger at a press conference.
-Melissa Feito, Evening News Editor, and Meimei Xu, Evening Digital News Editor
6:18 p.m. DeKalb County reports bomb threats to seven locations
Seven DeKalb County locations have received bomb threats, including five voting precincts, according to the county government.
The county’s police department is currently performing bomb sweeps at the following precincts:
- New Bethel AME Church, 8350 Rockbridge Rd., Lithonia
- New Life Community Center, 3592 Flat Shoals Rd., Decatur
- North DeKalb Senior Center, 3393 Malone Dr., Chamblee
- Reid H. Cofer Library, 5234 Lavista Rd., Tucker
- Wesley Chapel Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Rd., Decatur
The police are also sweeping these other locations:
- Stonecrest (Old Sam’s Club), which is not an active polling location
- Salem Panola Library, 5137 Salem Rd., Lithonia
County officials are assuring voters that their ballots will be counted.
“Every asset that we have will be deployed to ensure that every citizen who wants to vote will be given that opportunity and every vote cast will be counted,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said.
The DeKalb County Law Department is seeking extensions to the voting hours of the polling locations.
“Rest assured that we are working quickly to ensure every voter will have an opportunity to cast their ballot despite these bomb threats,” said DeKalb VRE Executive Director Keisha Smith. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are suspending voting at these polling locations until we have clearance from DeKalb Police to reopen the facilities.”
-DorMiya Vance, Reporter, and Meimei Xu, Evening Digital News Editor
5:56 p.m. Five Fulton County polling locations will remain open after 7 p.m.
The Fulton County Superior Court has ruled to extend voting hours for five polling locations in the county after threats required momentary evacuation at these locations.
- Lake Forest Elementary School will be open until 7:10 p.m.
- C.H. Gullatt Elementary School will be open until 7:15 p.m.
- Southwest Arts Center will be open until 7:43 p.m.
- Northwood Elementary School will be open until 7:45 p.m.
- Etris Darnell Community Center will be open until 7:45 p.m.
–Matthew Pearson, Photographer, and Meimei Xu, Evening Digital News Editor
5:45 p.m. DJs at the Polls urges Midtown residents to vote
National nonpartisan get-out-the-vote program DJs at the Polls set up a booth in the parking lot at Peachtree Christian Church in Midtown Atlanta on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
A DJ was playing the 1980s R&B song “Let the Music Play” by Shannon as Eduardo Recarte, a representative for DJs at the Polls, told WABE they were there “to encourage people to vote and create a good environment for the people.”
-Patrick Saunders, Supervising Digital News Editor
4:30 p.m. One Gwinnett County location will also extend voting hours until 7:58 p.m.
A court has ordered that a Gwinnett County voting location will be open until 7:58 p.m. Tuesday.
Mountain Park Activity Building on Rockbridge Road was one of the polling places threatened in calls made to two Fulton County polling locations earlier in the day. The Gwinnett County location was closed from around 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and the two Fulton locations were also closed for a short time on Tuesday.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called these threats “non-credible” earlier Tuesday and said they came from Russia as an election interference attempt.
The Fulton County Department of Registration & Elections is seeking a court order to keep the two Fulton County locations, Etris Community Center and Gullatt Elementary, open after polls close at 7 p.m.
Two Cobb County polling locations at Mount Paran Church of God and Kell High School will stay open until 7:20 p.m. because of delayed openings caused by issues with equipment.
–Rahul Bali, Politics Reporter, and Meimei Xu, Evening Digital News Editor
4:11 p.m. Fulton County Election Hub to tabulate votes in the county
The Fulton County Election Hub is where votes in Georgia’s most populous county will be tabulated tonight.
The county is expecting journalists from six continents, except Antarctica, in addition to the general public.
After the polls close, police escorts will bring memory cards from every polling place here for tabulation. Early and absentee ballots are already being processed and those results will be uploaded by 8 p.m., per state law.
-Sam Gringlas, Politics Reporter
3:54 p.m. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger gives third update on voter count
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said over 700,000 Georgians have voted on Election Day as of 2:30 p.m. He projected that 1.1 million will have voted by the end of the day. In addition to early voting totals, Raffesnperger estimated that 5,150,000 Georgians will vote in the 2024 election.
He noted that there were some minor issues across the state.
In Peach County Tuesday morning, a space heater “fried” the election management system, but it was replaced.
Two precincts in Cobb opened late due to equipment issues, and will stay open until 7:20 p.m. to make up for lost time.
Raffensperger brought up security concerns from earlier in the day. He said there were less than a dozen bomb threats related to what he called a “Russian hoax.”
“Georgia is not going to be intimidated,” he said about the threats.
Voter count update
-Jasmine Robinson, Digital Journalist
2:38 p.m. FBI debunks rumor about rigged voting in Georgia prisons
The FBI issued a statement on Tuesday saying that a video circulating that contains what appears to be an FBI press release is fake.
The video alleges that management at five prisons in Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania rigged inmate voting in collusion with a political party.
The FBI also said that a news clip purporting to be a terrorist warning by the FBI is also fabricated. The video falsely reports that the FBI told Americans to “vote remotely” due to a terror threat at polling stations.
“This video is not authentic and does not accurately represent the current threat posture or polling location safety,” the FBI statement said.
“Election integrity is among our highest priorities, and the FBI is working closely with state and local law enforcement partners to respond to election threats and protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote,” the statement continued.
“Attempts to deceive the public with false content about FBI threat assessments and activities aim to undermine our democratic process and erode trust in the electoral system.”
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said earlier Tuesday that threats made to two polling locations in Fulton County were “non-credible” and came from Russia in an attempt to disrupt the election.
-Patrick Saunders, Supervising Digital News Editor
2:12 p.m. Metro Atlanta voters weigh in on the importance of voting
Molly Chambers voted at the Trinity Anglican Church voting site in Northwest Atlanta.
“I vote in every election and I think it’s great that more people are getting involved in the process,” Chambers said. “And yeah, I actually kind of feel hopeful for the first time since 2016.”
Ralph Sexton voted at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center in Marietta. He’s been encouraging his children to vote.
“It’s like I told my kids, I said, ‘I don’t care who you vote for — I really do, but — I don’t care who you vote for as long as you vote. You have to vote or the system doesn’t work,’” Sexton said.
Mike Gore, who voted at the Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center in Marietta, shared his reason for voting.
“We want to vote for a better life, and the one that they’ve carried for the last four years is not making it,” Gore said.
-Stephannie Stokes, Housing Reporter
1:16 p.m. Judge issues order to keep two Cobb polling locations open past 7:00 p.m.
A Cobb County Superior Court judge issued an order Tuesday afternoon to keep two Cobb polling locations open until 7:20 p.m. due to delayed openings Tuesday morning caused by equipment issues. Precincts located at Mount Paran Church of God and Kell High School are affected.
Officials said voters casting a ballot at these precincts during the extended hours will need to vote via a provisional ballot.
-Jasmine Robinson, Digital Journalist
12:48 p.m. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger gives second update on voter count, security update
During a noon press conference, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Georgia passed half a million votes and average wait times at polling locations are down to one minute. He projects over 1.2 million votes today. He said voters should check the Secretary of State’s page for information to avoid Election Day hoaxes.
Voter count and security update
-Melissa Feito, Evening News Editor
12:40 p.m. Fulton County police respond to calls at polling locations, find no active threats
According to a press release, the Fulton County Police Department has responded to multiple calls regarding threats at polling locations on Tuesday. Police found no active threats but will “remain vigilant.”
Officials said the polling locations at Etris Community Center and Gullatt Elementary were closed for a short duration Tuesday morning due to threats. The Fulton County Department of Registration & Elections will seek a court order to keep the locations open after polls close at 7 p.m. for the same amount of time as the temporary closure.
Officers are stationed at all 177 Fulton polling locations.
“Disruption of the voting process is a crime and individuals found to be making disruptive threats will face charges,” the press release said.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said during a press conference the threats were “non-credible” and determined to have come from Russia.
“They don’t want us to have smooth, fair and accurate elections,” Raffensperger said.
Fulton County was not the only county to receive threats, according to Raffensperger.
Last week, the FBI said a hoax video purportedly showing voter fraud in Georgia also originated from Russia.
-Jasmine Robinson, Digital Journalist; Sam Gringlas, Politics Reporter
11:28 a.m. Georgia voters cast their ballots at metro Atlanta voting centers
This morning, WABE reporter Stephannie Stokes spoke with several voters who visited their local polling places before closure later today.
“It kind of feels like people have just counted Georgia out, and the last couple elections with the midterms and everything, I feel like we’ve shown that we’re willing to vote based on the actual interests of Georgians and the nation overall. So I’m feeling a little optimistic — trying to push past the doom and gloom — and hoping to see good results today.”
– Rummel Medina, Georgia voter
“We’re exercising our right and I think this is one of the most important elections in years. We are really deciding the direction of the country and at a time where things are so unstable around the entire world. So I think who we choose as the leader is really going to decide our direction with what’s about to happen with world affairs.”
– Lejon Mumford, Georgia voter
“I know there’s a lot of people who are anxious. I’m not anxious. I believe and hope that a lot of people will come out and, you know, put the right candidate in office.”
– Amber Hudson, Georgia voter
“I am glad that it’s over. I’ve been having a lot of tough decisions to make. So it was a lot of anxiety leading up to it. But today, I’m happy that I was able to get my vote in and just wait and see what happens.”
– Jeremy Faughtenberry, Georgia voter
9:14 a.m. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger gives update on voter count
Local election officials can start counting absentee ballots at any point today, according to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Election Day Voter Count Update
This means that more than 4 million in-person early votes and absentee ballots would be counted and results made public during the 8 p.m. hour. Election day votes and late-arriving absentee ballots are counted throughout the rest of the night.
Officials have until Friday to receive and count about 10,000 outstanding military and overseas ballots.
-Rahul Bail, Politics Reporter
7:39 a.m. WABE News 2024 election photos
It’s been a long 14 weeks since Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee, turning Georgia into a true battleground state.
WABE News photographer Matthew Pearson attended so many campaign events for Harris and former President Donald Trump that we honestly lost track. Here are some of the moments from this historic election cycle that stood out most to him.
-Rebecca Etter, Senior Digital News Editor
7:03 a.m. Georgia Supreme Court rules absentee ballots returned late in Cobb County must be set aside
The Supreme Court of Georgia has ruled that absentee ballots mailed late by Cobb County that are returned after the polls close on Election Day must be set aside and not immediately counted.
A lower court had previously extended the deadline for the roughly 3,000 Cobb County voters who received their ballots late.
That extension is being appealed, so the state high court is ordering Cobb County to keep those ballots separate.
The Republican National Committee is challenging the extension and does not want the ballots counted.
Election officials are urging voters who received their absentee ballots late to do everything possible to deliver them in person to their local election office before polls close.
It is also possible to cancel an unreturned absentee ballot and vote in person.
– Sam Gringlas, Politics Reporter
7:00 a.m. Polls are officially open in Georgia
WABE News will have journalists stationed at polling places, vote tabulation centers, official watch parties and more. Follow along with us.
If you’re voting today and need a refresher on candidates, ballot measures, or help finding your polling place, visit our Election 2024 guide.
Also, whether you’re voting today or cast your ballot early, we want to hear from you about your experience. Record a voice memo on your phone, include your full name and send it to tellus@wabe.org.
– Rebecca Etter, Senior Digital News Editor
